It’s well known, of course, that Galen Rupp, Olympic medalist and America’s most prominent marathoner in the past decade, is coached by NAU’s Mike Smith.
Now, it’s been revealed that Rupp, who is coming off hip surgery in April and is back training in Flagstaff, has joined the NAU coaching staff on a volunteer basis to work with both the women’s and men’s teams.
Rupp was at Saturday’s Dave Murray Invitational in Tucson and said he plans to keep coaching throughout the cross country season and perhaps during track.
“That’s TBD, but definitely during cross country,” Rupp said. “I was down here training and this just seemed like a good opportunity. It’s been really fun. The kids are amazing to work with.”
When Rupp’s marathon career ends, would he consider a career in coaching?
“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “I’m having a lot of fun doing it now.”
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