"They push you in races, and even in training, you know those other guys are out there, so you push yourself through the pain." "Having that kind of competition helps you run faster," Galen feels. "It was great to win, but I would have felt the same if I was second, because I did everything right in the race," he said. Jesperson’s kick cut a 40 meter margin down to barely a yard, but Galen held on for his first state title. "I knew I’d have to have a lead when we hit the track to hold off Lauren and the other guys with good kicks," said Galen. Galen was familiar with all of them, particularly Chapa, as the Portland area runners often train together during the off-season. The season culminated in the state championship race against a field of runners that included defending champ Lauren Jesperson and Joaquin Chapa, son of Salazar’s Univ. Galen shifted his training for the 2002 cross country campaign to longer volume workouts, such as kilometer and mile repeats. A winter of solid training produced greater dividends in outdoor track, highlighted by a third place 9:01 two mile at Golden West and the aforementioned 5K at the Junior Nationals. Still, the immediate payoffs weren’t shabby sixth in the state XC championship and 25th in the Foot Locker regional. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play "He’s always telling us about what running will be like in college and beyond," says Galen. That relatively low mileage is in keeping with Salazar’s focus on the long-term development of his athletes. "I looked at the pros and cons of each, and my long term prospects for success, and decided I had a better future in running." After his debut track campaign, he put in a summer of 40 miles per week. Some good running results and an injury in soccer convinced Galen to make the switch to running full-time. Still, Galen was more serious about soccer until high school, when Salazar convinced the freshman to squeeze a few cross country practices and meets between his soccer commitments. "I give him a lot of credit for what I’ve achieved in running," says Galen, a junior whose own résumé already includes an Oregon state cross country championship and a 14:34 5,000m PR.
Many high school runners are blessed with coaches with competitive experience, but few have the credentials of Galen Rupp’s mentor. Galen and his Central Catholic teammates are guided by Alberto Salazar, who excelled as a high school, college and open runner.
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