Galen Rupp ran Boston in 2017, and took second. Aftewards, it was revealed that Galen had a few tenuous weeks prior to the marathon. Rupp ran well in his first run from Hopkinton to downtown Boston last year. In 2018, with training having gone much better, how will he fare in 2018? Add to his fitness, rain, cold, sleet and snow, how will that affect the Oregon based Olympic silver medalist at 10,000 meters and Olympic bronze medalist at the marathon?
Geoffrey Kirui and Galen Rupp, photo by PhotoRun.net
Galen Rupp came oh so close to winning Boston last year. In the fall of 2017, Galen Rupp, after stronger training than the Spring of 2017, took off with six kilometers to go and won in 2:09:23, the first win by an American male in the Windy City in two decades. His race was calculated, and when he moved, there was no second thoughts. Rupp broke the field and kept pushing, until he had won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
The Rome Ostia Half Marathon was the final buildup race for the Boston Marathon. It went well, as Galen Rupp ran a PB of 59:47 in the March Race. A strong half marathon showed that his additional mileage and training for Boston was going well and that his fitness was right on track. For Galen Rupp, the higher level of fitness could be the difference between first and second. The Boston marathon field is always tough, and those final miles require speed, endurance and racing savvy to make it through the virtual boxing match over the last five to six miles.
How fit is Galen Rupp? Galen Rupp has been building for the marathon for most of his career. The increased mileage and marathon training has taken away some of his track speed, but that 26:44 10,000 meter speed is still pretty impressive. If Rupp is fit and gets into a battle over the last few miles, he should be in the thick of it. Geoffrey KIrui, the winner from 2017, surely wants to defend, so we have a real live race in Boston tomorrow.
The big question? How will Kirui and Rupp fare with the bad weather.
In a TV interview on Saturday, Galen Rupp was asked about the rain, cold and sleet that is being predicted. ” I am from Oregon. That is my normal weather for 90 percent of my runs.” laughed Galen Rupp.
The battle is on.
