Answer these questions for me about the NOP and Galen Rupp + a bonus Alberto Salazar interview

Regarding Rupp's training - ya, very ppl have much insight. If you follow NOP on Instagram there was a post in early June of Galen doing track intervals with Centro, so he definitely doesn't train alone all the time - although I'm sure some of his long runs are alone or mostly alone. There was also a post back in January of Galen, Engels, Murphy, and Kejelcha doing mile repeats and hill sprints together on the Nike campus.

With Sugaro, I've never seen or heard of he and Galen doing any training together at all.

And I've heard Galen and Mo's relationship is fine, but they're not exactly best buds - more of a respect kind of thing. But then again, I really have no idea.

From Suguro Osako Instagram he looks like he trains alone. And from the NOP Instagram I don't ever recall Suguro Osako being in there post.

Based on what I've seen on social media, Rupp trains with Yomif Kejelcha and sometimes Clayton Murphy, but nothing has indicated he's trained with any other members of NOP since the spring. It is odd, given that right after Mo left the group officially Centrowitz moved to Northern Virginia for a year and then took a volunteer coaching position at UW, and Jenkins moved back home. Osako splits his time between Japan and Portland, but he is coached by Pete Julian primarily (according to his social media and interviews with Julian.) No idea why, but I get the impression (from all the things I've listed and posts on letsrun) that Galen is not personable/does not have a good relationship with Centrowitz for whatever reason. No idea about altitude but I know that he has mostly trained in Park City when at altitude and given that he doesn't use social media/train regularly with other marathoners, it is very possible that he goes there alone.

In terms of Farah, all you have to do is look at his social media to figure out HIS attitude toward Galen. In a recent throwback to the 2012 Olympics, he posted nothing that showed Galen clearly (no picture of the medal stand, their celebration afterward), and as discussed last year on the boards, there was really no logical reason for Mo to leave NOP if he would have had the training partner in Galen for the marathon that he had in the 5k/10k, so I tend to hold the belief his departure was motivated by personal and not career reasons (it's not like he hadn't gone and trained in Ethiopia while he was in NOP before, and his new Mudane team is such a loosely organized group). I also recall him saying in a recent interview about Chicago "I have to figure out how to beat this guy" (in reference to Galen) which seems like a very impersonal way to refer to someone who was his training partner through 2016.

I could be wrong though, and the finish at Chicago will hopefully show what their relationship as it stands is.

1) does not now nor ever will train with osako

2) no longer goes to altitude camps. Has not since 2012. Has a treadmill in an area of his house that simulates altitude.

3) they are not best friends playing FIFA together anymore.

mcvred said:I also recall him saying in a recent interview about Chicago "I have to figure out how to beat this guy" (in reference to Galen) which seems like a very impersonal way to refer to someone who was his training partner through 2016.

this always struck me as being a very odd thing for Farah to say, mainly because Galen Rupp has never beaten him. I only have track races on my database so I don't know anything about what might have happened on the roads, but on the track they have met five times over 10,000m, always in major championships; three times at WC and twice at the Olympics.

In Daegu 2011, Farah was 2nd, Rupp 7th, and in every other meeting between them Farah won the race, so they are now 5 - 0 to Farah and if anyone has to figure out how to win, it is the American.

Daegu 2011 Rupp 7 (27:26.84) Farah 2 (27:14.07)

London 2012 Rupp 2 (27:30.90) Farah 1 (27:30.42)

Moscow 2013 Rupp 4 (27:24.39) Farah 1 (27:21.71)

Beijing 2015 Rupp 5 (27:08.91) Farah 1 (27:01.13)

Rio de Janeiro 2016 Rupp 5 (27:08.92) Farah 1 (27:05.17)

the only way I can make sense of Farah's comment is to suppose he was being kind to his former training partner.

I don't pretend to know anything at all about their actual relationship and I don't follow social media, which is not much help with answering OP's questions but I found a recent interview with Galen where he says that winning medals is more important than fast times.

cheers.

That interview is proof that Big AL is in charge of :

Rupp

Sifan

Hasay

Yomif

Centro

Murphy

Julian: looks after everyone else.

The big guns are too important and too good to be left in the hands of Julian. So Big Al is still structuring the training, strength programs, and nutrition.

Big Al is the shot caller.

Scorpion_runner correctly listed the NOP athletes whom Salazar coaches. Julian handles Osako, Engels, Jenkins, and Rowbury.

It is not true what one of the previous posters said about Galen having not gone to altitude camp since 2012. In both 2015 and 2016, Galen trained in Park City for long stints in his buildups to Beijing and Rio. I'm unsure if Galen has done any extended stints at altitude in either 2017 or 2018; based on NOP social media, he's mainly been training at the Nike campus.

