5th - 27:59 at Wharf to Wharf. Santa Cruz to Capitola.
Although it's good to see Galen back running and racing, the question is WHY? What are Rupp fans expecting to see? Is he going to win a WMM? Is he training for L.A. 2028? Realistically, it will be very difficult for Galen to return to the form he once had, in fact , it will be very difficult for him to get close to the form he once had. At age 39, and the injury history he's endured, I would say it is a near impossible feat for him to be a competitive elite runner again. No matter how he feels mentally, he physically can't train at the level he's accustomed to. Once your daily motivation priorities shift from "I'm gonna crush today's workout", to "I hope I don't get hurt", or adjusting training workouts to accommodate injury risk, you're DONE! The question for Galen is, what's next? Coaching? Nike employee? Can Galen be an effective coach? Does he have the communication skills necessary to be an effective coach? If Rupp can translate his vast running experience into elite coaching, he may find a new career in the sport.
He already has a new career. He is pretty good at race commentating marathons. Perfect type of sideline gig for him to get into more. He is awesome at it.
Although it's good to see Galen back running and racing, the question is WHY? What are Rupp fans expecting to see? Is he going to win a WMM? Is he training for L.A. 2028? Realistically, it will be very difficult for Galen to return to the form he once had, in fact , it will be very difficult for him to get close to the form he once had. At age 39, and the injury history he's endured, I would say it is a near impossible feat for him to be a competitive elite runner again. No matter how he feels mentally, he physically can't train at the level he's accustomed to. Once your daily motivation priorities shift from "I'm gonna crush today's workout", to "I hope I don't get hurt", or adjusting training workouts to accommodate injury risk, you're DONE! The question for Galen is, what's next? Coaching? Nike employee? Can Galen be an effective coach? Does he have the communication skills necessary to be an effective coach? If Rupp can translate his vast running experience into elite coaching, he may find a new career in the sport.
He already has a new career. He is pretty good at race commentating marathons. Perfect type of sideline gig for him to get into more. He is awesome at it.
i agree he is great at commentating and he should do it more if he retires. Hopefully he was training through this race so he can get a good marathon in. Hopefully Rupp has a few good years on the roads left.
its just not in the cards. he is not bernard lagat. he's had an incredibly long and achievement filled career, and his accumulated injuries (scar tissue, flexibility, tendon strength) will not be overcome by the best nike has to offer. would be fantastic to see him keep at it though, nothing wrong with a 2:12 after all he's accomplished, just for the love of it.
nice to see rupp back. Hopefully he can get into some good shape and run a marathon later this year or early next year. i’m just glad he’s back running healthily.
I love when an aging athlete doesn’t view himself as too much of a legend to show up at a race and run based on your current fitness level. Way too many pro marathoners aren’t willing to race other distances at the end of their career for fear of embarrassment.
Only on LRC would something like this garner so many negative posts. He's older now so who really cares about the time. We dk how warm it was or how the race played out. He got outkicked by a second for 4th, which is understandable at his age. He still ran 4:40 pace for 6 miles on the roads. I don't think that course is pancake flat, especially in the back half. Plus we have no idea if he's actually making a run at a fall marathon/where he's at with his training. I've run a number of 10ks right around or slightly faster than marathon pace in marathon builds.
its just not in the cards. he is not bernard lagat. he's had an incredibly long and achievement filled career, and his accumulated injuries (scar tissue, flexibility, tendon strength) will not be overcome by the best nike has to offer. would be fantastic to see him keep at it though, nothing wrong with a 2:12 after all he's accomplished, just for the love of it.
I agree - Galen must love the sport. We should celebrate runners running into their 40s and 50s.
Definitely when it is in races like this with no appearance money. I feel differently about those that only race the WMM in their later years for appearance pay days based on PRs run a decade ago.
It's also a really fun race, a classic that I recommend!
Course was altered this year due to bridge construction, and almost certainly short - everyone's watches got ~5.9 miles, and this altered version was seemingly not certified (at least that I can find searching online)
The course had a lot more turns than the OG course, but the first part was slightly less hilly and the aggregate from 10-15 people I saw was 5.92 miles.
I was glad to see Galen Rupp out there, Olympic medalist x 2 and former AR holder, He was having fun, and if we're lucky we all get older, pal. Rupp is a 39-year-old father with four kids. He doesn't need to prove anything, and if he shows up for some marquee races to experience the vibes, then that's awesome.
I feel like it's hard for some on this site to grasp the idea that some people just love to run
I think you need to "Grasp" what I said in my post. I wasn't trying to bash Galen or question his motivation, or "love" for running. I'm a huge fan. That's why it's so difficult to retire from the sport, mentally you're ready to go, but physically it becomes difficult. It's like not seeing the forest through the trees. You become more and more focused on not getting injured and don't realize the quality of your workouts and or performances are falling off. The big issue for Galen is his injury history. We're not just talking about a gimpy Achilles or some on and off soft tissue injury, I think most elite runners are dealing with something most of the time. Galen has had multiple surgeries, and his most recent issue was his back. If injuries start to become structurally related (back, hip, knee, ankle), the recover process is longer, and at age 39 it's only magnified.
I hope he does well, but I'm not betting a lot him.