Galen Rupp facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Galen Rupp

Rupp at the 2012 London Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1986-05-08) May 8, 1986 (age 39) Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in
Weight	135 lb
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Athletics/Track, Long-distance running
Event(s)	10,000 meters, 5000 meters, 3000 meters, 1500 meters, Half marathon, Marathon
College team	Oregon Ducks
Club	Nike
Turned pro	June 2009
Coached by	Mike Smith
Achievements and titles
World finals	2007 Osaka 10,000 m, 11th 2009 Berlin 10,000 m, 8th 2011 Daegu 10,000 m, 7th 5000 m, 9th 2013 Moscow 10,000 m, 4th 5000 m, 8th 2015 Beijing 10,000 m, 5th 5000 m, 5th
Olympic finals	2008 Beijing 10,000 m, 13th 2012 London 10,000 m, 2 Silver 5000 m, 7th 2016 Rio de Janeiro 10,000 m, 5th Marathon, 3 Bronze 2020 Tokyo Marathon, 8th
Personal best(s)	1500 m: 3:34.15 (Brussels 2014) Mile: 3:52.11 (London 2013) 5000 m: 12:58.90 (Eugene 2012) 10,000 m: 26:44.36 (Eugene 2014) Indoors 800 m: 1:49.87i OT (Seattle 2009) 1500 m: 3:34.78i+ (Boston 2013) Mile: 3:50.92i (Boston 2013) 3000 m: 7:30.16i (Stockholm 2013) 2-mile: 8:07.41i (Boston 2014) 5000 m: 13:01.26i (Boston 2014) Road Half marathon: 59:47 (Rome 2018) Marathon: 2:06:07 (Prague 2018)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Silver 2012 London 10,000 m Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Marathon Pan American Junior Championships Gold 2003 Bridgetown 5000 m World Marathon Majors Gold 2017 Chicago Marathon Silver 2017 Boston Marathon Silver 2021 Chicago Marathon

Galen Rupp (born May 8, 1986) is an American long-distance runner. He is famous for competing in the Summer Olympics multiple times. He won a silver medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2012 London Olympics. He also earned a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Galen Rupp ran for the University of Oregon in college. He trained with Alberto Salazar as part of the Nike Oregon Project. In 2017, he won the 2017 Chicago Marathon, becoming the first American man to win it in 15 years. He is considered one of the best American distance runners ever.

Early Running Days (2002–2004)

Galen Rupp was born in Portland, Oregon. He started out as a soccer player. But then, marathon legend Alberto Salazar noticed his talent for running. Salazar became his coach.

Rupp quickly became a star in high school. He won two state titles in cross country in Oregon. He also won three individual championships in track and field. In 2003, he finished second nationally in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.

In 2004, Rupp set new records for high school runners. He ran the 5000 meters in 13:37.91, which was a U.S. high school record. He also set records for the 1500 meters and the mile. Track and Field News magazine named him the "High School Athlete of the Year" in 2004.

College Career (2005–2009)

Galen Rupp went to the University of Oregon. In 2005, he broke the U.S. junior record for the 10,000 meters. He also set a new U.S. junior record for the 3000 meters.

He continued to excel in college. In 2006, he won the Pac-10 Conference cross country title. He also helped his Oregon team win against Stanford Cardinal. In 2007, he set an American-born NCAA Collegiate Record for the 10,000 meters.

Rupp competed in his first major international event in 2007. He finished 11th in the 10,000 meters at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. In 2007, he helped the Oregon Ducks win the NCAA men's cross country team championship.

In 2008, Rupp focused on preparing for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. He finished second in the 10,000 meters, earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he finished 13th.

Rupp won his first individual NCAA title in 2008. He won the national cross country championships. He also led the Ducks to win the NCAA team championship again.

His 2009 track season was very successful. Indoors, he ran a mile in under four minutes. He also broke the U.S. indoor 5000 meters record. At the NCAA indoor nationals, he won three events: the 5000 meters, the distance medley relay, and the 3000 meters. This helped Oregon win its first indoor national team title.

Outdoors, Rupp helped break the NCAA 4 x mile relay record. He also won the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at the 2009 NCAA outdoor championships. Overall, Rupp earned 14 All-American honors at Oregon. He also won five individual championships and helped his team win three NCAA team titles.

In 2009, Rupp won the first-ever Bowerman Award. This award is given to the best college track athlete of the year.

Professional Career Highlights

Rupp at the 2009 World Championship in Berlin

After college, Galen Rupp became a professional runner in 2009. He competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. He finished eighth in the 10,000 meters.

In 2010, Rupp improved his personal best in the 10,000 meters. He ran it in 27:10.74. He also won his national title in the 10,000 meters again. He continued to set new personal records in other races.

In 2011, Rupp finished second in the Great Edinburgh Cross Country race. He also placed third in the New York City Half Marathon. He won his national 10,000 meters title for the third time. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, he finished seventh in the 10,000 meters. Later that year, he set a new U.S. record for the 10,000 meters. He ran it in 26:48.00, making him one of the fastest ever at that distance.

Olympic Success (2012–2016)

In 2012, Rupp broke the U.S. indoor two-mile run record. He also became the sixth American to run the 5000 meters in under 13 minutes. He won the 10,000 meters at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. This secured his spot for his second Olympic Games.

