Greenville Track Club member Philippe Giguere is competing in the World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden and is representing his native country of Canada. On Saturday he placed 10th in the Men's 55-59 800-meter final with a seasonal best of 2:11.48, with 400m splits  64.7.  and 66.8. He had qualified for the final on Thursday with a 2:13.17 performance.   .

Greenville Track Club member Philippe Giguere is competing in the World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden and is representing his native country of Canada. On August 14, Philippe ran 16:48.4 to place fifth in the men's 55-59 Age Group over 5,000 meters. One day later, on August 15, he ran the 800m and placed 10th overall (2nd in his heat) among the six  preliminary heats to qualify for Saturday's final with a time of 2:13.71. The top 12 qualifiers moved on to the final. 

Our August Greenville Track Club Newsletter is available to download here.

The GTC Hall of Fame committee is now accepting nominations for the induction of a new class. Nominations must be submitted no later than August 30, 2024. Submitted nominations must contain detailed justification for the nominee. Nominees must be identified as having at least one of the 5 categories of criteria for qualification. 

The 5 categories are – Athletic Performance, Club Leadership, Volunteerism for GTC, Community Relations for GTC, and Ambassadorship and/or Club Promotion.

Please use the nomination form below and submit the form. 

Any and all nominations must be submitted no later than August 30, 2024.

For a list of our past inductees please see: GTC Hall of Fame.

Highlights from Sunrise Run...
​After falling slightly last year, total registration this year was up 16% to , and 9.3% more runners actually got up early and finished the race!  More importantly, 18.4% more GTC members finished this year, so Running Series competition continues to get tougher.  Most notably, the Female 35-39 group had 9 finishers (↗200%) and the Male 40-44 age group had 10 finishers (↗233%).   Average finishing times (GTC Males  @45:07, GTC Females @53:52) were about a minute slower this year, but there were some substantial improvements:

• Jim Day (M55-59) ran 3:14 minutes faster (7.7%, 0:39/mi) this year, finishing in 38:33
• Beth Harden (F55-59) ran 4:50 minutes faster (7.9%, 0:58/mi) this year, finishing in 56:40
• John Johnson (M75-79) ran 5:22 minutes faster (8.2%, 1:05/mi) this year, finishing in 1:00:04
• And... Sean Flynn (M35-39) ran 4:27 minutes faster (11.7%, 0:54/mi) this year, finishing in a ridiculously fast 33:27.  Sean, please tell us what you're eating!!!

Also of culinary interest: Dawn Ferguson (F55-59) and Josh Ferguson (M25-29) became the first to join the 250pt Club after just five races.

Important Upcoming Dates

    07/04 - GTC Red, White & Blue Shoes (Running Series, Corporate Shield)

    08/17 - Michelin Edouard Michelin Memorial (Running Series, Corporate Shield)
​

Highlights from Memorial Day Mile...


EVERYONE finished this year's Memorial Day race substantially faster than last year's Memorial Day race, many were more than twice as fast!😉.  There was a lot of sleeper points available with only 77 club members competing (↓2).  In fact, there were 11 divisions where all you had to do was show up and move a mile to get 50 points.  Be sure to get up early This Saturday for the GTC Sunrise Run!

Meanwhile, competition for the Enduro Award (for accumulating the most running series miles possible) is now down to 6 runners (20.3Mi so far this season).

The fastest club member (non-Pro) times were Ashley Lavelle (F35-39) finished in 6:38, and David Cowan (M40-44) in 5:24.

And the point group highlights...

