Olympic distance runners Galen Rupp, Dathan Ritzenhein team up to push each other

by Doug Binder, The Oregonian

Tuesday July 21, 2009, 4:31 PM

Doug Beghtel, The OregonianAlberto Salazar (center) introduced (from left) Dathan Ritzenhein, Galen Rupp, Amy Yoder Begley, and Kara Goucher at a lunchtime ceremony at the Nike campus Tuesday for the Nike-sponsored athletes, who are headed to Europe to prepare for the IAAF World Championships in Berlin next month.

Galen Rupp was doing workouts with professionals while he was still in high school, was part of a deep and talented pool runners at the University of Oregon, and became something like a kid brother to Olympians Adam and Kara Goucher.

But perhaps never before has he been as perfectly paired as he is with his new training partner Dathan Ritzenhein, a 26-year-old two-time Olympian.

They each possess the drive, work ethic and easy-going personalities -- plus enormous talents -- that seem to make them a well-suited match. Quite simply, they are good enough to push each other.

"I'm real excited to have him here," Rupp said. "Whenever you have a group of guys like this, the best distance runners in the country, it raises expectations and you're always able to do a little more."