LOS ANGELES — Galen Rupp made his marathon debut at the Olympic trials on Saturday, and he earned his first victory at the distance. Covering the final stretch with a broad smile, he finished in 2 hours 11 minutes 12 seconds.

As Meb Keflezighi neared the line in second place, he carried an American flag and pumped his fists. He covered the course in 2:12:20.

The jubilant celebration marked Keflezighi’s fourth Olympic berth. In Rio, he will be the oldest-ever US Olympian in the marathon. He turns 41 in May.

“It’s a great honor to represent the United States,’’ said Keflezighi, the 2014 Boston Marathon champion. “I’m thrilled to be on the team. Four times a charm.

“I had a few issues going on at about 15 miles, cramps. I didn’t know if I was going to make the team. But I think at about 14-15 miles, I just got there and was like, ‘Make the Team. Make the team.’?’’

It was a two-man contest for the men’s title over the last several miles. During Mile 22, Rupp started to pull away from Keflezighi.

Even though Rupp had qualified in a low-key half-marathon in December and had never raced 26.2 miles before, he looked surprisingly at ease as he passed the LA Coliseum for the final time. Rupp took a long look behind him to try and spot Keflezighi at that point, but couldn’t see anyone from the men’s field. By Mile 25, Rupp held a 36-second lead on Keflizighi.

The final Olympic spot in the men’s race went to Jared Ward, who crossed the line in 2:13:00. It will be Ward’s first trip to the Olympics.

“It’s been a dream of mine to compete at the Olympic Trials,’’ said Ward. “To be blessed to finish in the top three and have a chance to represent the country with other runners that I’ve looked up to and admired to for years is really an opportunity.’’

Rio double for Rupp?

In Rio, Rupp could double in the 10,000 meters and the marathon. He won the silver medal in the 10,000 at the 2012 London Olympics.

Assuming Rupp qualifies for the US team in the 10,000, he has until July 11 to tell USA Track and Field officials what events he will run in Rio. USA Track and Field will submit the US team to the USOC on July 11, which is the day after the track and field trials end.

“I think that the double, with the way the schedule is, is a real possibility,’’ said Rupp. “The 10,000 still might be my better event. I don’t know . . . I think that the double in Rio is certainly possible. There’s a lot of time between the 10K and the marathon. The 10K is the shorter event. If the marathon were first, it would pretty much be impossible to double like that.’’

Too close for comfort Rupp and Keflezighi never quite ran side by side. Instead, Rupp sat off Keflezighi’s shoulder for most of the time as they essentially shared the lead. And that did not make Keflezighi too happy. In fact, the veteran and the rookie marathoner exchanged some strong words on the course.

When asked what he told Rupp during the race, Keflezighi said, “It’s not a track. The road is open. It was not a very friendly conversation.’’

That comment was met with laughter then applause by the crowd at the post-race press conference.

Keflezighi added: “There have been other people who on the track stay tight right on you and clip you from behind. I had a really tight hamstring going into the race. [He] bumped into me a few times and I’m like, ‘Dude, open up. Go wherever you want. If you want to take the lead, take the lead. If you need to go on the side, go on the side.’ We didn’t have much of a dialogue.’’

At that point, Rupp walked in to take a seat next to Keflezighi. And it was as awkward as you night expect.

A top 10 for Quigley Sean Quigley, who grew up in Braintree, Mass., was the top local finisher in the men’s race. He crossed the line in ninth place in 2:15:52. Tim Ritchie, Boston College’s assistant track and cross-country coach, led the men’s race very briefly before coming in 25th in 2:22:16.

Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShiraSpringer