Professional Career
Following Graduation from Colorado, Culpepper continued to live and train near Boulder.
In 1999 he won his first open national title, the USA Cross Country Championships. That spring he also won the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships and ran that event at the 1999 World Championships. In 2000, he took second in the 10,000m at the U.S. Olympic Trials, overtaking champion Mebrahtom Keflezighi in the final lap but not quite managing to pass him by the finish line.
Culpepper represented the U.S. at 10,000m at the 2001 World Championships as well. He won another U.S. track championship in 2002 when he took the 5,000m title. That fall, in his debut marathon in Chicago, he ran 2:09:41. In 2003, he won the U.S. 10,000m title.
After taking 2003 off from marathons, Culpepper ran his second at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Birmingham, Alabama. Renewing his long-time rivalry with Keflezighi, Culpepper bested "Meb" in 2:11:42, with the lead changing several times in the final miles. Culpepper then placed 12th at the Athens Olympic Marathon, which would have been the best performance by an American marathoner in several Olympics had Keflezighi not won the silver medal.
In 2005, Culpepper ran a 13:25.75 personal best in the 5,000 meter run at the 2005 Norwich Union British Grand Prix in London, England. He ran 2:11:02 to take fifth in the 2006 Boston Marathon.
At the 2007 US Cross-Country Championships, Culpepper won his third cross country title, finishing first in the 12,000m with a time of 37:09. (This race is featured in the documentary, SHOWDOWN - Five Elite Distance Runners, One Dream.)
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