Galen Rupp's Chicago Marathon Preparations Best of His Three Previous Marathons

By Adam Kopet

According to Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports, Galen Rupp is entering the Bank of America Chicago Marathon the most prepared he has ever been for a marathon.

Rupp's first two marathons, the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon and the 2016 Olympic marathon, also came with preparing to race on the track.

His third marathon, in Boston in the spring, nearly did not happen. Rupp struggled with plantar fasciitis in the weeks and months leading up to the race. He still finished second in a personal best 2:09:58.

This time, Rupp has remained healthy and focused on the Chicago Marathon. He spent the summer at home in Portland training, rather than traveling to Europe for track races, according to Cathal Dennehy in an article for Runner's World.

There are some question marks for the race on Sunday for Rupp. He is hoping for a 2:05 or 2:06 paced race, but Chicago does not employ pace makers. There is no guarantee that the race will go out at the pace that Rupp desires.

Nonetheless, Rupp could be the first American to win the Chicago Marathon since Deena Kastor won the women's race in 2005.