Upstate Running Club

Upstate Running Club Newsletter

At Upstate Running Club, our mission is to promote health, fitness, and community through the power of running. We are dedicated to supporting our youth program participants, empowering club members, and fostering a strong sense of community. By providing inclusive and engaging running opportunities, we aim to build lifelong runners, enhance personal well-being, and create positive, lasting impacts both within our club and beyond.

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Founded in 2020, our local run club is dedicated to providing direct funding for a comprehensive youth running program. By becoming a member, making donations, or sponsoring our events, you actively contribute to fueling our team's endeavors as we engage in year-round training and competition.

Number of Members

1,630

Members

Table of Contents

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2026 Upstate Running Club Membership

Here’s what you get as a member:

15% OFF over 100+ races all year
15% OFF at Run In
10% OFF GUTS Apparel (Online only, check member benefits page for details)
15% OFF at The Nutrition Store (Online only, check member benefits page for details)
Free 1st Session, 50% off your first month, & $0 enrollment fees at Fit Body Boot Camp Simpsonville
50% OFF URC Apparel through December produced by GUTS
50% OFF your initial consultation & assessment at Swamp Rabbit Physio
Body Dynamix over 35% off your initial soft tissue assessment and 15% off follow-ups

Group Runs of the Upstate

Club Run Schedule

Volunteering Opportunities

All of our URS races run so smoothly thanks to you, our volunteers! If you want to sign up for a volunteer shift, just click the "Volunteers" tab on any URS race and select your time! Your work behind the scenes and in the open keep this club going!

Runner Spotlight

Erin Meyer

You lead a group run every Tuesday at Paris Mountain, tell me about that.

Paris Mountain was actually the first group run I attended after moving here. Last year I had the chance to start leading it, which felt pretty special. We rotate through different trailheads so people can experience all the trails the park has to offer. It’s a really welcoming group—everyone from walkers to ultramarathoners shows up—and it’s a great way to explore the mountain with good company.

What do you love about trail running compared to running on roads?

The scenery, trails let you explore places you’d never see from the road, and the terrain constantly changes, which keeps things interesting. And honestly, trail runners are just a unique group of people—in the best way.

What’s a piece of advice you can give to runners who are nervous about trying trails?

That’s easy—come join us on Tuesdays at Paris Mountain! We always have a beginner-friendly group. Also, it’s totally okay to walk the uphills.

You also compete in triathlons, what drew you to that?

I met someone… it was a guy. I actually met him at the Paris Mountain group run. While we were flirting, he mentioned he was training for a 70.3. I had no idea what that meant at the time. The more time I spent around him and the sport, the more I wanted to challenge myself and try it. Now I’m training for my own 70.3 in New York—and I’m marrying that guy.

What’s something triathlon training has taught you that running alone wouldn’t?

Aside from how much money I can spend on equipment? I’ve learned how all three disciplines support each other. When I was only running, an injury meant I had to completely stop training. With triathlon, if something is bothering me I can shift to swimming or biking and still stay active.

Running roads, trails, biking or swimming — which do you enjoy the most and why?

Trails, without a doubt. They let me explore new places, challenge myself in different ways, and they’re great for spending time with people.

What’s been your most memorable race experience so far?

The RAD Half Marathon in Asheville. It was the first race where I stopped worrying about my time and just focused on having fun. I met some truly rad people along the way. It was also meaningful to be part of an event that brought people back to the Asheville area. The damage from Helene was still very visible, and it was great to see the community coming together.

Tell me about the life of fostering dogs?

I first got involved after following Lucky Pup on Facebook. They were asking for fosters, and I decided to volunteer. That was two years ago and I’ve never looked back. It’s an amazing way to help meet a need in the community, connect with people, and spend time with all kinds of dogs.

What has fostering taught you about patience or resilience — and does that carry over into racing?

Finding the right adopter for a foster dog takes patience and careful thought. In some ways, it reminds me of finding your running style and your running community. Not everyone wants to run a marathon, and some people love ultras, it’s okay to try different things.

Last Question, what is a bucket list race that you would like to do some day?

The Nice International Half Marathon. I studied abroad in Nice and absolutely loved it. Being able to return and experience the city again through a race would be incredible.

Miles "The Mayor" Bryan

First things first—how did you earn the nickname “The Mayor”?

It started as a joke. I’d be out running with a group and it seemed like every person we passed knew me. Nick Dibos really sealed the deal when he showed up with my “Mayoral” hat. Once that happened, the name stuck.

