Both Alan Webb and Galen Rupp were amazing HS runners, but which was the best?

Ritz could have owned both in cross in high school (he did own Webb, in fact he ran him into the ground). For a board ripping Americans who refuse to run World Cross, we really forget about cross country in our other comparisons, don't we?

Webb had the fastest American time in the mile his senior year.

Rupp had like the 10th fastest American 5k time.

Yes Alan Webb 3:53 was the fastest time by an American but then the 1500m was a pretty weak event for the U.S. The time certainly clears up who had the most impressive single performance but giffypop17 do you think Alan Webb had a better high school career?

I agree with the poster who mentioned Dathan Ritzenhein as he did when his World Junior X-Country BRONZE medal as a senior in high school.

So with Dathan Ritzenhein in the mix, who had the SINGLE most impressive performance and who was the most versatile/best High School runner:

ALAN WEBB

GALEN RUPP

DATHAN RITZENHEIN?

webb

everything runs together for me with Rupp cause he never seems to take a break, so did he set the 5000 record in highschool or was it post highschool or what? He set some Junior Record post highschool I though, but I'm probably wrong.

Vipam wrote:

Yes Alan Webb 3:53 was the fastest time by an American but then the 1500m was a pretty weak event for the U.S. The time certainly clears up who had the most impressive single performance but giffypop17 do you think Alan Webb had a better high school career?

Webb. Clearly. Until he popped 4:01 and 13:37 everyone considered Rupp an overhyped guy who had a few fast times and state titles, but that was all.

Consider Webb's HS Career.

Freshman year:

4:23ish mile

I think he was Virginia 2 mile champion

Sophomore year:

4:06.x mile

Junior year:

8th at Footlocker (arguably deepest year ever)

3:59.9 1600 relay leg

injured and didn't run at Prefontaine. Likely could have run 3:59 that year otherwise.

Senior year:

2nd at Footlocker

8:45 indoors

3:59.84 indoors

2:23.x indoors

1:47.74 800

47.x relay split

4:06 1600 (2:14, 1:52)

triple of 49.x, 1:49, and 4:06 in a three hour span

3:53.43 at Prefontaine

3:38.x at Outdoor Nats

anchored a DMR in the 9:50s, and a 4x800 in the 7:34 range.

All of these except for the 3:38 at Nats were before his school year officially ended.

Now I realize that part of Rupps problem was that he was overhyped, but basically what can he claim other than that he was second at Footlocker, ran 8:03 and 4:01 during HS and ran 13:37 and 29:09 later that summer.

You also need to consider that when Webb was in 3:53 shape, he likely could have run 1:47 low (maybe 1:46 high) for 800, sub8 for 3k, and 8:34-38 for 2 miles. Not to mention at least sub14 for 5k.

If Webb had gone record-chasing the few weeks when he as at his peak the way that Rupp did, he likely would have more than 1 HS outdoor record (I count the 1500/1600 and mile as one).

Webb's focus was to smash Ryun's record (a tougher record than 13:44 was) as bad as possible, and then to use his fitness to help his team in the relays at Nationals, instead of using his fitness to chase all the records he could. He accomplished this.

Rupp's focus was to break as many records as he could, forgoing any commitment to the team. He partially succeeded as he broke a few records, but not all of them, and didn't run as fast as his goals were (sub4 and sub7:55) in a few of the races.

Your list is incomplete. Lindgren was vastly superior. 8:40 indoors, finishing just behind Ron Clarke; 13:44.7 (on cinders), breaking what had been the American record; beating the Russians at 10K; a fine Olympic 10K despite having an ankle twice its normal size. And this was 40 years ago.

Galen Webb could beat Allen Rupp ANYDAY!!!!!!

alan webb without question

Webb has no 3K?

let's not forget that Webb finished 2nd at Footlocker

I wouldn't even consider Rupp better than Lindgren or Ritz Rupp needed a whole extra summer to set his records he couldn't even win his HS races.

Webb was more amazing. It is just a bonus having a range, if you are so good at one event why do you have to prove yourself at others. Look at Morceli and El G (up to recent years).