Team USA takes second at first Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Team Challenge
INDIANAPOLIS – Galen Rupp (Portland, Ore.) finished second to Great Britain’s Mo Farah to lead Team USA to a second-place finish at the first annual Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Team Challenge Saturday at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh. The European Select team scored 50 points to edge Team USA by three points for the title.
Galan Rupp - Edinburgh
Team USA was aggressive from the gun with Stephen Furst (Raleigh, N.C.) taking the lead at the end of the first 2 km loop. Approaching the halfway mark of the race, Rupp and Scott Bauhs (Mammoth, Calif.), ran in the lead group with Furst and Bobby Mack (Raleigh, N.C.) running in fifth and tenth respectively.
Going into the final lap, Farah led comfortably with Rupp running in second. With 1000 meters to go, Farah made his final move, pulling away to take the overall win in 25:41. Rupp was timed in 25:50.
Also finishing top-ten, Mack, Bauhs and Furst took sixth, seventh and ninth, running 26:15, 26:16 and 26:24 respectively. David Jankowski (Blowing Rock, N.C.) and Ed Moran (Williamsburg, Va.) rounded out the scoring positions, finish 14th and 15th in 26:35 and 26:38 respectively. Matt Gabrielson (Minneapolis, Minn.) finished 18th in 26:43 and Nick Arciniaga (Flagstaff, Ariz.) finished 23rd in 26:51.
2011 was the introduction of the International Team Challenge and featured men’s teams from Great Britain & Northern Ireland, the United States and a European Select team racing over 8.2 km. Each squad consisted of nine athletes with the first six athletes to complete the course receiving a score based on their position. The winning team is determined by the lowest overall score.
