WEBB VS RITZ AT STANFORD 10k SUNDAY

I have heard that Mike aish is pacing the first 5km but only in 14mins. Doesn't sound like they are going to be running sub 27mins30. Should set up an interesting race though for a quicker second half of the race.

1) Who said I've come to this conclusion in looking at his high school accomplishments? Those were great, yes, but he's still done way better to date than Hall, and he's not been as healthy as Hall. Hall currently has a faster 5,000. Other than that, Ritz wins hands down as far as accomplishments go.

2) Your argument about physical maturity in high school makes no sense. Ritz looked like a 12 year old as a senior.

3) Most assuredly I ran competitively -- at least in the realms I competed in -- high school, Div. III college, local bad ass in the Bay Area in the early 90s...

4) Ritz can drop Hall any time he wants when he's healthy.

5) Ritz barely beat Hall in that CC race because he was coming off injury. Glad to know that Hall "could have" won the race if he weren't running for the team -- I call BS on that. WOULDA COULDA SHOULDA...DIDN'T! Oh yeah, and COULDN'T either.

6) The fact that Ritz verbally gives other runners some respect now and then means nothing. He SHOULD do that, regardless of how he feels, because he doesn't want to seem an ass, and he doesn't want people gunning for him any more than they already are. Besides, perhaps Ritz can't see he is more talented than Hall, Dobson, etc., but I can, and that's all that matters when I give MY opinion.

7) I actually don't think Hall and Dobson can or will go under 13:10 this year. In fact, if they do in this calendar year, I will not post until 2007.

You heard it here:

Flagpole Willy wrote:

7) I actually don't think Hall and Dobson can or will go under 13:10 this year. In fact, if they do in this calendar year, I will not post until 2007.

pp wrote:

I have heard that Mike aish is pacing the first 5km but only in 14mins. Doesn't sound like they are going to be running sub 27mins30. Should set up an interesting race though for a quicker second half of the race.

I think this makes sense, especially for Webb. A controlled first half and Katie-bar-the-door in the last 5,000 with everyone in the race.

I think Ritz and Webb have the opportunity to have great careers if they can stay healthy. But Webb is just making his first stab at this distance (other than XC), and Ritz has been injured. Meanwhile, there are some serious contenders in the field, including Alistair Cragg and Ryan Hall. I haven't paid attention to Cragg much the past few months, but Hall has been extremely consistent and steadily improving over the past year. Has he run a 10,000 on the track before? I find it odd that he's generally relegated to afterthought status here after the year he's had.

Zat0pek wrote:

pp wrote:

I have heard that Mike aish is pacing the first 5km but only in 14mins. Doesn't sound like they are going to be running sub 27mins30. Should set up an interesting race though for a quicker second half of the race.

I think this makes sense, especially for Webb. A controlled first half and Katie-bar-the-door in the last 5,000 with everyone in the race.

I really doubt that cause i read that swiss man Belz is going for the national record(27:40s) and why should Ritz go out so slow , in a slow race he will not set a PR and has little chance against Webb and Cragg.

I heard that Bolota Asmerom is going to pace the first 5k in 13:45.

This shows how far from reality many letsrun-posters are. Check the 1500m All-Time list. There have been 29 sub-3:29 performances EVER in HISTORY. So NO ONE can regularly run 3:27/3:28 in GP meets let alone run "comfortably" under 3:30. Ok, the only person who perhaps has the right to say that he ran "regularly" 3:27/3:28 is El G. But even he has 14 performances sub 3:29 in 1997-2005, that is under two sub 3:29 runs per year on average. How "regular" is that?

Oh, and only 6 (yeah, that's six) runners have broken 3:29.

Too bad we can't find somewhere online or someone there in person to give us some live updates. This is going to be badass.

You say Ritz doesn't have Hall or Dobson on his mind. We will see.[/quote]

1) Who said I've come to this conclusion in looking at his high school accomplishments? Those were great, yes, but he's still done way better to date than Hall, and he's not been as healthy as Hall. Hall currently has a faster 5,000. Other than that, Ritz wins hands down as far as accomplishments go.

4) Ritz can drop Hall any time he wants when he's healthy.

5) Ritz barely beat Hall in that CC race because he was coming off injury. Glad to know that Hall "could have" won the race if he weren't running for the team -- I call BS on that. WOULDA COULDA SHOULDA...DIDN'T! Oh yeah, and COULDN'T either.

Great points, anyone who doesn't think that ritz is one of the most talanted runners of our generation (from the u.s.) is full of bull. he is a great runner and anyone who doesn't think he is should go race him and get your inconsequential asses kicked.

xcman1500 wrote:

5) Ritz barely beat Hall in that CC race because he was coming off injury. Glad to know that Hall "could have" won the race if he weren't running for the team -- I call BS on that.

Actually, I bet Hall would've won if he wasn't concerned about the team race. Even though he got outkicked, he seemed very comfortable and the fittest guy in the race, and likely would've paced it hard pretty early. I'm sure Ritz would've responded, but it may've been too much for his subpar fitness.

I will never have pulled for two runners to run a particular time or faster than I will for Hall and Dobson to break 13:10 this year. Please, shut flaghole up!

irun wrote:

You heard it here:

Flagpole Willy wrote:

7) I actually don't think Hall and Dobson can or will go under 13:10 this year. In fact, if they do in this calendar year, I will not post until 2007.

not high school anymore

When is the last time Ritz has dropped anybody??

everyone gets these ideas that ritz is so much more talented.

hall will show that ritz is nothing after tonight.

mark my words.

hall webb and craig beat ritz tonight.

heard it here first.

quarters wrote:

hall webb and craig beat ritz tonight.

I assume you're mistaken about Hall, as I didn't see his name on the heat sheet.

oh i thought people were saying he joined the race. guess not. too bad.

and i don't want to look like the idiot dissing Ritz. i love the dude. he's my grad hs year. i love those guys they made running exciting. but ritz has to get BACK on top. don't just give him the top spot for what he did in HS. i want to see ritz perform to what all you say he can and then crown him. not the other way around.

quarters wrote:

oh i thought people were saying he joined the race. guess not. too bad.

and i don't want to look like the idiot dissing Ritz. i love the dude. he's my grad hs year. i love those guys they made running exciting. but ritz has to get BACK on top. don't just give him the top spot for what he did in HS. i want to see ritz perform to what all you say he can and then crown him. not the other way around.

Ritz has done some stuff after HS. In fact, I think you could argue that he's done more than Hall post-HS up until this point.

At least one of these guys likes Cragg to upset Ritz.

http://twobrotherstalkingtrack.blogspot.com

Hall already showed Ritz he was nothing after USA cross.

blue wrote:

Hall already showed Ritz he was nothing after USA cross.

yah and visa versa about going to the olympics...wich is much better than world xc popularity and fame wise.

yeah, only to DNF.

Nice one, there. Try again.