I didn't realize Ritz had a VO2 max of 85. He must have poor efficiency to not be running 13:10's?
I didn't realize Ritz had a VO2 max of 85. He must have poor efficiency to not be running 13:10's?
He is young dumbass and has been setback by injuries. He will surpass 13:10 in no time.
The last real 5K "race" Dathan ran was 3 years ago in April 2002 as a freshman at Colorado - 13:27.7. Injured in 2003, and then 10K training in 2004 (Wetmore stated Ritz was ready to run a 13:15 5K in France during June 2004, but cancelled because of the foot injury a week ahead of the race).
I think it's safe to assume that now he is at least well down into the low 13:teens.
Great article!
Interesting that Ritzcracka is putting the pressure on himself with that "potential" medal prediction. That takes balls to say that.
(and by the way, everyone, THAT ( "Ritzcracka" ), should be Dathan's nickname from now on, PERIOD. It works on the following levels:
1) Of course plays on relationship between his last name and the famous snack food, Ritz Crackers
2) It plays on the fact that he is often the lone "cracka"(white boy) in a sea of dark africans
3) Also fits in with a messed-up German translation of his name, which came out to "Crackhouse" or something like that in an article posted here once. )
Also interesting:
former heavy mileage, train-to-your-limits-screw-the-science guys like Hudson and Salazar are all about training science these days, and have learned to protect their athletes from overtraining.
I guess the old-school is turning to the new school for some ideas......
the translation was "Crackhome"
no offense to mark bloom, but i think the most signifcant victory by an american male distance runner in the past 2 decades was mark plaajates world champ gold in '93.
ritz won A cross country race, plaajates won a world championship.
if he want to argue that plaajates was not american born, then he should say so.
Or Meb or Deena?
he said "VICTORY" not "medal"
deena is not a man - at least i don't think so.
wouldnt the most signifigant american victory be KK's world record at london of Geb and Tergat?
Terrific article! Just one minor correction, though: it's not true that Pat Porter was the last American to be in the top 10 in world cross. Todd Williams placed 9th in 1995.
bigredtrack800 wrote:
A Distance Revival Comes Into View
By MARC BLOOM
Published: March 15, 2005
On Jan. 8 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dathan Ritzenhein of Boulder, Colo., raced to the most significant distance-running victory by an American man in two decades. In an event dominated for years by Africans, Ritzenhein, who had just turned 22, became the first United States runner to win the Belfast International Cross Country Run, a race of 9,810 meters (about 6.1 miles).
On a slow, muddy course, he built a lead of more than 100 meters, then eased up toward the finish to win by 50 meters in 29 minutes 26 seconds. Kenyans placed second through fifth.
The victory, four months after injuries caused Ritzenhein to drop out of the Olympic 10,000 meters in Athens, elevated him to medal-contender status for Sunday's 12-kilometer event (7.4 miles) at the world cross-country championships in St. Etienne-St. Galmier, France.
"I'm fitter than ever," said Ritzenhein, who won the United States 12-kilometer cross-country title by 14 seconds on Feb. 13. "If things go my way, I can be in position to win a medal. It's been a while since I've gone into a race with a target on my back."
The United States will have a full complement of men's and women's senior and junior squads for the six races of the world championships, which begin Saturday. The only American man to win in the senior division of the world cross-country meet, which has been run since 1903, is Craig Virgin, who had victories in 1980 in Paris and 1981 in Madrid.
That was before the rise of the Africans. Kenyans and Ethiopians have won every senior men's team title since 1981, and since the early 1990's, they have swept about three-quarters of the top 20 places. The last top-10 finish by an American man was Pat Porter's seventh in 1987.
While in the junior ranks, Ritzenhein won a bronze medal in 2001 amid a sea of Africans, suggesting future greatness for him and a possible American distance revival.
With Olympic marathon medals by Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor last summer, as well as a Grand Prix 1,500 victory in June by the improving miler Alan Webb, the United States' revival has picked up steam.
Ritzenhein's Belfast victory may have shocked the Kenyan favorites, but it came as no surprise to Ritzenhein's coach, Brad Hudson, also of Boulder and a former high school star from New Jersey.
"Dathan has great stamina and mental toughness," Hudson said. "He's made an amazing comeback since last summer."
Ritzenhein's stamina, quantified in a laboratory treadmill test last fall before his recent training progress, is among the highest measured for a distance runner. His maximal oxygen uptake, or V02 max - the amount of oxygen his body can process at maximum effort - was found to be 85 milliliters per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight per minute. That compares favorably with the 84.4 recorded by Steve Prefontaine.
