Dude kitwara had a bad race. It wasn't like ritz beat him when he was at his best.
Dude kitwara had a bad race. It wasn't like ritz beat him when he was at his best.
dwigt schrude wrote:
Meb won the silver in Athens in 2004.
I actually meant to put Meb in parenthesis like our last 10k medalist... I actually like Meb A LOT, but it sucks we have to continue to import greatness in this country...
NEVER- Race walk medal
NEVER 10k- USA Medalists (1912-Lewis Tewanima- Hopi Indian) (Mills 64' Sioux Indian)
1964- Schul- Last 5k medal
1968- Ryun- Last 1500 medal
1976- Shorter- Last Marathon medal (Mebrahtom Keflezighi- Asmara, Eritrea via Italy, and US citizen in 98')
1984- Diemer- Last Steeple
You still have to "Face the Facts" that the USA has much lower expectations for American distance runners than any other events in track & field. It's pathetic! We need to do more than hope for sub 13's & American Records...
track4lyfe wrote:
it sucks we have to continue to import greatness in this country...
Frank Shorter was born in Germany.
Moes Tavern wrote:
Since there are only 16 bronze medalists in this event it does put him in a more exclusive club. Plus, in the IAAF half there are specialists at 5km, 10km, roads and marathons.
The bronze rules.
But then again, over the same time period ('92-now) there have only been three ARs in the 5000 m. Going back 16 ARs takes you to Gerry Lindgren in '68.
styrrell wrote:
People keep calling his 5 k a time trial. It wasn't, sure he ran pretty even splits, but kept in contact with the leaders the whole way, then started picking off people at the end. If it had been a time trial with no one in front of him, or so far in front that they were gone, I don't think he would've ran nearly as fast.
Did you even watch these races? Ritz was in last for almost the entire first mile of the 5k, while he led at one point in the half. Having people at regularly spaced intervals to pick off during a track race is a lot different than pushing the pace and having people come up from behind in a half marathon.
Medals last forever, records could be gone tomorrow..
Face the Facts wrote:
Exactly.
Hey, That's my old screen name. Some stalker/psycho (you) decided to register every version of that name that I was using, so I decided to go back to my old one. Do the name proudly! Haha Loser...
vilago iberia wrote:
Frank Shorter was born in Germany.
Great call!
This is hilarious!!! I really do have a letsrun groupie/ stalker. You are the same one who follows all of my post and comments against them. HAHAHA!!! This is great!!! I can easily make an alias and register it, but I found it more interesting to change my name 5 times and wait for you to register it. I'll take my name back when the time is right? You're not bright enough to think of all the possibilities... Are you? Plus, you'll always know exactly who I am... This is just like Twitter!
The real "Face the Facts"
Nothing you wrote disagrees with what I wrote, so why the attitude?
Why damn it you're right. And we should ask Dave Wottle and Shalane Flanagan to give back their medals because they were way back in the pack in the middle of their races too.
BTW, I researched the list and come up with Ritz as 46th all time performer at 5000. I'm guessing he is somewhere around 70th in the half.
Both of your examples occurred in the Olympics, not a Golden League Meet. Both resulted in medals, not ARs.
I think that his time in the 5k is more impressive. But i think that his race in the half is more impressive. During the half he did not just run a solid race and pick people off at the end. He went out there and raced hard from the gun. He was up front pushing the pace on the chase pack and actually making moves not just running the "smart" race. that is why i think the half was more impressive he showed that he has some balls and is not afraid of the africans anymore and that he is going to try to run with anyone in the world.
Stop arguing with yourself.
I think the 5k is more impressive also. I'm not sure Hall could run it. But I've always been a distance runner myself, so the shorter distances have always been more impressive to me.
mr. statistic wrote:
What makes third in a time trial more impressive than third in a World Championship?
There was no external pressure or high expectations for Ritz going into Zurich. By the world half-marathon championships, it would have been a big let down if Ritz hadn't run really well. Medalling when expectations are high, and competing to win, is more impressive than following a smart strategy in a time trial and running very fast, even when his performance was an AR.
What I find most impressive is the phenomenal range that Ritz has demonstrated over the past three months, especially for someone doing marathon-specific training prior to this.
For someone to change coaches and then in succession come within sniffing distance of the AR over 10,000m (6th at WC), smash the AR over 5,000m (placing 2nd to Bekele) and then win bronze in a competitive half marathon not far back from Tadesse is damn good. Makes the prospect of his World Cross plans very exciting... and I'm not even American.
toro wrote:
The half marathon is not a championship event otherwise that race would have been held at the real World Championships in Berlin.
He is 20th on the world list in the half. How many of those guys were in this race?
He is 5th in the world in the 5000.
I am more impressed by the 5000m time than the half marathon performance.
I am also more impressed by his 6th in the 10,000 at the World Championships than the 3rd at the World Half Marathon Championships.
Then XC isn't a real WC because it isn't held with the track events. You bringing up the 20th in the world versus 5th in the 5000m is silly, in one he was racing for a medal, in the 5000m it was just some local invite where he could just go for time. If you want to go that route, then how about what 4th (and that might be American born only) in American 10k lists, and 2nd in the American Half Marathon lists?
The half solidifies wat Ritz did in the 5,000. I don't think it is necessary to choose between the two.
The 5,000 time is more impressive statistically, but anyone who had the opportunity to watch the half could not come away more impressed with the race Dathan ran.
Ironically, in both races, Dathan was outkicked for second, so it is conceivable that he could have been the runner up in both events.
What is most impressive to me however, is the versatility it takes to be successful at such differing distances; not only the distance, but the surfaces as well. I can think of no other U.S. runner capable of such versatility at the moment, including one of my favorites, Ryan Hall.
track4lyfe wrote:
I actually meant to put Meb in parenthesis like our last 10k medalist... I actually like Meb A LOT, but it sucks we have to continue to import greatness in this country...
NEVER- Race walk medal
NEVER 10k- USA Medalists (1912-Lewis Tewanima- Hopi Indian) (Mills 64' Sioux Indian)
1964- Schul- Last 5k medal
1968- Ryun- Last 1500 medal
1976- Shorter- Last Marathon medal (Mebrahtom Keflezighi- Asmara, Eritrea via Italy, and US citizen in 98')
1984- Diemer- Last Steeple
You still have to "Face the Facts" that the USA has much lower expectations for American distance runners than any other events in track & field. It's pathetic! We need to do more than hope for sub 13's & American Records...
Race walk medal? Don't even bother including that dude. I'm proud we've never gotten that one.
1964 - Schul (gold), Dellinger (bronze) - last 5k medal(s).
And really, you can't just include Olympic medals, World medals matter just as much.
And really, you can't just include Olympic medals, World medals matter just as much.
To who? Don't get me wrong. The world championships are very important, but please don't get too brainwashed by thinking it compares to Olympic medals. It never has and never will.