While Galen Rupp may be disappointed that he didn’t win the 3,000 yesterday at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston and that his time (7:33.67) fell short of Bernard Lagat’s indoor American record of 7:32.43, both he and the winner Hagos Gebrhiwet (7:32.87) beat the meet record of 7:34.50, run by Craig Mottram in 2008. The memorable Dejen Gebremeskel/Mo Farah race in 2011 was won by Gebremeskel in 7:35.37. Yesterday Rupp dispatched Gebremeskel, who finished 3rd in 7:43.32, with surprising ease.
Lagat, at 38 twelve years Rupp’s senior, put up the most surprising result of the weekend, showing that he’s ready to take a shot at Rupp’s 2-mile indoor record at the Millrose Games in a few weeks by running 7:34.71 for the 3,000 at an indoor meet in Karlsruhe, Germany. It’s quite something that the American distance runner who’s the greatest threat to Rupp these days is 38.
Tirunesh Dibaba, meanwhile, lived up to her nickname by destroying the field in the 2-mile, running 9:13.17 and slicing over eight seconds from her time in the same race last year (9:21.60). Dibaba has run the Boston meet nine times in the last eleven years, winning her last seven races. Still only 27, she’ll be fun to watch as she makes her marathon debut in London on April 21.
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