Galen Rupp sets U.S. indoor 5k record with blistering 13:01

Galen Rupp set a new American record in the indoor 5,000 meters Thursday night at the Boston University Multi-Team Meet, running a 13:01.26. And he didn't just break the old record -- Rupp shattered it, eclipsing the 13:07.00 mark set by Lopez Lomong last year.

Kenyan Sam Chelanga finished in second place, and also bested the 13:07 time, finishing in 13:04.35.

Rupp, an Oregon Project athlete coached by the world famous Alberto Salazar, now owns the eighth-fastest indoor 5k of all-time, according to Flotrack:

1  12:49.60   Kenenisa Bekele      ETH   13.06.82  1 Birmingham  20.02.2004
2  12:50.38   Haile Gebrselassie   ETH   18.04.73  1 Birmingham  14.02.1999
3  12:51.48   Daniel Komen         KEN   17.05.76  1 Stockholm   19.02.1998
4  12:53.29   Isiah Koech          KEN   19.12.93  1 Düsseldorf  11.02.2011
5  12:55.72   Eliud Kipchoge       KEN   05.11.84  2 Düsseldorf  11.02.2011
6  12:58.67   Thomas Longosiwa     KEN   14.01.82  1 Düsseldorf  10.02.2012
7  12:59.04   Haile Gebrselassie   ETH   18.04.73  1 Stockholm   20.02.1997
8  13:01.26   Galen Rupp           USA   08.05.86  1 Boston      16.01.2014
9  13:02.36   Isiah Koech          KEN   19.12.93  2 Düsseldorf  10.02.2012
10 13:02.69   Paul Kipsiele Koech  KEN   10.11.81  3 Düsseldorf  10.02.2012

Pacers led the way for the first 3,000m of the race before dropping off and letting Rupp and Chelanga duel it out, much like they did in 2008, when Rupp bested the Kenyan by five seconds in NCAA Cross Country National Championships. Rupp was actually behind record pace for much of the race -- he was a full three seconds slower than the projected time at the 3400m mark -- but then picked it up over the last mile, running a 4:04. (Flotrack has Rupp's mile splits: 4:14, 4:12, 4:04.)

Rupp covered the final 800m -- two full laps around a track -- in 2:01.30, and the final 200m in just a bit more than 30 seconds (30.36).

Mary Cain, the 17-year-old phenom, set a record of her own Thursday night, running a 2:39.25 in the 1000m, a new world junior (under age 20) indoor record.

While Thursday night was impressive, for Rupp, it could just be the beginning of a very special 2014.

Rupp, the 2102 Olympic 10,000-meter silver medalist, had a sensational 2013 indoor season, including a 3:50.92 mile and an American record of 7:30.16 for 3000 meters. This one could be better. After Thursday's race, he noted, "some of the workouts we've done the last couple of weeks have been like races. Alberto's done a great job of preparing all of us for this."

Next up for Rupp is the American two-mile record, which he'll target Jan. 24-25 at the BU Terrier Invitational.