Ritz Interview from RW 9.12.06

grover wrote: Ritz and Hudson speak very little about the Mental Game.

There is no reason Ritz should not shoot for a 2:09. He just needs to go by the half in 1:04:30 which should relatively comfortable. Most likely the leaders will be about that pace so he will be right with Tergat. If the leaders go out at a considerably faster pace then Ritz should be smart enough to back off. If Ritz can run the second half in 1:05 then he has his 2:09. If he starts hurting then he may come in at 2:11 or 2:12. Hudson should know what he is capable of by comparing his fitness to his own fitness when he ran 2:13.

27:30 for 10k is around 2:08-2:09 so there is no reason for him not to think he can't run from the front.

What I want is some statistics over fastest debut-marathons ever..can someone provide em?

Thanks!

the voice of reason from one poster

"running/racing with Tergat and company is NOT realistic, and quite frankly, ridiculous, and somewhat disrespectful to his opponents."

absolutely... you are talking about a guy who nyc, who has run 2:04, could probably step on the track tomorrow and run a 27:30 10K, IMO ritz shouldn't be putting his name in the same sentence with this guy

if he proves himself worthy in just 1 race, then absolutely

ok, listen. 27:30 DOES NOT equate to a debut marathon of 2:08-2:09, (ibid,kennedy) especially not a NYC. Do people forget or choose not to understand that Ritz has not even attempted a distance over 10k on the roads? This half marathon in GB will be his longest distance by over half, and then a month later he will face the worlds greatest marathoners over twice that distance. Anyone who has run a marathon at a high level knows there is no comparison between the half marathon and the marathon. NONE.

I just don't understand why Ritz has decided to jump right into his first marathon, without even testing the waters of a few moderately longer road races. He's setting himself up for failure. His coach sounds like he's unconcerned, but I can promise you he should be.

Tergat doesn't even know who Ritzenhein is.

Enough said.

Anemic wrote:

The other thing was how EASY the marathon training is for him. That's great if so (& look out world if it really is that easy for him), and unusual, but for many people including track stars it's a challenge. He says he is only running 110 mpw. I would have assumed that he would have jacked it up quite a bit from his usual volume (shoot he did around 80+ up to 100 mpw as a high schooler!) That's another perception thing. Most people try to see how many miles they can withstand in marathon training, for fear if they don't. Heck Ritz has been running large volume for so many years already, he's quite like a Tiger Woods and this all may prove to be very easy for him. Perhaps he has no reason to fear the event.

He has not handled the mileage recently. He is injured all the time. Perhaps he's exhibiting a little restraint by "only" running 110 miles per week. Maybe next year will be 120.

I'm not sure I understand why people are predicting a 2:08-:09 debut for Ritz. This isn't London or Chicago where times under 2:10 happen fairly easily. This is NYC where the world record holder ran 2:09:30 last year and only two others were under 2:11, including the Olympic silver medalist at that distance. 2:09 in this race is not possible for Ritz, in my opinion.

I also got the feeling that Ritz was taking the distance too lightly. This is simply my opinion from reading the interview, but thats what it seemed like to me. Crazy things happen between miles 22-26, which will be unknown territory for him. Who knows, he might prove me wrong and kill it, but this is just what I gathered.

Remember just a short while ago when Ritz talked of being in great shape and ran his mouth about medaling at World Cross - he really delivered then didn't he? It was warm, he went out too hard, died then blamed it on blisters or spikes or something.

The ING New York City Marathon did not bring Dathan into their race as a charity case or for celebrity value like Lance Armstrong. They brought Dathan in to find out if he is capable of being the next great american marathoner. Now here comes the good and the bad of the sport. If Dathan runs an even paced 2:12 (which is best for his overall development) he will not receive anywhere near the same payday in his next marathon. If Dathan runs with the leaders for as long as he can he will continue to receive major paydays. Even though this is not in his best interest for development.

I agree. America loves a leader. Brian Sell received all kinds of kudos for leading the first 20 miles at the Oly trials. He now gets bashed for coming from behind and beating people like Culpepper.

Josh Cox was everyones next great marathoner because he went to the front at the 13 mile mark at Boston even though he has a lifetime pr of just under 2:14 at Chicago.

If Ritz wants to be considered a great marathoner and receive financial compensation as such. He MUST run with the leaders regardless of pace.

the expectations people are putting on Ritz for a debut marathon are too big, especially on a tough course. He'd be lucky to be within 2 mintues of Tergat in the half marathon. A 2:11 would be a great race in NY. My worry is that if things aren't going as great as he hopes and he's on pace for 2:15, will he finish?

the marathon certainly seems like it will be his best event and it's good that he's starting it young, hopefully all he needs is some time to be a contender in these races.

I agree. However, if he is involved in running to make a living. Which is the reason that most are involved (and I don't think there is anything wrong with that). Then he will be much smarter to run over his head for as long as he can.

yeah, you could be right, he could surprise himself by going out hard, but odds are he'll blow up if the pace is fast. Certainly Salazar always ran to win and wouldn't have paced himself. The 1/2 marathon should tell him a lot about what his expectations should be regarding time and whether he can try to run with Tergat, Baldini, etc. Ritz is getting the hype right now, but this could be the year Meb and Deena win.

Here's the facts as we know them. The guy has run 7:43, 13:17, and 27:35. He has run those times without having in the last four years one year of uninterruped training. He now has trained for a year without being hurt (although he did miss time while ill). He has done quite well in cross country over the years. His coach says tests show he has a great capacity for running long at 4:45-5:00 pace. He has the desire to be great. He has approached the marathon with great care--several months ago he ran the last ten miles of NYC and now some twenty miles of the course (it's strange to think he doesn't take the marathon distance seriously given this). The workouts posted on bouldertraining.com for June look great, and he thinks he's in better (it sounds as if it's much better) shape now, still with six weeks to go before NYC. I would think he'd have to be very optimistic about doing very well and I would think we'd have to be very optimistic as well--at least I am.

Is it necessary for a sponsored athlete to front run and risk blowing up? This idea as been thrown out here, yet I've never heard of it before. Is this a kind of tacit message put out to pro runners by sponsors and managers/agents?

Really, his best strategy has been hinted at, already: Figure out what others with his 10K PR (or near it) have done in their debut and adjust for the NYC course. Even pacing for a 2:10-2:11 would be bold enough. He can make subtle adjustments off that if he feels good entering the top of Central Park.

Look dude lets be honesty. That my be the end of Ritz career on track and keep my word. This guy will never finish even in top 15 in NYC Marathon. a good American like Ritz could still have a lot of impact on the US 10k 5km, but You Americans are too impatient. You flip flop, track, road running, and marathon. Look at Alan Web, 10k, 1500, 2 miles, etc. where the hell is he?? How many new breeds of Kenyans come every year, we have been winning 95 % of the Marathons on planet Earth, and No American will beat the Kenyans in the next 20 years to come. You people will have one good this year, next year is gone! Who are the imported Kenyans?? American belongs to everybody weather you like it or NOT, Arnold Schwarzenegger would not been a governor of California.

Ritz is and always has been aggressive. Sometimes he breaks down, but seems like he is doing intelligent training. He may find more respect for 26.2 after a tough day, or he may impress with 2:09. He is not stupid enough to go out 2:04 pace, but no one really is that stupid on NYC course. Love his attitude, best of luck.