• Female 01-18
  • Lily Nabinger (100pts) joined the 100pt Club and became award eligible with her 2nd 50pt finish this year.  She's a full 50 points head of 2nd
• Female 25-29
  • Rebecca Scamardo (160pts) joined the 150pt Club thanks to her 50pt finish
  • and Sally Hill (120pts) joined the 100pt Club thanks to her 40pt finish.  Sally is now 70pts ahead of 3rd place
• Female 35-39
  • Kayla Rector (90pts) became aware eligible and moved into 2nd by a narrow 10pts over Annelies Van Hecke thanks to Kayla's 40pt finish, and she's now just 20pts behind Beth Trenor
  • Ashley Lavelle (70pts) had the club's fastest Female chip time, finishing in just 6:38.  She now sits just 10pts behind 3rd place in the series
• Female 50-54
  • Carolyn Shanesy (120pts) has broken the tiebreak and secured a 50pt margin over 2nd thanks to her uncontested 50pt finish
• Female 55-59
  • Dawn Ferguson (200pts) joined the 200pt Club thanks to a 40pt finish.  She finished just 5th last year, but holds a 60pt lead over 2nd.  1 of 6 and the only female still eligible for the Enduro award!
  • Ellen Abarotin (140pts) strengthened her lead over 3rd to 50pts
  • Anne Green (60pts) became a concern this year by taking 50pt honors and moving into 4th. 
• Female 60-64
  • Gabriele Harris (100pts) jumped to 2nd by a narrow 20pts over Victoria Michal thanks to Gabriele's uncontested 50pt finish.  Gabriele became award eligible and joined the 100pt Club
• Female 65-69
  • Judy Walls (110pts) used her uncontested 50pt finish to join the 100pt Club and break a 3-way tie for 1st by Run Count.  Judy finished just 13th in the series last year
• Female 70-74
  • Debby Presnell (80pts) became award eligible with her 30pt finish, and strengthened her position for award eligibility by stretching the gap over 4th place to 40pts
  • But, Donna Smith (80pts) took 50pt honors to become award eligible in 3rd place, giving up 2nd place to Debby by tiebreak (Run Count)
• Female 80-99
  • Joyce Rasberry (110pts) reclaimed 1st and joined the 100pt Club with her uncontested 50pt finish
• Male 01-18
  • Henry Bacon (90pts) used his 50pt finish to takeover 1st by a narrow 10pts
  • William Hill (80pts) became award eligible with his 30pt finish, and strengthened his lead over 3rd by the same
• Male 25-29
  • Josh Ferguson (210pts) joins the 200pt Club and stretched his leader over 2nd to an astounding 160pts - the largest lead in the club this year!  He's also 1 of 6 still in the running for the Enduro award
  • Congrats to Artem Bykanov (40pts) for joining the Running Series with a 5th place debut thanks to a 40pt finish
• Male 30-34
  • Chris Klepper (100pts) took over 1st place, joined the 100pt Club and became award eligible with his 50pt finish
  • Jacob Courter (60pts) is now in 3rd and award eligible with a narrow 10pts separating him from both 2nd and 4th
  • Arunvel Karikolraj (50pts) is now in 4th by 3-way tiebreak (Run Count), and sits just 10pts outside of award eligibility thanks to his 30pt finish
• Male 35-39
  • Nolan Winters (150pts) stretched his lead over 2nd to 90pts and joined the 150pt Club
  • Evan Moats (60pts) jumped 4 spots into 2nd place by tiebreak (Run Count) and became award eligible with his 30pt finish
• Male 40-44
  • David Cowan (130pts) had the club's fastest Male chip time, finishing in just 5:24, and is now just 20pts short of 2nd
  • Johnathon Wheatley (70pts) became award eligible after picking up 30pts and moving into 3rd by a narrow 10pts
• Male 45-49
  • Series newcomer James Lafever (140pts) used his 50pt finish to take over 1st place and join the 100pt Club 
  • Chad Bacon (80pts) moved into 3rd place by tiebreak (Run Count) and became award eligible with his 40pt finish.  He sits just 20pts behind 2nd
• Male 50-54
  • Wolfgang Dieminger (80pts) is now just 10pts short of 3rd thanks to his 40pt finish
• Male 55-59
  Both Bernard and Markus are still eligible for the Enduro award!
  • Bernard Vermeersch (170pts) held on to 1st and joined the 150pt Club with a 40pt finish
  • But... Bob Seedlock (160pts) closed the gap to just 10pts with his 50pt finish
  • Markus Wimmer (110pts) strengthened his hold on 3rd place to 40pts and joined the 100pt Club with his 30pt finish
• Male 60-64
  • Tim Stewart (160pts) took over 1st by a narrow 10pts over Scott Murr thanks to Tim's 3rd 50pt finish this year
  • Scott Murr (150pts) joined the 150pt Club with his 30pt finish.  Scott is one of the 6 members still in the running for the Enduro award
  • Tapp Skinner (80pts) jumped 3 spots into 3rd and became award eligible with his 40pt finish
• Male 65-69
  • David Smith (160pts) stretched his hold on 1st to 70pts and joined the 150pt Club with a 50pt finish.  has joined the 150pt Club thanks to a 50pt finish in the 1 Mile
  • Meanwhile... John Gullick (80pts) moved into 3rd via 3-way tiebreak (Run Count) thanks to a 20pt finish and 10 volunteer points
  • And... John Hart (80pts) sits in 4th, just 10pts from 2nd place, after a strong 40pt finish
• Male 70-74
  • Jim Roberts (150pts) joined the 150pt Club and increased his lead over 2nd to 40pts thanks to a 30pt finish and 10 volunteer points.  Jim is still eligible for the Enduro award!
  • Vince Herran (110pts) has joined the 100pt Club with his 50pt finish
  • And... Mike Pedigo (80pts) held on to 3rd place by tiebreak (Run Count) after his 20pt finish
• Male 75-79
  • John Johnson (150pts) used a 40pt finish to join the 150pt Club and stretch his lead to 30pts
  • Lee Cook (120pts) took 50pt honors and joined the 100pt Club, moving him into 2nd on the season
• Male 80-99
  • Bill Blask (150pts) joined the 150pt Club and improved his hold on 1st with his uncontested 50pt finish
• Remember your Greenville Track Club Membership must be current the day of the race to accumulate points.  See the full list of rules at http://www.greenvilletrackclub.com/running-series.html

