by Larry EderOn Sunday, October 10, 2021, Galen Rupp, 4 time Olympian, 8 time World Championship finalist, will line up at the starting line of the 2021 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Will his Olympic silver medal (10,000m, London 2012), or Olympic bronze medal (marathon, Rio 2016) experiences help him in Chicago? Will his 2017 run in Chicago help him? He won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2017, in 2:09.20.
Sunday could be quite warm, not Sapporo warm, but an October day in the Midwest can challenge the best athletes. Two questions need to be answered: Just how has Galen Rupp recovered from the Tokyo Olympic marathon? And how will he respond when the time comes to make the big move?
Galen Rupp (second from left), in 2021 Bank of America Chicago Marathon presser, October 8, 2021, photo by Zoom conference
It has been 18 months of some complication for Galen Rupp.
On February 29, 2020, on a tough loop course in Atlanta, Georgia, Galen Rupp won his second Olympic Trials marathon. His command and domination of the event was fascinating. In his finest marathons, Galen Rupp dominates the last part of the race, and gets some living space, as he savors the win. In Atlanta, Galen Rupp won in 2:09.20.
And, then, 2020 got weird, and dangerous. The pandemic took over much of our lives, and the Olympics were cancelled in 2020. Galen Rupp kept training, and in a bespoke half marathon, on October 30, ran some extraordinary splits: Galen hit 42:27 for the 15k, 45:54 for 10 miles and then, finished up with a blazing 20k in 57:17 and finally, hitting the half in 1:00.23.
A nice way to end the year 2020.
2021 has all been about Tokyo.
This writer watch Galen Rupp race a 10,000m on the Lewis & Clark track (May 28, 2021), as part of the Portland Track Festival. Galen was in the race the entire way, until the last lap. He only faltered in the last 200m, running a 63 last lap and going 28:00.37. A four letter word came out of his mouth, when he found out he had just missed the Olympic Trials cut off, by that last lap.
This writer thought that Galen Rupp looked pretty damn good until that last lap. 140-150 mile weeks take their toll, and Galen was focused on the marathon training for Tokyo. It was not until the last lap that Galen Rupp showed that those miles come at a cost. As someone who demands excellence from his body at all times, it must be hard to know that, Galen Rupp is mortal.
Galen Rupp runs 28:00.37, May 28, 2021, Portland Track Festival, photo by How Lao Photography
On June 16, Galen Rupp battled the finest 10,000m runners, young and old at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. The race was tough. It was warm, and it was competitive. Galen Rupp gave it all he had, and ran just a bit faster than 18 days earlier. His 27:59.43 gave him sixth, in a well fought battle.
On July 4, Galen Rupp ran the Atlanta Peachtree, in hot Atlanta, and finished 8th in 29:06.
The Olympic marathon, a race that he had waited to run for 18 months, came on 8 August 2021. The heat and humidty were horrific. Galen Rupp looked great until 30-32k, when Eliud Kipchoge just took the lead, ran 14:36 for the 30-35k split, in the absolutely torrid heat and humidty of Sapporo. Try as Rupp might, it was just too much. He finished 8th in 2:11.41, his dream of a third Olympic medal in 4 Olympics dashed.
What did he do after the Olympic marathon?
“I took a week off. “
His coach had him run very, very slow, “like running with your grandmother”. Coach Mike Smith then crafted five weeks of training for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Galen Rupp keeps his deep thoughts close to his chest. He obviously shares with his family, coach, agent and close friends, but, in order to survive, in order to keep one’s sanity in this overly social world, an athlete like Galen Rupp has to have boundaries.
Galen Rupp, August 21, 2016, Rio 2016, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Galen Rupp was relaxed at the presser today, emceed by Tim Hutchings.
I was able to remotely ask several questions.
Did you have a workout that gave you an indication on your fitness?
Galen Rupp told Tim Hutichings about a good effort for 21 miles that went quicker that his coach, Mike Smith had desired, and Galen finished it up, totalling 25 miles that day.
Galen Rupp also noted that his five weeks of training for Chicago felt better than his last five weeks prior to Tokyo. During the five weeks, Galen Rupp had ventured to the 2021 Great North Run, in Gateshead, England and taken third in 61:52 on a new course. “We ran through the Great North Run.”
On Sunday, October 10, 2021, Galen Rupp will start his fourth time at Bank of America Chicago. It may be the warmest of his four attempts (he finished 3), in the Windy City.
While he might want a fast time, Galen Rupp is an experienced marathoner, and a seasoned racer. He knows that, in road racing, the conditions play a huge role in how he will build his race on Sunday.
Runners World posted an excellent story about how Galen Rupp is looking for redemption in Chicago.
Perhaps, he is. He admitted to RW that his body just shut down in Sapporo. He had his first experience with bad weather in a marathon. His DNF in Chicago and his Tokyo experience have to be playing in his mind. Galen Rupp considers his experiences in racing as he prepares for the next one.
I am reminded of his response to RunBlogRun senior writer Jeff Benjamin, on what he learned from Sapporo:
“Disappointing races happen, but it is how you deal with them afterward that will shape you as an athlete. As long as you learn from them, grow, and make changes then you will come out better in the long run. It is always important to really evaluate a performance, whether a race or workout and constantly be learning. Growth isn’t always an easy or smooth process, but some of the biggest gains you make come from disappointing performances.”
As the mile accumulate, as the athlete builds to the focused event, the self knowledge learned from races good and bad, from workouts well run, and from workouts that were abandoned, the athlete realizes that the challenge is the need that must be fulfilled. Galen Rupp wants a good race, mostly a good win, and if luck will have it, a fast time. Sunday is probably not about a fast time.
Good luck Galen in Chicago!
For further reading on Galen Rupp:
Interview with Galen Rupp, by Jeff Benjamin, August 18, 2021, https://www.runblogrun.com/2021/08/runblogrun-exclusive-interview-galen-rupp-looks-back-forward-after-tokyo-by-jeff-benjamin.html#more
Socialing the Distance, Galen Rupp, by Larry Eder, November 27, 2020: https://www.runblogrun.com/2021/02/socialing-the-distance-featuring-olympian-and-nike-sponsored-athlete-galen-rupp.html
