Why is it that there is only one Galen Rupp in the US ?

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Who knows wrote:

If Galen hadn't been playing for a soccer team coached by Alberto's friend, we might have zero Galen Rupp's right now.

There are undiscovered Galen Rupp's around working their nine to five jobs telling people about their glory days as a D2 soccer player.

Do you know if he was a good soccer player? A lot of runners played other sports before they discovered their talent for running. And other than the kid's leagues, soccer is not a popular sport. I'm a big sports fan, but I can't name one professional player or team in the U.S.

He was good enough to make his HS soccer team. If Alberto hadn't found him there he probably would have been a soccer player until he graduated.

Most "elite" U.S. distance runners are capable of marathon training a few years out of college, but wait too long to run their first marathon. Even though it's an over-used example, Shorter was 25 when he won the 1972 Olympic marathon. A younger and faster body has a better chance adapting to marathon training and racing (faster recovery), has had fewer injuries (you would hope), and maybe (big maybe) is able to push harder because of inexperience. However, pro contracts are typically are granted to young runners for shorter distances. It might be interesting for a shoe company to provide grants to some of the fastest young runners to train specifically for 20k to marathon distances. Might bomb, but seems worth a try.

Thanks for pointing out that Rupp wouldn't be good at football, that is new knowledge to most of us. And no, that is not the premise I was making whatsoever, how did you comprehend what I said as kids talented in running choose to not do HS sports? lol wtf?

Most of USA talent goes into the major sports (not track) which is why we only have 1 galen rupp. Sure you get some talent in track. But our best genetic talent tends to not choose track.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

I'm a big sports fan, but I can't name one professional player or team in the U.S.

You must be a big sports fan

Who knows wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Do you know if he was a good soccer player? A lot of runners played other sports before they discovered their talent for running. And other than the kid's leagues, soccer is not a popular sport. I'm a big sports fan, but I can't name one professional player or team in the U.S.

He was good enough to make his HS soccer team. If Alberto hadn't found him there he probably would have been a soccer player until he graduated.

You don't know either of those things. Like I said, many great runners played other sports before starting running. There's no reason to believe the guy with the talent to be the GOAT American distance runner would choose to be average or good in a minor sport like soccer.

You guys are insulting the sport by claiming that most people made aware of their talent in Jr High blow it off to be mediocre in another sport or don't even compete in HS sports. And for a guy with Rupp's talent running is actually kind of fun.

I assume that most people on LR ran in HS and are, of course, far less talented than Rupp. Besides their posts, are they abnormal in some way?

This. So many people on this site either over-think things or make too much out of distance running. It's not rocket science. To be more specific, I would say a lot of "potential" running talent goes into soccer especially and even basketball. I know a guy running his grad year at a Big 10 school in mile-3k distances who didn't run in high school until his senior year. He always played baseball and basketball. Anyone who didn't run in high school (like me) and has been exposed to other even semi-elite athletes could put this 2 and 2 together.

He was a freshman that made his schools varsity soccer team.

His mother was a middle school track coach who couldn't convince him to give running a try until Alberto came along.

His first year he went to soccer practice four days a week and did one skipped one practice to workout with Alberto.

True, I don't know if he would have never taken up running had he not crossed paths with Alberto. You don't know that he would have. The evidence seems to suggest that without Alberto the GOAT American Distance runner would have remained a full time soccer player.

If running paid like baseball, basketball or football, there would be 50 guys running like Rupp. But why would an American who can make more money sitting at a desk or even driving a truck want to live like a monk, run himself and exercise to exhaustion nearly every day for a mediocre paycheck? And that paycheck is not even guaranteed until a runner is really at the Olympic level.

Remember what a $25K-$100K payday means to a Kenyan or Ethiopian. That is retirement money. They can buy a house, a farm, a store. In America, that is somewhere between a bad and a good year, but certainly not a great one. The monetary equivalent for an American would be more like $500K to $2M. If running paydays were on that order, the US would have a full stable of world beating distance runners.