In France, Ritzenhein, who is 5 feet 8 inches and 125 pounds, will be tested as never before. The world cross-country meet, drawing distance specialists from the 1,500 to the marathon, is considered the toughest racing on the calendar. The field is led by Kenenisa Bekele, 22, the Olympic 10,000-meter champion from Ethiopia, who will be seeking a fourth straight sweep of the men's 12-kilometer and 4.1-kilometer events.
Until recently, Ritzenhein, a former high school star from Rockford, Mich., and an N.C.A.A. cross-country champion at Colorado, was considered an immense talent whose future was in doubt because of repeated setbacks. His injury last summer was the third stress fracture in his foot in two years.
Last spring, Ritzenhein left Colorado with a year of eligibility remaining to sign a professional contract. He began training with Hudson, 38, who is developing a postcollegiate running club, Team Boulder.
Hudson's emphasis on hill training, which strengthens the leg muscles so they can better absorb shock, has kept Ritzenhein healthy.
Hudson's scientific approach to running - he studies training systems worldwide - is at odds with his reckless training style at North Hunterdon High in New Jersey in the early 1980's. Then Hudson trained 140 miles a week. His high school record for the 2.5-mile cross-country course at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, 12:15.7 in 1983, still stands.
"I was very uncoachable," Hudson said, "but it helped me learn what not to do. You learn more from your mistakes than from your successes."
Hudson has Ritzenhein sprinting up hills for leg power while keeping his mileage around 95 miles a week.
"I've learned you have to take a careful approach between training too much and training too little," Ritzenhein said. "I've gotten stronger but don't feel as tired as I used to be."
On what page of the NY Times is that article?
I'm assuming it is in the sports section.
Belfast is not the world champs. Team tactics play big in a race that involves national pride for all of Africa and Europe.Hopefully he cracks the top 15.
"It's been a while since I've gone into a race with a target on my back."
And that's just what they'll do.
There is no target on his back! He doesn't even register on anyone's radar.
these boots are made 4 walkin wrote:
"It's been a while since I've gone into a race with a target on my back."
And that's just what they'll do.
glad that they are covering cross country
A Distance Revival Comes Into View
By MARC BLOOM
Published: March 15, 2005
On Jan. 8 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dathan Ritzenhein of Boulder, Colo., raced to the most significant distance-running victory by an American man in two decades. In an event dominated for years by Africans, Ritzenhein, who had just turned 22, became the first United States runner to win the Belfast International Cross Country Run, a race of 9,810 meters (about 6.1 miles).
Editor's note: Please don't paste entire articles on the website. That's a copyright violation. Here's the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/sports/othersports/15runner.html
I'm glad they're covering XC and think Ritz is a tremendous xc runner but having said that the field in Belfast was not that strong.
What are some American victories in the last 20 years that were greater. The author is splitting hairs by saying victory as there are many non victories that were greater. But lets start a list.
1) Khannouchi (multiple times) and Plaatjes but i guess they don't count
2) Webb last year in the 1500 in Europe. He beat most of the top guys in the world, Ritz beat 4 Africans.
3) Joe Falcon won the dream mile in 1990 i believe.
4) David Krummenacker won a Golden league 800 (maybe he doesn't count 800/1500 as distance running?)
Did kennedy ever win anything in Europe? He was 4th in the world one year at 5k and 6th in the olympics. And Todd Williams in 1995 was incredible. Jacksonville 15k in 42:low and then 9th at world xc when there was 1 race with 7 (is that the number) ethiopians, 7 kenyans, and 7 moroccans (the 7 best) not having them divided between 2 races. Can someone verify their used to be 7 from each country? Too bad 1995 wasn't the olympic year.
5) Joan Benoit, Chicago Marathon 1985 against Ingrid Kristiansen and Rosa Mota.
6) Mary Decker Slaney, 1985 mile world record.
winner please wrote:
1) Khannouchi (multiple times) and Plaatjes but i guess they don't count
2) Webb last year in the 1500 in Europe. He beat most of the top guys in the world, Ritz beat 4 Africans.
3) Joe Falcon won the dream mile in 1990 i believe.
4) David Krummenacker won a Golden league 800 (maybe he doesn't count 800/1500 as distance running?)
krummenacker was world indoor champion in the 800!
pretty significant.