rupp drops out of mile run due to asthma attack.

He didn't. Journalists like to misguide readers with simple, sensationalist articles. The asthma attack may have contributed to Alberto's decision. He may have decided before the attack. He most likely wanted to play the illness by ear and hoped to run Rupp only if Rupp felt much better, which he obviously didn't.

Eugene/Nike does not have an indoor track. Sal is known for races plus workouts. He probably just wanted Rupp to run fast on a track.

So he had a trouble breathing because of a bronchial problem at the bronco in boise. What a bummer

Was it a full mile, that could have been the problem

You would think with all the $$$ Nike has they just go ahead and build an indoor track on their campus and stage their own meets.

First of all, it wasn't rupp that got the flu, it was webb. Rupp just simple got the flu shot along with all of alberto's runners to prevent any spreading. Second, i don't know for a fact but it is more likely than not that salazar had this planned as a race/workout as webb was suppose to be in the field too until he got sick and sratched earlier in the week on wednesday. Third, i love the people on here that bash the salazar group without knowing the facts. I can guarentee salazar made the best decision he could based on the information he had.

I think it's pretty cool that Rupp and Webb train and race together all the time. The most talented, wreckless racer in the US training with the diligent, intelligent racer. They seem, in most cases, to be complete opposites personality wise and running wise.

Looks like we won't have that dream matchup on February 5th between Willis Webb and Verzbicas

From Runnersworld:

"The 2008 Olympic 10,000-meter runner from Oregon was unable to finish a mile race at the Boise State Invitational. He'd had a flu shot earlier in the week, which could have been a contributing factor. Alan Webb, his colleague in coach Albert Salazar's training group, had come down with the flu a few days previously. Although it hasn't been reported yet, we're hearing that Webb is unlikely to run the mile as scheduled at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on February 5."

DocLove wrote:

So he had a trouble breathing because of a bronchial problem at the bronco in boise. What a bummer

Was it a full mile, that could have been the problem

Maybe it was a bronco'itis attack?

had his period I must say

Is Galan Rupp a quitter? A lot of current and former runners think he wussed out.

I've always thought Rupp was a bit of a pun job. kind of dainty, and second way too many times in college and high school for the times he was putting up. When he did win, it was always in a vaj kinda way. He also paid his way back into the NCAA when it fit his needs, instead of sacking up like the rest of college runners. Always in his comfort zone close to home. Some may say winning is all that matters, but I would argue how you win is just as important.

umhmmm wrote:

Some may say winning is all that matters, but I would argue how you win is just as important.

You can argue until you're blue in the face; it won't change the times on the clock.

What I'm wondering is why they weren't getting flu shots back in October like many D1 programs, including mine?

Somehow, with all the high tech toys at Nike, we have Webb not able to race because of a bad case of the flu and Rupp gets a DNF or DNS because of a reaction to a shot??

Did Salazar REALLY mess up like that? If this was October and the Ducks lost an XC race because they all got flu shots, that would be different, but we're talking about pro athletes who don't race NCAA XC and with paid medical staffs that are supposed to be better than this.

I don't believe it.

Oh come on, the guy's run 13:07 & 27:10. You really think some kind of dainty fellow could do that? Really?

As for the 'how you win' part, get real! If you win, you win.

Thanks for confirming my expectations. Just my honest opinion, and that of many others. If you read my post, it should be safe to assume I really do believe dainty people can run fast. Why not? Times are up to the performer and their genetic and nike enhanced talent. For you 13:07 would take balls, but not necessarily for Rupp. Only he can know. I just think someone that fast shouldn't have been second so many times and win kicking someones heels until the last little bit. My opinion.

Captain Kangaroo wrote:

Oh come on, the guy's run 13:07 & 27:10. You really think some kind of dainty fellow could do that? Really?

As for the 'how you win' part, get real! If you win, you win.

Someone with enough talent could run 13:07 and 27:10 and be dainty.

I wonder about this sort of stuff a lot with AlSal.

Let's see...

He is employed by the biggest shoe company in the world, and yet he cuts a hole in his star athletes shoe with a scissors and duct tapes it together rather then go to the engineers and have something special constructed. This is a company that already makes custom shoes designed to adjust to each athletes idiosyncrasies.

He painstakingly belabors every detail, makes his athletes where surgical masks on the airplane to Beijing... yet doesn't make sure they get a flu shot before the season.

He seems to miss the obvious and seems to lack some common sense. Clearly the shoe issue with Ritz is something I am astounded by.

wear, not where. I'm sure there are many more mistakes.

it was the flu, asthma is geb's excuse