You seem to know everyone—what’s your secret to building such a strong running community?

I’m just a cog in the wheel. My main running group is WR@D (We Run At Dawn), but I get around to a lot of different group runs. Some runs are fast, some are slow, but when you show up and enjoy the group events, you naturally start meeting people.

Are you more of a “run and chat” runner or a “let’s suffer quietly together” runner?

I unintentionally follow the 80/20 rule—about 80% of my miles are easy and 20% are hard. Sometimes I do both in the same run. We’ll start with an easy warm-up where everyone’s chatting and catching up… then the pace picks up and it turns into a fight for my life.

What’s your go-to conversation topic when you’re running with someone?

It’s definitely seasonal. Right now, there’s a surprising amount of conversation about grass and lawn care. We are a group of dad runners, kids come up a lot too. But no matter the season, training talk is always in the mix.

If you could plan the perfect run—route, weather, post-run hangout—what would it look like?

Give me 40 degrees and shorts. Target about 8 miles starting at Unity Park, cutting by Linky Stone Park to River St, looping around Greenville High School, heading down toward St. Francis, and then finishing up my favorite stretch—Perry Avenue. It’s one of the most “Greenville” roads you’ll see. Finish at the Commons for a Chai Latte and sink my teeth into a Spinx Breakfast Biscuit on the way home.

What’s the funniest or most memorable thing that’s happened during a run?

I’ve got two that stand out. One time on a Tuesday morning YMCA group run we saw huge plumes of smoke near Swamp Rabbit Café. Naturally we ran toward it to see what was going on… and it turned out there was an arsonist lighting buses on fire. Police everywhere, burning buses—it was wild.

The other one was a long run with friends where we somehow got on the topic of 90s R&B. Next thing you know, we’re all loudly singing Let Me Love You by Mario while running down the trail.

Do you prefer road runs, trail runs, or mixing it up? Why?

Strictly road for me. I’ve got a little PTSD from an Upstate Race Series race at Paris Mountain where I fell multiple times. I know the views are beautiful on the trails, but I spend the whole time staring at my feet.

What’s a race that stands out as one of your favorites?

I enjoy running, but I actually don’t race a ton. The Swamp Rabbit Half is definitely my favorite. It’s the hometown race on familiar paths, surrounded by people I know.

What’s a bucket-list race you’d love to run someday?

I’d love to do something truly majestic—not necessarily race it, but just experience it. Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim at the Grand Canyon sounds incredible. And I’d also love to do a run somewhere out in the desert.

Youth Runner

Waiting for this one, then all running interviews are done

Running Adventures

If You Want a Burrito

By Steven Ellis

Inaugural Greenville Burrito League Champion

“If you want a burrito, I’ll get you a burrito,” friends quipped in late January. It’s a rational comment to make to someone competing in a seemingly absurd, temporarily life-consuming competition for burritos.

In January 2026, Jamil of Aravaipa Running started a Burrito league, leveraging a challenge from the previous year that had been sponsored by Chipotle in 25 cities internationally. Individual hosts could now apply to allow their towns to be part of the fun. Aimee at Run In stepped up as our host, and on January 14th the Inaugural Greenville Burrito League was born.

The challenge is simple: Who can do a particular Strava segment the most times (become the “Local Legend” in Strava-speak) by January 31st at 11:59pm? Our quarter mile one-way segment is called “tiny tunnel sprint” and is mostly on Richland Way from the other side of the tiny tunnel on the Swamp Rabbit Trail to the crosswalk at Laurens Road. Back and forth we go. Unlike segments in some other towns, ours at least has limited traffic and a good view of a large creek.

I love Aravaipa’s races and have lived in Greenville for over 30 years. So, I felt compelled to give the first somewhat Aravaipa-related event in Greenville a try. I’ve completed over 50 marathons and ultras, including recent finishes of the Tahoe 200 and two Cocodona 250s. So, even though I am a middle of the pack old guy, I felt I had some skills and advantages that could make me competitive in this format.

In general, as races get longer, less agreed-upon wisdom and strategy for how to train and execute exist. The 200+ community thrives on the unpredictability and the crazy variables like fueling, weather, and sleep that affect individuals so differently after multiple days. There is still no agreed-upon formula, but there is some general guidance that will help most. This Burrito League seemed like it could be good training for the 200s, but also a chance to develop all new strategies particular to this challenge and adjust on the fly.

The plan was to run my normal training miles all on the segment during the challenge and supplement with walking as needed. Given that there were some speedier and younger runners out there, I figured the way I might win is to try to keep my body more durable by walking as much as possible and taking it slow while jogging. I knew that my body was not used to that many miles, especially all on hard surfaces.

