Galen Rupp Will Run His Debut Half-Marathon at NYC Half

New York, March 2, 2011— At age 24, Galen Rupp is already one of the most accomplished American distance runners of his generation. On March 20, Rupp will run only the second professional road race of his career and his first-ever half-marathon when he toes the line at the NYC Half-Marathon.
 
A 2008 10,000-meter Olympian, a two-time USA 10,000-meter champion (2009–10), and the national indoor 5000-meter record-holder, Rupp lives in Portland, OR, and is coached by three-time New York City Marathon champion Alberto Salazar.
 
“This is one of the most significant debuts the sport has seen,” said NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. “We have cheered Galen through high school and college, and now it is our turn to cheer for him on the streets of New York, and look forward to many more opportunities to come.”

Rupp joins a field that also includes Abdi Abdirahman, Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, Jason Lehmkuhle, and Patrick Smyth. The women’s field features Olympian and World Championships medalist Kara Goucher and USA Half-Marathon Championships runner-up Serena Burla.  
 
“I am excited to be able to participate in the NYC Half. With an emphasis on strength in my training this winter, I feel like this is a great time to try and tackle a longer distance,” said Rupp. “The half-marathon will allow me to challenge myself in new ways, both mentally and physically. I am thrilled for this opportunity, and couldn’t be happier that my first half-marathon will be in the streets of New York.”
 
Rupp set the American 5000-meter indoor record of 13:11.44 on February 19. He is second on the all-time U.S. list for the 10,000 meters in 27:10.74. At the University of Oregon, he held all five distance titles during the 2008–09 season: cross country, 3000 and 5000 meters indoors, and 5000 and 10,000 meters outdoors; he is the only athlete in NCAA history to achieve this feat.  
 
“As Galen’s coach, the NYC Half appealed to me because Galen had done a tremendous amount of training with much higher mileage than normal to prepare for a 10K in Christchurch in February,” said Salazar. “Due to the tragic earthquake, that meet was cancelled. I believe that it will be in Galen’s interest to compete in a race out of his normal comfort zone against some of the best half-marathoners in the world. This experience and what he learns from it will make him better on the track this summer.”