• LetsRun.com
      your benevolent dictator
      • Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to beat than last yr" 4/12/2018 3:00PM
      • LetsRun.com
        your benevolent dictator
      • "Galen will definitely be much harder to beat than last year, regardless of how the race plays out," said Salazar to Xinhua. "But Kirui or the others may also be in better shape than last year, so it's impossible to predict."

        "This is as good as he's ever been prepared for a marathon," Rupp's coach Alberto Salazar told The Oregonian's Ken Goe. "Anything can happen. You can have bad luck. But by far this is the best preparation he's ever had in terms of being really prepared and not spreading himself too thin...He's been able to train much harder, run more miles and do more speedwork. It's gone really well, knock on wood. There have been no setbacks whatsoever."

        "This is as good as he's ever been prepared for a marathon," Salazar said to Ken Goe. "Anything can happen. You can have bad luck. But by far this is the best preparation he's ever had in terms of being really prepared and not spreading himself too thin."

        That's the good news for Rupp fans.

        The bad news is the field is a lot more difficult to win than last year (and the men's field is more loaded than the women's as well).

        We break down the contenders for the win for you here:

        https://www.letsrun.com/news/20...y-kirui-2/

        We beak down the rest of the Ameicans here:

        The quotes from above came from the following two articles.

        http://www.oregonlive.com/trac...iver_index

        http://www.xinhuanet.com/engli...100930.htm
    • umm have you heard of Jordan Hasay?
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 3:08PM - in reply to LetsRun.com
      • umm have you heard of Jordan Hasay?
      • expect great things!
    • Shoebacca
      registered
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 3:12PM - in reply to LetsRun.com
      • Shoebacca
        registered
      • Despite what all we say about courses being Rupp certified, Rupp has performed well in many championships through bad conditions, particularly heat or humidity. He may do better in the rain than some of his competitors. Alberto has probably been waterboarding him all week in preparation. Plus he spends a lot of time in the pool.

        I now have this image of all the triathlon guys running Boston showing up in their tri-suits.
    • Shaddup U Face
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 3:14PM - in reply to LetsRun.com
      • Shaddup U Face
      • What!? Is he on drugs?

        Wait.... Strike that last question.
    • rojo
      co-founder
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 4:54PM - in reply to Shoebacca
      • rojo
        co-founder
      • Shoebacca wrote:

        I just went to the Boston Globe thinking they might have a nice article up about the marathon. Top story on the site:

        Wow. Great find. 1600+ words on the doping investigation of Salazar.

        It's worth pointing out that both Bill Rodgers and Amby Burfoot defend Salazar in the piece. I find there rationale to be interesting.

        Burfoot said:

        “There is no doubt in my mind that Alberto would push the boundaries as far as he possibly could, but I don’t think he would step over. The penalties are too great to his reputation and Nike’s.”

        “They’ve both been so good for so long, I’m going to choose to believe in them until proven wrong. I just don’t see anything in their trajectories as athletes that is suspicious. I just have my fingers crossed and am praying, like everyone else, that they’re good.”

        I find the logic of "the penalties are too great to his reputation and Nike’s" to be lacking. Nike has been involved in so many big doping scandals - whether it's Justin Gatlin, Arod, Lance. - with little or no impact on their bottom line. Does Burfoot really think people will care about a marathon doping scandal?

        As for suspicious trajectories, was there anything suspicious about Lance's trajectory either? I grew up in Texas. He was a STUD athlete. Just because you are a STUD teen doesn't mean you can't be convicted of doping - just ask Mary Slaney - who was coached by Salazar by the way.

        But if you were going to argue the suspicious line it could be said that Hasay was a mediocre pro until she lit it on fire at the marathon (but to me she could be just like a Japanese woman - made for the marathon, her shorter pbs are close to Nogucih's aren't they?) and Rupp went from having no wheels to being a 3:50 miler.

        Bill on the other hand cites the religiosity of Salazar to be key.

