there were serious questions as to whether he could round into a shape in time. A couple of thoughts on the race and the record:

-All of the early splits were between 2:40 and 2:43. Fast enough to keep him in range, but the record was still in doubt until Rupp took over with two laps remaining. He ran his last 800 in 1:57.

-In record attempts, especially ones that are 25 laps long, the little things add up. The field was filled with sub 27-minute runners and yet Rupp managed to maintain inside position for almost the entire race. Even when Paul Tanui, who beat Rupp at the World Championships last year, made a push late in the race, Rupp hugged the rail. He may not have run exactly10,000 meters, but he was very close.

-We all marveled at how fast Rupp ran in the indoor season. Though he didn’t medal at the World Indoor Championships, he sure looked like he was close to his peak when he reeled off a string of great races in the winter. I thought this meant he needed some downtime before gearing up for the outdoor season. I expected him to run fast this season, but in August or September, not at the end of May.

-On that same point, when gauging he chances at the record, I probably overlooked how much Rupp has improved in the last couple years. His old record came at the end of the season in a time trial race where he had Kenenisa Bekele to chase.