Rupp on the medal podium at the 2012 Olympics

At the 2012 London Olympics, Galen Rupp won a silver medal in the 10,000 meters. He finished right behind his training partner, Mo Farah. This was the first time an American man won a medal in the Olympic 10,000 meters in 48 years! He also placed seventh in the 5000 meters final.

In 2013, Rupp broke the national indoor 3000 meters record. He continued to win national titles in the 10,000 meters. At the 2013 World Championships in Athletics, he placed fourth in the 10,000 meters and eighth in the 5000 meters.

Rupp continued to break records in 2014. He set new U.S. indoor records for the 5000 meters and the two miles. He also broke his own U.S. record for the outdoor 10,000 meters. He won his sixth straight national 10,000 meters title. Track & Field News magazine recognized him as the world's top athlete in the 10,000 meters that year.

Galen Rupp approaching the halfway point of the 2017 Boston Marathon, where he placed second

In 2015, Rupp won his seventh consecutive 10,000 meters national title. At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, he placed fifth in the 10,000 meters.

In 2016, Rupp qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics as a marathon runner. This was his first marathon race ever! He won the U.S. Olympic marathon trials. He also qualified for the Olympics in the 10,000 meters. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he finished fifth in the 10,000 meters. Eight days later, he won a bronze medal in the Olympic Marathon.

Marathon Focus (2017–Present)

In 2017, Galen Rupp finished second in the 2017 Boston Marathon. He then won the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race. On October 8, 2017, Rupp won the 2017 Chicago Marathon. He was the first American man to win the race since 2002.

In 2018, Rupp won the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon. He became the second American to run a half marathon in under 60 minutes. He also won the Prague Marathon, setting a new personal best time of 2:06:07. Later that year, he had surgery on his heel for a foot problem.

In 2019, there was a controversy involving Rupp's former coach, Alberto Salazar. Salazar was banned from athletics for four years.

In February 2020, Rupp won the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials again. This qualified him for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. At the Olympics in 2021 (delayed due to the pandemic), he finished eighth in the marathon.

In September 2021, Rupp placed third in the Great North Run, a large half marathon. Weeks later, he finished second in the 2021 Chicago Marathon.

In 2022, Rupp faced injuries and illness. He finished 19th in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He also had to drop out of the 2022 New York City Marathon.

In 2023, Rupp focused on getting healthy for the Chicago Marathon. He finished eighth in the 2023 Chicago Marathon. In 2024, he competed in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials but did not qualify for the Olympics.

Personal Life

Galen Rupp is married to Keara Rupp. They have four children: twins Emmie and Grayson (born in 2014), Jaden (born in 2016), and Lucas (born in 2019).

Competition Record

Representing the  United States

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2003	World Youth Championships	Sherbrooke, Canada	7th	3000 m	8:10.42 PB
	Pan American Junior Championships	Bridgetown, Barbados	1st	5000 m	14:20.29 PB
2004	World Junior Championships	Grosseto, Italy	9th	5000 m	13:52.85 PB
2005	World Cross Country Championships	Saint-Galmier, France	20th	Junior race	25:05
	Pan American Junior Championships	Windsor, Canada	4th	1500 m	3:50.96
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	11th	10,000 m	28:41.71
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	13th	10,000 m	27:36.99 SB
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	8th	10,000 m	27:37.99 SB
2010	World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	5th	3000 m	7:42.40 PB
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	7th	10,000 m	27:26.84 SB
			9th	5000 m	13:28.64
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	12th	1500 m	3:43.39 PB
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	2nd	10,000 m	27:30.90
			7th	5000 m	13:45.04
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	4th	10,000 m	27:24.39 SB
			8th	5000 m	13:29.87
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot, Poland	4th	3000 m	7:55.84
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	5th	10,000 m	27:08.91 SB
			5th	5000 m	13:53.90
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	5th	10,000 m	27:08.92 SB
			3rd	Marathon	2:10:05 PB
2021	Olympic Games	Sapporo, Japan	8th	Marathon	2:11:41
2022	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	19th	Marathon	2:09:36
Road races
2017	Boston Marathon	Boston, MA, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:09:58 PB
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	1st	Marathon	2:09:20 PB
2018	Boston Marathon	Boston, MA, United States	—	Marathon	DNF
	Prague Marathon	Prague, Czech Republic	1st	Marathon	2:06:07 PB
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	5th	Marathon	2:06:21
2019	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	—	Marathon	DNF
2021	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:06:35 SB
2023	New York Half Marathon	New York, NY, United States	17th	Half Marathon	1:04:57
2023	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	8th	Marathon	2:08:48

USA National Championships

Outdoor Track and Field

¹Did not start the final

Indoor Track and Field

Road Running

NCAA Championships

Outdoor Track and Field

Indoor Track and Field

Cross Country

Personal Bests

Images for kids

• 

  Rupp at the 2009 World Championship in Berlin

• 

  Rupp on the medal podium at the 2012 Olympics

• 

  Galen Rupp approaching the halfway point of the 2017 Boston Marathon, in which he placed second

See also

In Spanish: Galen Rupp para niños