        Rodgers said:

        Bill Rodgers, the four-time Boston Marathon champion, who also trained with Salazar at the Greater Boston Track Club, staunchly defended his former rival, describing him as a devout Catholic with unimpeachable morals who has “more knowledge of training than anyone I’ve ever met.”

        “I can’t see Alberto doing anything against the doping rules in track and field and athletics,” he said. “This is not the case of Lance Armstrong. "

        “I think there’s a lot of jealousy in the sports world,” Rodgers said. “And you can just see that in certain athletes who complain about Alberto. But I stick with Alberto. I think he’s honest. And I think Galen is honest, and Jordan is, as well.”

        “They’ve both been so good for so long, I’m going to choose to believe in them until proven wrong. I just don’t see anything in their trajectories as athletes that is suspicious. I just have my fingers crossed and am praying, like everyone else, that they’re good.”

        What does Catholic or religious have to do with it? Plenty of religious people do crazy shit all the time. Look at the 1:30 mark right here:

        https://youtu.be/6IEvejBe5mI?t=1m30s

        What do you see? Rita Jeptoo dropping to her knees to thank god for her win.

        And how in the world are we supposed to know who is honest and not by talking to them at some cocktail hour. The thing David Epstein told me that was most shocking about his doping reporting as a young reporter was that people could look you in the eye and just lie to you very convincingly.
    • casual obsever
      registered
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 5:47PM - in reply to LetsRun.com
      • casual obsever
        registered
      • LetsRun.com wrote:
        That's the good news for Rupp fans.
        Not really a fan, but Rupp winning would be great for all us.

        Go Galen Go!
    • casual obsever
      registered
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 5:50PM - in reply to rojo
      • casual obsever
        registered
      • Good points, rojo.

        I'd add that there is strong evidence that Salazar is not honest (see, e.g., the hollow books) and does step over the line (see, e.g., the forbidden method for Magness, Ritz, Tara etc.).

        And there is weaker evidence for more violations.
    • Anarcho-Capitalist runner
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 6:01PM - in reply to LetsRun.com
      • Anarcho-Capitalist runner
      • I am shocked you gave no respect to Yuki Kawuachi.
    • NERunner053
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 6:09PM - in reply to Anarcho-Capitalist runner
      • NERunner053
      • Can y'all stop saying American born. That is a useless thing to keep harping on. Instead of trying to draw a divide why not ask if Rupp can become the second American to win the race in the last 5 years?
    • not david epstein
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 6:21PM - in reply to NERunner053
      • not david epstein
      • NERunner053 wrote:

        Can y'all stop saying American born. That is a useless thing to keep harping on. Instead of trying to draw a divide why not ask if Rupp can become the second American to win the race in the last 5 years?

        Well it's not useless. Would you rather they say a white man hasn't won the race since 1986 when some Italian guy won it? Go read Sports Gene.

        Rooting for a white dude in the marathon is like rooting for a #12 seed in March Madness.
    • NERunner053
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 9:05PM - in reply to not david epstein
      • NERunner053
      • not david epstein wrote:

        NERunner053 wrote:

        Can y'all stop saying American born. That is a useless thing to keep harping on. Instead of trying to draw a divide why not ask if Rupp can become the second American to win the race in the last 5 years?

        Well it's not useless. Would you rather they say a white man hasn't won the race since 1986 when some Italian guy won it? Go read Sports Gene.

        Rooting for a white dude in the marathon is like rooting for a #12 seed in March Madness.

        Yeah but that's not really what I'm trying to get after. I know Rupp is a US citizen. If he was born in France would we call him French born or would we simply root for him? I am excited for him and can root for him. I just think putting American born in the first sentence of the preview is excessive. It encourages us to put on our biases and see Rupp, who is white, as American born.

        Meb won the race in 2014. In excited to watch another great American runner try to make it 2 of the last 5.
    • Where was Rupp born?
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 10:22PM - in reply to NERunner053
      • Where was Rupp born?
      • Has anyone actually seen Rupp's birth certificate? Do we know if he was born in America?
    • so many questions
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 10:52PM - in reply to Where was Rupp born?
      • so many questions
      • Where was Rupp born? wrote:

        Has anyone actually seen Rupp's birth certificate? Do we know if he was born in America?