The relationship between Galen and Mo is cordial but tense. Basically, Mo left Salazar and NOP for three reasons:

1) He wanted to raise his children in the UK and not Oregon.

2) He was tired of being relentlessly hounded by the media about the Salazar allegations.

3) Despite being by far the best athlete in the NOP stable, he saw that Galen was and always will be Salazar's golden boy. Everything Salazar does is centered around maximizing Galen's chances for success ... sometimes to the detriment of other NOP runners. Mo felt he deserved a coach who was fully committed to Mo.

As Farah distanced himself from Salazar following the 2015 ProPublica report and its fallout, Mo and Galen's relationship began to deteriorate.

rupp is getting better at interviews.

This announcer, FTW.

I'm sure NOP will never allow her to get within 75 feet of them again. But wouldn't it be cool if Salazar would talk like this, and Rupp could sometimes prove he's developed another .00002 percent of a personality, every so often? I'm anything but a social media person, but it's ridiculous that I get to follow Kipchoge better than Rupp, and see some dirt track in Kenya more than Nike's empire or Portland (sorry, Beaverton) in general.

Great points, didn't think of it like that. I felt that referring to him as "this guy" seemed less familiar than "Galen" given how long they've known each other (and the success they've shared).

I don't think his comment was necessarily kind though- while I completely agree with your assessment of their matchups on the track- Galen has thus far performed better over the marathon besides his DNF (1st, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, ) to Mo's 8th (which I'll concede is not a fair indicator) and 3rd. I'd really love to see them race over half marathon or 20k before Chicago before I made a "Galen is better at the marathon" sort of statement, but Galen has certainly certainly performed very well against some very good competition and while their PRs are similar, confidence wise Galen has the edge and the experience. I think Kurui could potentially blow both of their doors off on a great day (he has run under 2:08 more times than both of them) and there are a ton of guys in the field who could make the race interesting (Parker stinson is in incredible shape by all accounts), so there's also a possibility neither of them win. Either way, it will be an incredible race.

Strength program is overseen by David McHenry.

You are right, Mo Farah left the NOP for personal reasons and not for a career

Having said that I don't think he has beef with Galen Rup tho ..The UK press was putting a lot of heat on him because of his association with Alberto and I think that is a big reason for him leaving the program

He'll still sleep in an altitude tent, 100% certain.

tony the tiger wrote:

You are right, Mo Farah left the NOP for personal reasons and not for a career

Having said that I don't think he has beef with Galen Rup tho ..The UK press was putting a lot of heat on him because of his association with Alberto and I think that is a big reason for him leaving the program

I agree, add to this you have the ridiculous situation of British ex athletes and pundits (who all know Mo personally) calling out other athletes for doping (despite no direct implication or evidence) and at the same time acting as cheerleaders for Mo Farah. Obviously the connection of Mo to not one, but TWO controversial coaches in Aden & Salazar made the situation totally untenable and they could no longer ignore the elephant in the room.

Doesn't he have an altitude house?

It does seem that Mo and Galens relationship is a bit strained. But yes if I was interviewing Galen that would be one of questions I would ask.

My questions would be...

1. What are your plans after you retire? Will you continue to race ? Will you coach ?

2. Would you ever consider a new coach?

3. Do you have any regrets? If you had to do your career would you have changed anything ?

4. Are any of your kids showing talent?

tony the tiger wrote:

You are right, Mo Farah left the NOP for personal reasons and not for a career

Having said that I don't think he has beef with Galen Rup tho ..The UK press was putting a lot of heat on him because of his association with Alberto and I think that is a big reason for him leaving the program

Salazar? They ever mention his close association with Jama Aden? They don't even let that guy into Ethiopia anymore. Now THAT is saying something.

mcvred wrote:

while their PRs are similar, confidence wise Galen has the edge and the experience. I think Kurui could potentially blow both of their doors off on a great day (he has run under 2:08 more times than both of them) and there are a ton of guys in the field who could make the race interesting (Parker stinson is in incredible shape by all accounts), so there's also a possibility neither of them win. Either way, it will be an incredible race.

I don't agree with a lot of the stuff above.

I don't think Rupp necessarily goes into that race thinking certain he's going to beat Farah, a man whom he never has beaten in any race. Yes, Rupp has a great marathon record but he's also never gone out in 61:03 like Farah. Unless Farah liked sucked at long runs when they worked out, which I doubt was the case given how well Mo ran in London, then I doubt Rupp knows he's going to own Farah.

Parker Stinson is incredible shape? What does that have to do with anything when we are talking about Rupp/Farah and who is going to win the race?

I'll pay you $1,000 if Stinson breaks 2:08:00. You don't have to even offer anything. It's free money.