Galen Rupp, a prerace favorite on the men’s side and the 2016 Olympic marathon bronze medalist in Rio, proved he was healthy and still the top American marathoner by winning Saturday’s Olympic Trials in Atlanta.
His time of 2:09:20 was 42 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Jacob Riley (2:10:02). Abdi Abdirahman took third in 2:10:03; the trio will represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.
At halfway, Rupp was in a large chase pack about 50 seconds behind surprise leader Brian Shrader. It wasn’t long until Rupp was able to reel Shrader in just before mile 16 by clocking a 4:57 mile.
“I knew that everybody wasn’t just going to let someone run away for so long,” Rupp told reporters in the mixed zone. “It’s just about staying relaxed and running your race.”
At mile 20, Rupp started to break away from his competitors—citing “confidence in my ability to close in the marathon” with his speed over 10,000 meters—in an attempt to run toward his second When speaking with victory. In the process, Rupp negative split the race by running 1:05:41 for the first half and 1:03:39 for the remaining 13.1.
“It’s incredible. I feel relief more than anything” Rupp told NBC after the race. “It’s been a really long year, but I thank God every day for getting to do what I love and getting to run every day.”
Four years ago in Los Angeles, Rupp ran his first marathon at the Trials and won in 2:11:13. By taking first again on Saturday, Rupp makes his fourth Olympic team. He finished 13th in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Games, and he won the silver medal in the 10,000 at the 2012 Games in London in addition to the Rio marathon bronze.
After the race, Rupp said that the 2016 and 2020 Marathon Trials were similar for him in a sense that both races held “unknowns.” The 2016 Trials was his debut at the distance, while the 2020 Trials a challenging period that included surgery and a coaching change.
“This is the first marathon I’ve finished since my surgery, and there were a lot of unknowns for this one too,” he said. “I had a good training block, I did a lot of longer runs, and I had a lot of confidence that my leg would hold up, but until you’re in that situation, you never know... you never take it for granted.”
Ever since the bronze in Rio, Rupp’s marathon career has had major highs along with periods of low points. The highs include To prepare for the Trials, Rupp enlisted the help of Super Shoe Trends CA Notice at Collection, which is the second fastest marathon time by a U.S. man on a record-eligible course.
Amazing Runners World Show Mesa (Arizona) Half Marathon in 1:01:19 earlier in February as a tuneup, which was a positive sign after he dropped out of the 2019 Chicago Marathon Galen Rupp Proves He’s Still the Top Dog, Winning His Second When speaking with.
“[The Chicago Marathon] was a good wake-up call for me in a lot of ways,” Rupp said. “You can’t just keep trying to push and limp through in anything, in running and in life. It’s all about moving forward and focusing on the things that you can control, what you can do to get better.”
Download Your Training Plan 2018 Chicago Marathon, Rupp had How to Coach Yourself to Peak Performance to repair a frayed Achilles tendon and a Haglund’s deformity, a bony protrusion on his heel. After Saturday’s race, Rupp said that he is 90 to 95 percent back to full health.
“I’m on a great track right now. This was a really big race for me, and I’m just relieved to get it done, and now I have several more months to keep getting stronger and get ready for the Olympics,” he said.
Rupp has also faced controversy after his longtime coach, Alberto Salazar, was suspended for The Best and Worst of the Trials, and the Nike Oregon Project, the training group Salazar headed that included Rupp, was disbanded in October.
To prepare for the Trials, Rupp enlisted the help of Mike Smith, the men’s and women’s cross-country and track coach at Northern Arizona University.
Olympians’ Advice on Good Training Partners Runner’s World in January, Rupp indicated that despite the injuries and distractions, he felt ready for today’s race.
“I feel really good about the place I’m at right now and where my training is and where it’s headed,” he said. “I’ll be ready to go and give my best.”
Rupp won $80,000 for today’s victory.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