        Will Coach Alberto get Andrew Bumbalough disqualified again if Galen doesn't win the Boston marathon?

        It will not be a big surprise for Coach Alberto or Andrew.

        Oh well.
    • Big Rock Candy Mountains
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 11:16PM - in reply to Where was Rupp born?
      • Big Rock Candy Mountains
      • Where was Rupp born? wrote:

        Has anyone actually seen Rupp's birth certificate? Do we know if he was born in America?

        Galen sold it to the same hobo that got, in exchange for a can of beans and a rubber poncho, Ben Blankenship's birth certificate. At least that's what I hear I on the freight trains I've been hoppin'.
    • this way comes
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/12/2018 11:20PM - in reply to so many questions
      • this way comes
      • Strong east-southeast wind predicted with the rain. If that pans out, it means headwind virtually the whole way.

        So, even if Rupp wins, it will be slow and people will complain about that.
    • Read It
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/13/2018 12:13AM - in reply to Shoebacca
      • Read It
      • Shoebacca wrote:

        I just went to the Boston Globe thinking they might have a nice article up about the marathon. Top story on the site: http://www.bostonglobe.com/met...story.html

        Not everyone had bad things to say about Salazar in this article. Bad headline.
    • Ripping on Rupp
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/13/2018 12:15AM - in reply to Where was Rupp born?
      • Ripping on Rupp
      • Where was Rupp born? wrote:

        Has anyone actually seen Rupp's birth certificate? Do we know if he was born in America?

        Galen Rupp is a "community organizer."
    • Voices In My Head Number At Least 5
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/13/2018 1:38AM - in reply to LetsRun.com
      • Voices In My Head Number At Least 5
      • My gut reaction to this is that Salazar is saying the word preparation too often. Truly, it makes him sound like he is uncertain and trying to reassure himself. One does not know such a thing as to how the preparation has gone until the race has been run and this case won. If Rupp smashes everyone then I'll agree it's the best he's ever been prepared, but the results speak for themselves and anyone talking like this ahead of time to me sounds scared.

        Now, don't get me wrong here. Rupp is the most hated yet totally clutch distance runner from the USA in recent history. I can't say forever because I just don't know, but I fully expect and hope he's going to go out there and make it happen. All I'm really saying is Salazar sounds like he doesn't have a lot of self-confidence, but as a coach I can understand the feeling because it's out of your control and so while you want to say you're totally sure ultimately you just don't know since it's not up to you when it comes down to it.

        On a bit of a tangent. Rupp is such a bizarre situation to a huge running fan. On the one hand, I don't trust anyone training with Salazar. On the other hand, I honestly hope Rupp keeps overachieving given his DNA, never goes positive and it turns out the guy was actually legit all along. It sounds far-fetched, but if a day comes where our thoughts can be read such that none of us can hide from one another and Rupp is the real deal I think there will be a lot of us that owe the guy an apology.

        I hope that day comes where I can send a thoughtstream to the Galen Rupp cloud which emotes my sorrow for having judged him due to my own self-doubt.

        Let's be real though, m..h.r .u..er is as dirty as his coach was.
    • Subway Surfers Addiction
      • RE: Al Sal talking big b4 Boston: Rupp has had "by far" his best prep & "will definitely be much harder to be 4/13/2018 2:26AM - in reply to rojo
      • Subway Surfers Addiction
      • rojo wrote:

        What do you see? Rita Jeptoo dropping to her knees to thank god for her win.

        And how in the world are we supposed to know who is honest and not by talking to them at some cocktail hour. The thing David Epstein told me that was most shocking about his doping reporting as a young reporter was that people could look you in the eye and just lie to you very convincingly.

        That's interesting because half of Epstein's TEDx talk was a lie.