Former Duck Galen Rupp will run the Boston Marathon in April

This year, former Oregon track & field star Galen Rupp made a splash in the marathon, first by winning the US Olympic Trials in February and then taking home the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics. He proved he can run with the best in the world, and in April, he’ll face his biggest challenge yet.

On Wednesday, race organizers announced that Galen Rupp will run the 2017 Boson Marathon in April, joining a stacked American field to go up against the best runners in the world.

If Rupp thought he went up against some tough competition in the Olympics, that’s nothing compared to who he will race against in April. Take a look at some of the other runners in the elite field and their accomplishments:

• Meb Keflezighi - Personal best of 2:08:37 when he became the first American to win the Boston Marathon in 31 years back in 2014.
• Jared Ward - Personal best of 2:11:30, finished sixth at the Rio Olympics.
• Abdi Abdirahman - Third place at the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon
• Lemi Berhanu Hayle - Defending Boston Marathon champion, personal best of 2:04:33
• Wesley Korir - Personal best of 2:06:13, 2012 Boston Marathon champion

That’s a whole lot of fast people. Boston is a hilly course, so it evens the playing field. That’s how Meb Keflezighi pulled a surprising win in 2014. He was brave enough to attack the hills and break away from the field, and it paid off big time.

Rupp’s PR of 2:10:05 is nowhere near what some of the other guys, especially Korir and Hayle, are capable of, but the times on the course in Boston haven’t been blazing fast in years. Between 2012 and 2016, Meb Keflezighi was the only man to break 2:10, so there’s no reason Rupp can't compete for a title.

And if you didn't know who will be coaching Rupp for the Boston Marathon, it is none other than Alberto Salazar, another former Duck. Salazar also knows a thing or two about how to succeed in Boston, as he was the last American to win the race before Keflezighi, back in 1982.