Flagpole Willy wrote:
I'll actually answer without being the smart ass the others are being.
1) Actually Webb can't beat Ritz at 2 miles. Never has and never will (assuming both are properly trained and uninjured and not ill).
2) Webb could try the rest of his career and not be able to beat Ritz at 10,000 meters. The same is true in the other direction. Ritz has no chance to beat Webb at 2000 meters on down.
3) Yes Webb could be a good 10,000 runner, even a slightly competitive one. Ritz though is and will continue to be a GREAT 10,000 runner. 27:38 for a first try? Are you kidding me? Webb has NO shot at being that good in the 10,000, and Ritz is only going to get better.
Flagpole, I know you love Ritz, but this is out of hand. Webb will clean Ritz's clock at 2 miles, just like Ritz did to Webb over 12k. Webb will blow his doors off over 3k, and within the next year (if not now), 5k. Webb ran 7:47i in his first race, months (3?) ago. Ritz just ran, outdoors, less than 4 seconds faster. Webbs race is far superior given the time of year he ran it in, and how it was on an indoor track and a very low key race with only Carroll to race. Webb ran 13:30 (first race outdoors), closing in sub 27 (in lanes 2 and 3!!) and came back to run 1:47. A few weeks later (closer to peak shape and with a rabbit), Ritz runs 13:22, winning, but closing in 35(!) and lying on the ground in agony and exhaustion afterwards. Webb had a lot left, again a far superior race on his part. Ritz has never broken 3:42. Webb ran 3:32 and 3:50. All of this is speculation, but I feel Webb is capable of sub 13:15 and 3:31 NOW. Ritz may be able to run 13:15, maybe, but the race between then is 1800 meters shorter, which only works to Webbs advantage. The kid is strong, but Webb is so much faster, with phenomenal strength to boot. Even if Dathan can hang with Webb for 7 laps (not gonna happen) Webb would run away from him so easily it would be like Mo Greene racing some kid in the special olympics 100m. And of course, Webb would have no chance hanging with Dathan over 10k now, and probably not ever. But I guess we'll all see in a few weeks, eh?