Even if that's true he could be an outlier. I don't know about now, but when I was in HS, soccer was not a popular sport.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

You don't know either of those things. Like I said, many great runners played other sports before starting running. There's no reason to believe the guy with the talent to be the GOAT American distance runner would choose to be average or good in a minor sport like soccer.

You guys are insulting the sport by claiming that most people made aware of their talent in Jr High blow it off to be mediocre in another sport or don't even compete in HS sports. And for a guy with Rupp's talent running is actually kind of fun.

I assume that most people on LR ran in HS and are, of course, far less talented than Rupp. Besides their posts, are they abnormal in some way?

Rupp would have no incentive to switch to running so it's unlikely he would have. There are lots of other Rupps out there, who go on to be mediocre at other sports and don't get "discovered." That's not an insult to the sport, it's just a fact. In countries like New Zealand runners are more likely to be discovered which is why they produce good runners at 10 times the per capita rate of the US.

GAYLEN

FIXED IT FOR YOU

NHL hockey and even American soccer club contracts would be a lot better than running contracts. That would be enough to entice.

However, I don't think it's that simple. Tennis has enormous compensation, yet Americans can't find their Galen Rupp in that sport. It's not just about the money. There is talent that is missing or simply a talent doesn't have the desire to play a certain sport.

ole to ye wrote:

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Do you know if he was a good soccer player? A lot of runners played other sports before they discovered their talent for running. And other than the kid's leagues, soccer is not a popular sport. I'm a big sports fan, but I can't name one professional player or team in the U.S.

No, you aren't a big sports fan.

Yeah, I am. I follow college and pro football, MLB, the NBA, golf, tennis and the TDF.

I think everyone is right. Yes, Rupp is a once in a generation talent. Period. But, the US is not East Africa. We have other sports. We have careers. I know so many sub-4:25 HS milers and even a few sub 4:10 college milers that gave up running in college for pre-med, engineering etc.

A Kenyan running 4:20 as a junior with a scholarship to come to America will run as if their life depended on it.

An American with a 4:20 in H.S. with an academic scholarship to Stanford might not run at all.

If you are a 13:59 5K guy there is no real incentive to train. You might genetically able to get to 13:30 and maybe run a 2:10 marathon but are you as a low tier D1 athlete going to give up jobs at Goldman Sachs and Nike to train for 5 years for the 10% chance you’ll make it to that point? No, if you’re lucky, you’ll keep running on the side and be proud of the 15:59 5K at your local shamrock run and take home the Wal Mart gift card.

When Europeans train in Kenya they become better. Look at Wanders and those twins from NZ. But are you willing to give up everything?!?! How many NCAA champions are willing to do that? I don’t blame them.

Also, there is tons of talent in other sports. I had guys in H.S. run 4:59 off no training to sub 16:00 5K on 30 miles a week as a junior in a few months. I am not saying this guy could have been Rupp, but he at least could have been a D2/low D1 runner.

As for Japan, they place prestige and emphasis on road running. It is special there.

You have revealed the secret to enabling children to better reach their potential.

Surprised no one has comment on your post yet.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

ole to ye wrote:

I'm a big sports fan, but I can't name one professional player or team in the U.S.

No, you aren't a big sports fan.

Yeah, I am. I follow college and pro football, MLB, the NBA, golf, tennis and the TDF.[/quote]

You are a big sports fan that follows pro football, MLB, NBA, golf, tennis, and cycling but you cannot name any players or teams??

No, the previous poster identified sports more popular than track, but it's irrelevant because Rupp could not have made HS teams in those sports.

Galen Rupp is what you get when you consistently give a 13:30 guy testosterone, hgh, and epo. Not surprisingly there are many Africans of Galen Rupp's ability.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

Internetsherlock wrote:

And i am taking about his distance running ability, not his looks . US has a fairly high population.

What does that tell you ?

For sure there must be 10 more Rupps out there if things are done right . Or is he originally from Iten

the looks white ?

No, there aren't 10 more Rupps out there. He is a once in a generation type talent. There weren't 10 more Jim Ryuns out there when he broke through, either.

Jim Ryun is a patriotic American, you democrat piece of trash.