Yes, Galen Rupp has an Olympic silver medal in the 10,000 meters on the track from the Olympics in 2012. And yes, he’s the American record holder in the event with his 26:44.36, which he ran in 2014.
But he’s a marathoner now. And he seems happy about it.
Rupp, 30, of Portland, Oregon, has run the 26.2-mile distance three times: He won last February, in his debut, at the Olympic Marathon Trials. He was the bronze medalist at the Olympics in Rio, running 2:10:05.
And today at the 2017 Boston Marathon, he added a second-place finish to his résumé, running a new PR, 2:09:58, finishing 21 seconds behind the winner, Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya.
With a first, a third, and a second in his first three tries, Rupp’s body of work in his young marathon career is tough to match.
And he enjoyed the experience today.
“I had an incredible time out there,” he said today in a postrace press conference. “I had heard so many great things about this race, and it exceeded any expectations that I had. The crowd was just phenomenal the whole way. It was just such a fun race.”
RELATED: How to Qualify for the 2018 Boston Marathon
Rupp was always near the front, and he and Kirui broke away together through the Newton hills. After they ran a 4:39 23rd mile, Kirui gapped Rupp on the downhills between miles 23 and 24.
Plagued by plantar fasciitis in his buildup to Boston, Rupp wasn’t even sure he would run as recently as two weeks ago. A cortisone shot in his foot after a subpar showing at the April 1 Prague Half Marathon eased the pain. So he was pleased with his result.
“I wouldn’t say my training has been optimal,” he said. “I’m excited. I think I have a lot of room to grow. Take nothing away from this guy [Kirui] right here. He ran a heck of a race. I just didn’t have it over those last three, four miles.”
Rupp credits his coach, Alberto Salazar, who won Boston in 1982 in the infamous “Duel in the Sun” race, with his success here—and at the marathon distance.
“Having someone like that who has won this race, it’s just tremendous having a person like that in your corner,” Rupp said. “You know that you’re going to be as physically prepared as possible. He knows this course like the back of his hand.”
RELATED: Meb Is 13th in His Final Boston
But that course knowledge pales to what he’s learned from Salazar about mental toughness, Rupp said.
“He pushes us mentally harder than I believe any other coach in the world pushes their athletes,” he said. “He is constantly putting us in really uncomfortable situations, whether that’s adding extra intervals if we are having a great workout, or asking us to run faster than maybe what we thought we could. He knows how to get you out of our comfort zone. When you do that in practice on a daily basis, you learn to handle a lot of things.
“I never wanted to let him down or think that I’m not the toughest person out there. That definitely was in the back of my head the last couple of miles when I started hurting.”
For as much success as he’s had with the marathon, Rupp still has one more track season ahead of him this summer, with the IAAF World Championships in London in August.
“I’m looking forward to resting now, and getting ready for the track season,” Rupp said. “And then after this year, full-time to the marathon.”
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