With a mix of jogging and walking, I was able to take the lead on the first weekend and then just tried to stay what I hoped was a discouraging distance ahead each night. There was a huge advantage to knowing what others had done during the day, since I did most of my segments later in the day. Another large advantage was that my daughter is already grown, so the only limit on my time that I couldn’t clear was just the standard 40-hour job. I know many out there had younger family and social obligations that couldn’t be put on hold for 16 days. Many had spouses, dogs, kids, and grandkids out there joining for some quality time while clicking off some segments. It was a huge boost to my morale and sanity when my daughter, son-in-law, or sister would come out to walk some segments.

In the end, through a bit of stubbornness and obsession, I was able to win the Inaugural Greenville Burrito League. On the eve of the final day, and the second large snowstorm of the challenge (one of those surprise variables), Aimee sent out a most welcome announcement. On top of the original prizes stated, which included $100 to a local burrito shop, a free pair of Mount to Coast shoes, and a GUTS swag bag for first place, Chipotle had jumped in and offered just a few sites, including Greenville, 52 free burritos over the next year to the winners.

The prizes are great, but I walked or ran back and forth for over 310 miles and 68 hours in 16 days. It would not make sense to do that for the prizes. So, why participate in this thing? Long-distance runners are a bunch that many non-runners look at as having a bit of a loose screw, but we feel some kinship in that shared loose screw that we can’t quite place. This was an even smaller subset of the running community, and now many runners thought we Burrito-leaguers must really have a screw loose. Some shared trait among us made us get out there and go back and forth, which I think we would all admit was a bit crazy. Whatever that commonality is, it created a fantastic community for a couple of weeks. I met a lot of new friends that I hope to see around on the roads or trails (is it still too soon to talk about next January…it feels like it). Oh and of course, if any of my new friends want a burrito, I’ll get you a burrito.

News from the Running World

Josh Kerr recently spoke with Citius Mag's Chris Chavez to disucss his plan to break the mile record(which has stood since 1999) at the Diamond League in July READ HERE

Mark Dredge of The Running Channel offers advice to runners on how to choose your A, B, and C goals for a race, and how to go after them. His advices works for everyong, whether your'e chasing a Boston qualifier or a PR at your local 5k. READ HERE

Sticky's Corner

You asked, Sticky answered

Q: When traveling internationally for a race, what is the best celebratory snack to eat?

A: Wonderful question, and those who have traveled with me will already know the answer. Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, or as the McGoos refer to it as, CoCo Curry House is the #1 post race meal you can get. Unfortunately, it has limited international presence outside of Asia, so my alternative is a king size candy bar. I prefer Twix, but I have it on good authority that a king size Snickers is among the best!

Q: The Japanese U-Turn, is it worth it saving time at the cost of looking silly?

A: For those who don't know, this is referring to a way that you often see professional Japanese runners navigate a hairpin turn. Instead of going wide on the entrance and exit and cutting the turn close, the runner spins 180° in the opposite direction of the turn.

To answer the question, I can't really say. I think it is fun to do, and I think everyone should give it a try at least once. I have read and heard about the purpose and origin of this method from many people(saving time, less risk of injury, it looks cooler, etc) and I haven't found any definitive information on it. I can say this with certainty, I am not fast enough for it to make a difference. So go out and do what makes you feel best or run faster, even if it might look silly.

Q: How many shoes is too many shoes?

A: As long as you are utilizing them, you can never have too many. That said, it is best to start with a good rotation that covers all your bases. I also have a pair for rainy days that can get dirty, and a pair for traveling that I don't mind losing.

While it can be exciting to get every new shoe that drops, it is important to not accumulate more than you can use, as many shoes do have a shelf life (2-3 years according to most sources, but some claim as short as 6-12 months for peak performance from higher end shoes).

For the chance to get your question featured in the next Newsletter, email it to

stickyscorner@gmail.com

Coaching Tips

Shifting Into Race Season

Chelsea Harp

Spring is here, and for many runners, that means thinking about one thing: race season. After a winter of building mileage in the cold and dark, this is the part of the year where training starts to shift—not a complete overhaul, but a sharpening.. You’ve built the engine. Now it’s time to tune it.

I’m in the middle of that shift myself, training for the Boston Marathon while coming back from an injury last year. There were months where I wasn’t sure I’d be on any startline this spring, let alone Hopkinton at one of the most iconic races there is. Some days I struggled to hit the pace, some days it clicks, and both are part of the process. As tiresome as the some of miles felt, I am simply grateful to be on the roads again.

