Galen Rupp Rebounds From Boston, Wins Prague Marathon In 2:06:07
Galen Rupp Rebounds From Boston, Wins Prague Marathon In 2:06:07
Galen Rupp won the Prague Marathon on Sunday in a lifetime best of 2:06:07. The race took place just 20 days after he dropped out of the Boston Marathon.
Galen Rupp didn't take long to find redemption.
Twenty days after he dropped out of the Boston Marathon, Rupp won the Prague Marathon on Sunday in 2:06:07.
The time is a lifetime best for Rupp by more than three minutes and is the fourth-fastest time ever recorded by an American in the distance.
Less than three weeks ago, Rupp dropped out of the Boston Marathon after 18 miles, citing issues with hypothermia and asthma. It was the first time Rupp failed to finish a marathon.
But the early exit gave Rupp an opportunity to race again this spring. Prague was also the first time Rupp has raced a marathon with pacemakers, giving him his best shot for a fast time since he began running marathons in 2016.
Spectacular Galen Rupp clocking at 2:06:07! | Volkswagen #PragueMarathon pic.twitter.com/EUJF2F7nGg
— RunCzech (@RunCzech) May 6, 2018
On Sunday, he followed the pacers through a halfway split of 1:03:00. By the 30K mark, the race was between Rupp and Sisay Lemma, this year’s fifth-place finisher in the Dubai Marathon.
In the latter miles, Rupp opened up a gap on Lemma, extending his lead to 34 seconds at the 40K. Rupp’s margin only grew in the final two kilometers as crossed the line in 2:06:07 to Lemma’s 2:07:03.
Only two Americans have turned in faster perform faster than Rupp did today: Ryan Hall ran 2:04:58 in the Boston Marathon and Khalid Khannouchi ran 2:05:38 and 2:05:56, though Hall’s performance doesn’t count for record purposes because the Boston Marathon takes place on a point-to-point course.