The International Track Meet is pleased to announce today that leading American distance runner Galen Rupp will travel to NZ with his coach, the legendary Alberto Salazar, to race a special 10,000m event to be added to the programme on Feb 26th at QEII Stadium.
Rupp, who has a career best 10,000m time of 27:10.74, is likely to shatter the New Zealand Allcomers record, set by Dick Tayler on that unforgettable day in 1974 when he captured the hearts of the nation in racing to victory on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games at the same venue. Tayler's time of 27min46.4sec from 37 years ago is still the fastest 10,000m ever run in New Zealand and ranks as the 4th best all time by any Kiwi athlete. It even stood the Games record right up until 2002, when it was broken by just 1 second, by Kenyan Wilberforce Talel.
American marathon legend Salazar first noticed Rupp when he set junior national and American high school records, and as his coach has ensured his talent has been realised. The 24 year old Rupp made his global senior debut at the 2007 World Championships finishing 11th in the 10,000m then finished 13th at the Beijing Olympics, and 8th at the 2009 World Championships. He lowered his personal best to 27:10.74 in May last year.
Top competition is expected from the leading male distance runners in Australia and New Zealand, many of whom will be preparing for the World Cross Country Championships in Spain four weeks later. There will also be several athletes on both sides of the Tasman looking for an opportunity to chase the 2011 World Athletics Championships qualifying standards of 27:40 (A) or 28:00 (B), after humid conditions prevented fast times at the Zatopek 10,000m in Melbourne in December.
The Supporters Club 10,000m – made possible by special support from Nike and from athletics enthusiasts associated with the meet through the new Supporters Club framework - will be the last event on the programme, which also features New Zealand sporting heroes Valerie Adams, Nick Willis and Nikki Hamblin who will all face top class international competition. Event director Craig Motley said "This is an exciting opportunity to see a truly world class distance runner in action. By scheduling the race at the end of the programme, in the early evening, we should have the best possible chance of cooler calm conditions which will help with fast times".
As previously reported, Willis will also be the subject of an historic ceremony at the commencement of the meet, in which his newly minted Olympic Silver Medal will be formally presented by representatives of the New Zealand Olympic Committee – probably the only time in history an Olympic medal will be presented on New Zealand soil.
