Interview with Galen Rupp

By Adam Jacobs

On November 19, 21-year-old Galen Rupp led the University of Oregon to the Ducks’ first men’s NCAA Division I Cross Country team championship since 1977. Although Rupp's main objective was to win the team title, he also fought a ferocious battle with LibertyUniversity’s Josh McDougal for the individual crown. Ultimately, McDougal prevailed with a powerful kick in the final straightaway, denying Rupp the individual national title.

MensRacing.com caught up with Rupp one week after the NCAA Championships and discussed his performance, bringing glory back to Eugene, Alberto Salazar, and his decision to take time off from school to concentrate on making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

Mensracing.com: How would you evaluate your overall cross country season?
Galen Rupp: I was really happy with it. The main goal going in for me was to win the team title. That was more important than anything else. My training wasn’t ideal in terms of going after the individual title. So my whole reason for coming back was to get a little success of the team, to be up there with Shadrack [Kiptoo-Biwott]. We accomplished that and that’s meant more to me than any individual victory I’ve had. That was something unbelievable to be a part of. People in Eugene are still celebrating and really happy. It’s a really exciting time here in Eugene.

MR: How much did the summer season and competing at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka take away from your cross country season? Were you able to properly train and prepare for cross country? Was fatigue a major issue?
GR: The main thing was that I had to get a really late start. I didn’t really start running again until the middle of September, so we had to take a lot of risks. They were good risks, though; they weren’t crazy or wild. Definitely, we were a lot more aggressive in terms of building my mileage quickly and doing a lot of workouts in that short amount of time. We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for [the NCAA Cross Country Championships]. At the same time, running in an event like the World Championships – there was no way I was going to pass that up [laughs]. Just being around all of those top athletes – it helps me a lot mentally for running in the NCAA meet.

MR: How much did it the World Championships affect your frame of mind once you returned to Eugene? Was it very different to be competing against collegiate athletes again? Did you find a new level of confidence?
GR: I definitely went into this meet a lot more confident. I was thinking to myself, “If I can be competitive in the world championships then why can’t I be competitive [at the collegiate level]? There’s no reason for me to get dropped.” That was the big thing mentally that I took away from it.

MR: Do you think fatigue and the decreased preparation were factors at the NCAA Championships when McDougal took off down the final straightaway?
GR: Maybe, but that’s part of the sport. You’re going to win some and you’re going to lose some. I think that the big thing for me is that I’m getting a lot closer in terms of the races I am losing; I’m losing by just a little bit. It’s only a step or two. I had some good races earlier in track where I was able to outkick some people, so I’m really not too worried about that. I think that [my kick] is a lot better than it used to be [laughs]. In terms of training having any effect on that – there was nothing that I could have done differently, I think, to be ready for this meet. Obviously, it would have been a little more ideal to have more time, but that didn’t affect me at all in that last race. Whether I had another week or month to prepare for it, Josh was just . . . he was just a better guy that day, so I don’t think there was much else that I could have done [laughs].

MR: You’re moving to Portland to train for Beijing with Alberto Salazar. Does that mean that college will be put on hold for a semester? What effect will that have?
GR: I can tell you I’m moving back to Portland, just taking time to train as if I were a professional athlete, without actually being a professional [laughs]. Definitely, I’m going to keep my eligibility the whole time through that. My full intention is to come back. If it works out, then that’s great. That’s what I’m hoping is going to happen and it looks like that’s going to be the case.

MR: Assuming you come back, how will the time off affect your graduation?
GR: Obviously, I’m not taking classes for a couple of semesters. I’m going to push that back. I’m probably not going to take an overwhelming load of classes when I come back. My education is going well and all my classes are going [well]. It’s just going to be pushed back a little bit. I’m in no hurry.

MR: What was it like for you to be with Salazar when he had his recent heart incident?
GR: Well, it was tough. To see someone you care about and love a lot go down like that and not really feel like you have much control over the situation is hard. To see someone suffering like that … it was hard to be there, but I think that, definitely, it’s made our relationship a lot better and we’ve both become better people because of it. I rely on my faith a lot and it’s gotten me through a lot of things. I recognize Him and have faith that there’s a reason why that happened. If that was God’s will to have him die that day, then that was what the plan was going to be. We’d have to move on and look for the positives in that situation. Fortunately, he’s still around and he's as good as ever and things are going great.

Interview conducted November 26, 2007, and posted December 6, 2007.