Running Series Standings through GTC Memorial Day Mile are updated here
incitecg.com/gtcrs/standings.html


Important Upcoming Dates

    06/08 - GTC Sunrise Run (Running Series, Corporate Shield)

    07/04 - GTC Red, White & Blue Shoes (Running Series, Corporate Shield)

    08/17 - Michelin Edouard Michelin Memorial (Running Series, Corporate Shield)

Here is the link to download the GTC May Newsletter. 
​

On a beautiful Saturday morning Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jason Weitzel ran a quick 29:44 to win the 46th edition of this historic Greenville race. With a new finish line overlooking the new United Community headquarters on E. Camperdown, almost 2,000 runners covered either the 10K or 5K routes through downtown Greenville and the city parks. Simpsonville's Alyssa Bloomquist won the women's title with a time of 35:18. Both Weitzel and Bloomquist are ranked first among men and women, respectively, in the current South Carolina Road Race Rankings. 

Greenville's Ricky Flynn, running his 1oth Reedy River Run 10K, placed second with a time of 29:58. Weitzel and Flynn had finished 2nd and 3rd in the three most recent United Community Reedy River Run 10Ks. GTC-ELITE's Jack Mastandrea finished third with a time of 30:08. Defending champion Johanna Stephens of Dallas, GA, placed second among women in 36:30. 

All five of the runners mentioned above earned prize money awards due to their placings, time bonuses and meeting the minimum time standards:  Weitzel ($850), Flynn ($650), Mastandrea ($425), Bloomquist ($600) and Stephens ($400). Weitzel received $500 for the win, $100 as first South Carolina resident and $250 for breaking 29:45. 

Simpsonville's Phillips Giguere, 54 years of age, ran an outstanding 35:07, which is the event record for Grand Masters (50 & Over) athletes and earned $100 for his effort. The previous record was 35:18. He was also the Masters (Over 40) champion. 

LINK TO RESULTS @ https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/32178#resultSetId-450852;perpage:100

​LINK TO PHOTOS @ https://runsignup.com/Race/Photos/SC/Greenville/ReedyRiverRun

It is race week with the 46th United Community Reedy River Run on Saturday, April 20. This historic 10K is one of the oldest road races in South Carolina and will once again feature some of the state's top runners. 

Greenville's James Quattlebaum will attempt to win his fifth consecutive United Community Reedy River Run and improve on his event record of 29:20. This year's course is slightly changed with the finish on Falls Street, James will compete against Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jason Weitzel and Jack Mastandrea. Weitzel has been runner-up in this event for three straight years and is the current leader in the South Carolina Road Race Rankings. The third place finisher for the past three years and third ranked South Carolinian Ricky Flynn is also competing.

Among the women, Joanna Stephens, the 2023 winner  is returning along with last year's runner-up Alyssa Bloomquist. Alyssa ran a new personal best for 10K at the Cooper River Bridge Run on April 6 and is currently ranked first among SC women. Last year's third placer, Shelby Jarmillio, will also be running. 

Packet Pickup will be on Friday (April 19) from 11:30 am until 6:30 pm. The location is the United Community overflow parking lot on Falls Street (south of E. Broad Street). You will be able to enter the parking lot from Falls Street. Please do not arrive earlier than 11:20 am as it may cause undue traffic issues during our set up. Our goal is to process everyone as quickly as possible. 10K bib numbers have been assigned and are specific to a starting wave and corral. 5K bibs will be assigned in order of arrival to packet pickup. There will not be Packet Pickup on Saturday. 
Please see map for Packet Pickup below. 

:Portable Toilets on Race Morning

​Due to the 10K and 5K starting lines being about 250 meters apart and the restrictions on placing Portable Toilets on S. Main Street, the Portable Toilets will be located near the Finish Line in the overflow parking lot across the street from United Community's new office building. The parking lot is on Falls Street and is the same lot as used for Packet Pickup on Friday. 
Please plan toilet usage accordingly as it is about a 5 mins walk to either the 10K or 5K starting lines. You will need to be in your appropriate starting area at least 15 minutes prior to start (7:00 am for 10K and 7:45 am for 5K). Please see map below. 

Post Race Festival
​There will be a fun filled post race festival immediately following the races. Once you finish you will be directed into the festival lot. Jersey Mike's mini-subs will be available for those with race bibs. There will be face painting, bouncy house, etc for the kids and our DJ will keep the good vibes going. You can also get a selfie in front of one of our race banners. You can have your family meet you in the festival lot and enjoy your accomplishment and have some fun. 

The historic Green Valley Road Races, a 10-Mile and a 5-Mile, are this Saturday. You can register to run or volunteer at
runsignup.com/Race/SC/TravelersRest/GreenValleyRoadRace.

Rewards:
1) a fantastic experience running beautiful Green Valley!
2) 10 milers receive a finisher’s medal
3) overall, masters, and grandmasters awards for both races 
4) age group awards for both races: <=14, then 5 year age groups from 15 to 99 (award is tbd)
5) an awesome embroidered 1/4 zip pullover for all participants