Last Monday I had a ladder workout on the schedule: ten minute interval down to one minute. The first ten minutes felt like I was dragging a parachute. I thought about cutting it short. But I stayed with it, and the last few came in right on pace. That’s something I’ve had to relearn through this comeback—the workout doesn’t have to feel good from the gun to be a good workout. Sometimes the win is just finishing what you started.

I’ve seen the same pattern play out with the runners I coach through Ascend Running, the coaching practice I started last year. Runners come in feeling behind or uncertain heading into race season, and with a few small, intentional adjustments, things start to click. Here’s what I find myself coming back to most often this time of year.

Introduce Speed Like a Conversation, Not a Shout

If you spent the winter focused on steady mileage, your aerobic system is in a great place—but your legs may have forgotten what fast feels like. The mistake I see most often? Jumping straight into a hard track session and either getting hurt or getting demoralized by the splits.

A better on-ramp: start with four to six strides after your easy runs a few days a week. Short, relaxed accelerations—think 80% effort for 15–20 seconds. After a week or two of that, mix in some short hill repeats or a 15-minute tempo at a comfortably hard effort. You’re waking your legs up, not shocking them. The endurance base you built is the foundation—speed work is the trim, not the frame.

Protect Your Easy Days

Once races are on the calendar, it’s tempting to push every run a little harder. I catch myself doing this too—I’ll glance at my pace on an easy day and think, "I should be faster than this." But that instinct is the enemy of good training.

Your hard days only work if your easy days are actually easy. Conversational pace. Boring pace. The kind of pace where you could talk about what you’re making for dinner without gasping.

Most of your weekly mileage should live here. I know it doesn’t feel productive, but it’s the quiet work that raises the ceiling for everything else.

Rehearse Race Day, Don’t Just Train for It

One thing that separates a good race from a great one is knowing what your goal effort feels like before the gun goes off. I build short race-pace segments into workouts—maybe a mile or two at goal pace tucked into the middle of a longer run. The point isn’t to crush it. The point is calibration.

Try this: during one of those segments, cover your watch. Run by feel. Afterward, check how close you were. You might be surprised—and that kind of body awareness pays off on race morning when adrenaline is high and your GPS might not be reliable in a crowd.

The “Little Things” Aren’t Little

Strength work, mobility, drills—I know. They’re the vegetables of running. Nobody is excited about single-leg deadlifts after a long run. But I’ve learned this lesson the hard way more than once: the moment you stop doing the maintenance work is usually about three weeks before something starts to hurt.

You don’t need an hour in the gym. Fifteen minutes of targeted strength and mobility two to three times a week is enough to keep the small muscles and connective tissue that support your running healthy. As intensity increases heading into race season, this is the insurance policy that keeps you on the start line.

Race Early, Race Imperfectly

Racing is a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with practice. Early-season races are the best low-pressure environment to work on pacing, test your nutrition strategy, and get comfortable being uncomfortable in a group. Don’t put all your emotional eggs in one early-spring 5K. Use it as a data point, not a verdict.

And just as important: know when to step back. Burnout is real, especially when the race calendar is packed. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is skip a race, take a down week, and come back hungry. The season is long. Protect your energy for the races that matter most to you.

This spring and summer, I’ll be hosting a few Ascend Running workshops covering training structure, workouts, and smart race prep. These will be hands-on and open to runners at all levels. To get announcements when dates are set, text ASCEND to 1-833-756-0463.

If you’re interested in individual coaching, you can learn more at ascend-running.com, reach me at chelsea@ascend-running.com, or follow along on Instagram at @ascend.running.

Hope to see you out there racing this season!

Chelsea Harp

Ascend Running LLC

www.ascend-running.com @ascend.running

chelsea@ascend-running.com

Quote of the Month

"I don't have to go for a run, I get to go for a run."

–Unknown

Member Benefits

Access to discounts at several local businesses including:

Run In

Swamp Rabbit Physio

GUTS

The Nutrition Store

Fit Body Simpsonville

Atlas Chiropractic

Body Dynamix Integrative Therapy

If you would like to offer a discount to our members and be featured in our newsletter, please reach out to URCPartnerships@gmail.com

New for 2026: Charity Donations

Something new for this year is a charity fund. Now, whenever you sign up for one of our races you will be provided the opportunity to donate to our charity fund which we will evenly split at the end of the year!