Rupp reflects on "Oregon" finish at Boston Marathon

Three-time Olympian says it 'was inspiring to watch' Jordan Hasay emotional debut

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Eight and a half years after winning the NCAA Division I cross country championship together, Oregon alums Galen Rupp, Shadrack Biwott and Luke Puskedra all finished in the top nine at the Boston Marathon on April 17.

“I knew both of them were running (prior to the race),” said Rupp, who placed second in his first city marathon after taking the bronze in Rio last summer. “It’s just fun. We were joking around afterwards how it’s crazy we were all on the same (college ) team and that all three of us were in the 10 top at the Boston Marathon.”

Rupp was in contention to win until just a few miles left and finished in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 58 seconds. Biwott was fourth in 2:12:08 and Puskedra was ninth in 2:14:45. A total of six American men finished in the top 10, the most since 1985.

Oregon distance coach Andy Powell also ran in Boston, taking a break from his team to complete the 26.2-mile course in a robust 3:17:13.

Back in the fall of 2008, after the first of his three trips to the Olympic Games, Rupp sped away late to separate from Sam Chelanga and win the NCAA cross country championship at Terre Haute, Ind. Not far behind him were Puskedra, a freshman, in fifth, and Biwott, a fellow senior, in ninth.

“Everybody was super competitive, and then when it came to racing as a team we were all pulling for each other,” Rupp said. “It’s one of the things that make it special down (in Eugene), you’re in a competitive environment surrounded by great people and you’re pushed on a daily basis.”

The 2008 Oregon cross country team had a couple of additional notables – future Olympic 1,500 meters champion Matthew Centrowitz and two-time Olympian Andrew Wheating.

“It shows that Andy did a good job of recruiting,” Rupp joked. “He clearly has a good eye for talent.”

Much has changed in the past eight years. Rupp, Biwott and Puskedra are all married and all fathers now.

In the week since Boston, Biwott, who now lives in Folsom, Calif., earned a sponsorship deal and has become the newest member of the Brooks Hansons Distance Project. He was fifth at the New York Marathon last fall.

“That’s awesome,” Rupp said of Biwott’s new endorsement. “He’s been running really well. He ran well in New York and what he did in Boston shows that he’s consistent.”  

Puskedra was fourth at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. Previously, he was part of the Nike Oregon Project and a training partner of Rupp.

Another Oregon alum, Jordan Hasay, made waves in the women’s race. She ran 2:23:00 for the fastest U.S. debut ever, and did it by channeling some of the emotion that had built up since the death of her mother last fall.

Hasay finished third in the women’s race. She, like Rupp, is coached by former Boston Marathon winner Alberto Salazar and part of the Nike Oregon Project.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what that would have been like,” Rupp said. “It was inspiring to watch her, the way she handled the whole thing and be so strong. Her faith was so unwavering. It was a big breakthrough race for her and it was cool, for me, to see someone who maintained a positive attitude through a lot of ups and downs find her event in the marathon and run so well. Given everything that happened with her mom, who she was really close to, it was very special.”