on July 4 , 2023 , the Firecracker 5K race in Greenville . He placed seventh in the men ' s 18-39 division with his time of 26 minutes , 4 seconds .
" That was a few weeks into my running journey ," he said .
One day he saw a post on Facebook about a nonprofit group called " Beyond Type 1 " that was looking for runners with Type 1 diabetes to compete in the New York City Marathon . Beyond Type 1 lists itself as a nonprofit organization founded in 2015 that is " changing what it means to live with diabetes . Through platforms , programs , resources and grants , Beyond Type 1 is uniting the global diabetes community and providing solutions to improve lives today ."
" I sign up ," said Phillips . " They have hundreds of applicants . They chose me to join their team ."
He said the team was made up of 60 runners from various ages and " all walks of life ."
" One traveled from Australia to join us ," said Phillips .
So Phillips ran for the Beyond Type 1 team in the New York City marathon on Nov . 5 . He received a medal after becoming one of the 51,402 runners that finished the 26.2-mile race . His Beyond Type 1 team also raised more than $ 300,000 for support of those with diabetes .
" It was wild ," he said . " We went through all the boroughs of New York City , Staten Island , Brooklyn , Queens , the Bronx , Manhattan . The finish was in Central Park ."
He watched his blood sugar readings on his cell phone and carried electrolytes and sugar in the pocket of a vest .
" I had all the tools that I needed for it ," he said . " You have to consume carbs throughout the race ."
He had a support group along the course that included his father , Jeff Phillips ; mother , Melinda Phillips ; sister , Morgan Cano ; and wife , Emmaline , who is also a former Greenville soccer player . They held up signs of encouragement at a couple of spots along the race .
" I felt great ," he said . " I was on track of my pace until mile 18 ," he said . " I had cramps in my legs . I still got to finish ."
He finished in the time of 4 hours , 38 minutes , not as fast as he wanted because of the leg cramps .
The day after the race he was " very sore ."
" You can ' t walk very well ," he said . " But after a couple of days you ' re back to normal ."
Now he wants to run some more marathons . He ' d like to run in major marathons in Boston , Chicago , London , Berlin , Japan and Australia .
He also coaches two youth soccer teams — he ' s the father of two children with one more on the way — and runs his family business : the East Texas Print Shop . He also hopes to inspire young kids who also face obstacles , such as diabetes . " The main thing is to show those 10-year-old kids that are saying , ' I can ' t do this .' I can do this . When they see others accomplishing these goals they might get awareness ."
16 GREENVILLE LIFE