Elites to watch in Boston
Preview pieces name Galen Rupp — a 39‑year‑old, four‑time Olympian with a 2:06:07 personal best from 2018 — and Canadian Rory Linkletter, who owns a 2:06:49 best and finished sixth in Boston last year, as athletes to watch. (sixminutemile.com)
Boston’s men’s race already has the heavy favorites, but two of the most interesting names are not the ones with the shortest betting odds. Galen Rupp is 39 and back in the professional field, and Rory Linkletter returns after running 2:07:02 for sixth place on this course in 2025. (baa.org) The race itself is set for Monday, April 20, 2026, which is Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts and the date Boston traditionally uses for its marathon. The Boston Athletic Association says this will be the 130th edition of the race. (baa.org) Rupp is not in Boston as a mystery guest from another event. The Boston Athletic Association listed the two-time Olympic medalist alongside Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, Biya Simbassa, Ryan Ford, Zouhair Talbi, and CJ Albertson in the American group chasing the podium. (baa.org) What makes Rupp worth watching is the gap between the résumé and the calendar. World Athletics lists him as born on May 8, 1986, and Team USA lists him as a four-time Olympian with an Olympic silver medal in the 10,000 meters from London 2012 and an Olympic bronze medal in the marathon from Rio 2016. (worldathletics.org) (teamusa.com) His marathon best is still fast enough to belong in any serious conversation. World Athletics says Rupp ran 2:06:07 to win Prague on May 6, 2018, which remains one of the quickest marathon times ever by an American man. (worldathletics.org 1) (worldathletics.org 2) Boston, though, is not a place where a personal best tells the whole story. The course starts in Hopkinton, drops early, then punishes tired legs with the Newton hills late, so veterans who know how to ration effort often stay relevant longer than they would on a flat time-trial course. (baa.org) Linkletter is the other name that keeps popping up because his progress has been recent, not historical. World Athletics lists the Canadian’s marathon best at 2:06:49 from October 12, 2025, and his half marathon best at 59:49 from January 11, 2026. (worldathletics.org) He also already proved that Boston suits him. The 2025 results show Linkletter finishing sixth in 2:07:02, only three seconds behind Muktar Edris in fifth and ahead of Clayton Young, Tebello Ramakongoana, Daniel Mateiko, and Ryan Ford. (baa.org) That matters because Boston usually breaks the field into separate races inside the same race. John Korir, Alphonce Felix Simbu, Benson Kipruto, and the other global stars may fight for the win, while Rupp and Linkletter can still become central characters if they are the ones who survive deepest into the final 10 kilometers. (baa.org) (worldathletics.org) So the watch list in Boston is not just about who can run 2:04 on a perfect day. It is also about whether a 39-year-old American with Olympic hardware can turn experience into one more big afternoon, and whether a 29-year-old Canadian who just ran 2:06:49 can turn last year’s sixth place into something bigger on the same roads. (worldathletics.org 1) (worldathletics.org 2)
