Rupp supported by teammates
Posted Wednesday, 25 May, 2005
By: Jason Vondersmith, Portland Tribune
EUGENE (May 24) — Although newcomer Galen Rupp finished second in the 10,000 meters and fourth in the 5,000, it was the veterans who made the difference as the Oregon Ducks won the Pac-10 track and field title.
So when pole vaulter Tommy Skipper hoisted Rupp on his shoulders and paraded the freshman distance star around, it was an important gesture. It showed that there was no animosity toward Rupp, who didn’t join the team until after coach Martin Smith resigned.
“I was kinda glad, because it showed how close we were as a team,” says Rupp, a 2004 Central Catholic grad. “Some people thought with me coming in I was alienated or they would alienate me.
“But guys on the team don’t discriminate against a freshman, or anybody who will help contribute. We’re like a big family down here.”
Rupp couldn’t be happier. He’ll run the 5,000 this weekend in the NCAA regional at Hayward Field, and then possibly run the 5,000 and 10,000 in the NCAA meet June 8 through June 11 in Sacramento, Calif. Then again, he might just concentrate on the 10,000, considering he ranks high nationally in the event and owns the national junior record (28 minutes, 15.52 seconds). “The fastest guy is about 15 or 16 seconds faster,” he says.
“They have heats at nationals in the 5K, and it might be hard to run (it or both) well,” Rupp adds. “I’ve been doing more training geared toward long stuff and endurance work. I’m in really good 10K shape. The shorter the distance, the more it comes down to kick, and it’s almost more of a toss-up, a crapshoot.”
Rupp says his Achilles tendon bothered him at the Pac-10 meet after he strained it in setting the 10,000 junior record. He wore “flats” rather than spikes in the Pac-10 races for protection. The injury concerns him, but he won’t be distracted this weekend or in the NCAA meet.
After the NCAAs, Rupp and coach Alberto Salazar, who has been working closely with UO volunteer assistant Pat Tyson on the runner’s training, will decide which events he will compete in for the U.S. championships June 23 through June 26 in Carson, Calif.
Rupp’s chances of making the world meet in Helsinki, Finland, this August are not good. He needs to speed up to make either the 5,000 or 10,000 qualifying times; the latter, his best event, has a qualifying mark of 27:47 — about 28 seconds faster than his junior mark.
“I’ll focus on one at the U.S. to make sure I get in one good race rather than two average races,” he says. “When I ran here, I was by myself the last two miles. So with a faster earlier pace — and it’ll be later in the season when I’ll be in better shape — you never know. (A world mark) will be tough to get, and it’s nothing I’m expected to do.”
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