On Friday, Galen Rupp won his first race back since his victory in February at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. En route to taking the win in 1:00:22, Rupp set the American 10-mile record with a 45:54 split. The two-time Olympic medallist crossed the line ahead of Japanese marathon record-holder Suguru Osako, who finished in second in 1:01:15. The race, which was a low-key event organized by the Eugene Marathon in Oregon, saw just three finishers, with Australian Pat Tiernan coming in third behind Rupp and Osako in 1:06:42.
No fans, no problem. Still breaking records. During today’s race, Galen Rupp set an American Record for the 10 Mile distance, and a new PR for the Half Marathon on a record eligible course. pic.twitter.com/1UkT9joUIF
— Eugene Marathon (@EugeneMarathon) October 30, 2020
Back to racing
As reported by The Oregonian, after the race, Rupp said he was pleased with his run. “Any time you set a record, it’s a great day,” he said. “I think this technically is my PR for a half-marathon, too.” Rupp has run faster over 21.1K, but he said his time of 59:47 from a race in Italy in 2018 wasn’t run on a eligible course (although this result is not labelled as unofficial on the World Athletics all-time list), so his 1:00:22 showing over the weekend is his new PB.
Rupp’s 10-mile record
Rupp passed through 15K in 42:47 (which is the fourth-fastest 15K time in American history), and a little over a kilometre later, he posted his 10-mile time of 45:54, far ahead of Greg Meyer‘s record of 46:13 from 1983. Rupp’s time still has to be ratified, but race organizers have said the course was certified and record-eligible. Rupp may not have broken the half-marathon record, but his run is still one of the fastest ever run by an American.
This content was originally published here.