Ritz beat Ebuya, Kipsirop and Komon in Zurich

Sure looked to me that Ritz was "racing" when it counted- in the last mile of a world-class event. But please forgive me- I must be delusional to think that someone who has already medaled in World XC (as a Junior against Bekele) and in the World Half Marathon (as a senior against Tadesse) could POSSIBLY hope to be near a medal in Poland against a bunch of guys he has already beaten on the track.

Makes no sense I know...it's just so much fun to troll nonsensically, especially when it involves the immortal Kenyans, whose brilliant tactics only succumb to a pesky little track guy who sits on them, rather than "racing", only to kick them down in the final stages every time.

[quote]hardset nipples wrote:

You're the only one saying "misgauged pace/fitness." They were racing, Ritz was pacing. That may work fine when you're on a track with only seven other runner, but not on a soft, twisty, undulating course with jumps and 30+ runners who can go out faster than you and hold it most of the way.

[quote]

Virgin hung off the back and held on until pushing the pace and crushing rose at the end in his first world xc title performance.

I know.

jjjjjjjjj wrote:

Virgin hung off the back and held on until pushing the pace and crushing rose at the end in his first world xc title performance.

What are you prattling on about? You said those guys "misgauged pace/fitness" and implied a comparison to WXC and you were wrong. Forget a minor championship like World Half Marathon (where Tadesse won, finshing well in front of Ritz) and remind us all how Ritz has done at WXC since that junior race. Making up points to argue against is clearly your strong suit, but it's still stupid. And it's actual trolling.

Uhsinukar wrote:

Ritz is a world beater.

There are times he's running that are uncomparible to any of these summer vacation times ran by the days of old lollipop lane lallygaggers. That having been said, coming from an oxen of a workhorse, the wagons wheel haven't fallen off, however the mph is quite fast. When water drips, we forget all life flows as does running water: without stopping, and along the contours that nature has provided (or humans have artificially destroyed/created). One thing's for sure, we are now obliged to go the speed we deem fit.

First time something on the internet has made me actually laugh in a long time.

It is good to be hopeful about Ritz, but no matter how he runs on the track, I don't think he will ever have a XC win!

That applies to all American runners unless they go spend enough time training in Africa with Africans and living the same hardship!

If Lagat trains for XC seriously he can be the only threat from US but the bottom line is he was born and brought up in Kenya! Good stamina for hard conditions!

Cheers!

Uhsinukar wrote:

Ritz is a world beater.

There are times he's running that are uncomparible to any of these summer vacation times ran by the days of old lollipop lane lallygaggers. That having been said, coming from an oxen of a workhorse, the wagons wheel haven't fallen off, however the mph is quite fast. When water drips, we forget all life flows as does running water: without stopping, and along the contours that nature has provided (or humans have artificially destroyed/created). One thing's for sure, we are now obliged to go the speed we deem fit.

This is one of the finest pieces of bullshit ever to appear on LRC. I'm astounded by your inability to convey a point.

P.S. Thanks for the proverbs, dude.

ignorant bleeding nipples wrote:

prattling wrong. stupid. trolling.

You arguments are erudite and compelling, completely free of reflexive characterization and shallow judgment. I cede the floor forever to your nuanced understanding of the essential elements of world-class running and human potential.

bridge maintenance wrote:

Troll topic. The only reason Ritz beat Ebuya & Co. was because they went out at 12:30 pace and blew up. He would've been crushed if they dawdled at 12:50 pace!!

Yes, and Bekele would have missed out on the 333,333 payout because they'd have blown by him and his pathetic 12:52 that day.

trendlines wrote:

what say you wrote:

What trend do you see?

If you look carefully you will notice that during the first 13 years exactly two of the winners had first names that did not start with letters from the middle of the alphabet (J-P). During the second 13 years (1 yr overlap) again we see only two winners (same person) coming from anywhere other than the very heart of the alphabet.

This extraordinary over-representation (84% of winners from just 27% of the alphabet) has several causes which I cannot go into here. Nonetheless, based on this clear historical trend I confidently predict that exactly two of the next thirteen winners will overcome the odds and break through into the winners circle in spite of the handicap of not being advantageously named.

lmao

shutoff valve wrote:

Sure looked to me that Ritz was "racing" when it counted- in the last mile of a world-class event. But please forgive me- I must be delusional to think that someone who has already medaled in World XC (as a Junior against Bekele) and in the World Half Marathon (as a senior against Tadesse) could POSSIBLY hope to be near a medal in Poland against a bunch of guys he has already beaten on the track.

Yes, you are dilusional to think that because someone won a junior medal nine years ago that he will be near the medals in a senior race in 2010. Add to the fact that after his junior medal he attempted the 12K course in 2005 and finished in 62nd. He also attemtped the short course since then and finished 24th. The fact is he has had nine years since that day to win a major champs medal and has never come close. Even at worlds last year he was 25 seconds behind (that's near half a lap) from any medal. And world half marathon is an afterthought when compared to any world cross champs that has ever been run. You keep on emphasizing how he ran against Tadesse. So what, I once ran a road 10K and finished third behind Steve Scott. I was nearly two minutes behind him but I guess I should boast about how I got third against Steve scott. But I won't do this because I'm not dilusional.

Want to know the difference between Ritz and the guys he has beat on the track? Those guys are now major champs medalists.

stupid aurguments. alot of you guys are daydreaming. it is really sad when you have only one runner to look upto in every race, cross country , half marathon, full marathon road races, track and field etc. i feel sorry for the guy. a kenyan who won world cross country as a junior 5 years ago cannot be expected to win the senior race 5 years later. please Americans make your kids run so that you can have alot of world class runners to look upto instead of relying on one guy to do everything. you people sound like kindergaden

My point is this: Ritz beat three of the top four at a shorter distance, in a major meet, and beat the #5 guy at a longer distance, also in a major competition. Clearly he has the talent to run with these guys. I don't consider a junior bronze as the same as a senior bronze, I mention it only as a reminder that Ritz is arguably the greatest junior talent the U.S. ever had in cross, so it's not like he can't convert track success to cross success. He ran mediocre in previous senior XC's when he was also running mediocre on the track and roads. The late 2009 model of Ritz was something else entirely.

I never mentioned Tadesse except that his absence reduces the luster of this year's title.

What Ritz lacks is durability. This is a major component of a running career. I'm not even sure that he'll ever return to his '09 level. On the other hand, I don't think that many thought a year ago that Ebuya would emerge as a champion.

There is Bekele, there is Tadesse, and there is "everyone else". Ritz is in the latter group.