Tuning up for Olympic Trials
Area native Lara, Rupp using event to prepare for qualifier
Frank Lara, one of the most accomplished distance runners to come out of Houston and a surprising sixth-place finisher in the Chevron Houston Marathon a year ago, had never met Galen Rupp until they found themselves seated close together Friday, waiting to do interviews.
Rupp? The 37-year-old fourtime-going-on-five Olympic marathoner is unquestionably the most talented American distance runner of the 21st century and possibly since Steve Prefontaine. Oddly, though, this will be his first time competing in Houston — and also Lara’s first time to race against him. They’re both entered in the Aramco Half Marathon as they enter their final preparations for the U.S. Olympic Trials on Feb. 3 in Orlando.
Back in the day, when Lara was beginning to turn heads himself with his successes on the track at Strake Jesuit High School, he readily admits he might have reacted differently to suddenly finding himself in such close proximity to an athlete of Rupp’s stature, saying, “I kind of idolized Galen. He was amazing. He’s someone I would see him run on TV.”
At 28 today, however, Lara’s mindset has changed. It had to, of course.
“It was really cool to meet him, to finally have a chance to talk to him a little,” Lara said. “But I make a point not to have idols anymore. They’re all people I want to beat.”
Rupp laughed when he was told that.
“Yeah, at some point, you’ve got to make that transition,” he said. “But it’s a huge compliment to hear that I inspired him a little. I was around a lot of great runners when I was young. I looked up to them, too.”
Being from Oregon, Rupp couldn’t help but put Prefontaine on the highest pedestals, although Prefontaine had died tragically in an auto accident long before Rupp was even born.
Why did it take Rupp so long to give Houston a try?
“Once or twice I was supposed to run here,” Rupp said. “But something came up, an injury or whatever. I always wanted to run here because it’s got a reputation as a fast course. It seems like everybody has great races in Houston. I’m excited to finally come. I’m sorry it took so long.”
Lara hadn’t expected to be back in 2024 when he was being interviewed 12 months ago, following his big breakout morning, because he was mistakenly under the impression that the Olympics Trials would follow too closely on his heels. It was a happy day when he learned that he’d gotten his dates wrong.
He has been staying with his mom, a high school teacher, since late December.
“Training has been going really, really well,” Lara said. “I feel like I’m in my best marathon shape, if not my best half-marathon shape. I’ve had my mom help with my sports fueling stuff and the park by my house, Bear Creek, is perfect for training. I’m very grateful to my mom. She’s always been there for me.”
Rupp, who took bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, also likes his pre-Trials form. Perhaps he and Lara will find themselves also running in lockstep come Sunday morning.
“My fitness has been good,” he said. “It’s been a good marathon build. I’m in the thick of it now, but it’s a delicate line. You have to keep at the trials in the back of your mind. But I want to get in a real hard effort here unless there’s a risk of injury. (He’s still recovering from a herniated disc, suffered last year). I ran a half four years ago in 2020 before those Trials, and that was a great tune-up. Before I won in Chicago in 2017, I ran the Philly half three weeks before and that turned out all right.”
Despite his advancing years, Rupp insists we can count him being around for a while, meaning more makeup visits to HTown. It seems he already has the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles on his radar.
“I’d like to keep going for sure, as long as my body will let me,” he said. “There’s no reason you can’t run strong into your mid-40s. I absolutely love what I do. The training part. It’s a constant journey. You always want to keep evolving and keep learning. I still think I can run faster, definitely room to improve my times in the marathon. L.A.? That would be pretty cool, an opportunity of a lifetime.”