Farah & Ritz in London 5K - American AR in jeopardy?

dow etosh wrote:

WAIT - Craig Mottram? Really? Wow, where has he been? Anyone?

No, the question is: where have YOU been? He's been running all year. Not very successfully, though he's had his moments. Nothing like the ol' (young) Mottram though.

Here are some outdoor 2012 results for you:

(pretty sure he ran cross and indoors too)

Ritz might win the second pack race.

When did Ritz run a 13:19? What meet was that?

They could set a world record for running the 5K while holding hands. This would probably trigger a Nike bonus.

Not sure what kind of 5K Ritz could run now (if the pacing was good) -- certainly this is to sharpen him up for the Oly 10K. Whatever happens in the race, he should dig down and kick for all he's worth, no time to be holding back when you're about to get a crack at the Olympics.

RukiddingMe!! wrote:

I hope he holds back (Ritz), I rather see him in the Olympic final than getting the American record now.

Yeah, because running a fast race every now and then really screws up one's ability to race!

WTF is wrong with Americans?!?

An anonymous source wrote in and said he has inside info that they are trying to find a rabbit for 5:10 for 2k which is 62 a lap which is 12:55 pace.

Assuming they kick off of that one could still go sub 12:50. The real problem is getting from 2k to 4k.

Portland Track Festival on June 9, which he followed up 35 minutes later with 13:58. Again, the 13:14 was at Oxy.

Roonald Reagn wrote:

When did Ritz run a 13:19? What meet was that?

You can't only look at the race times. Ritz's WC 10k 6th place finish in 27:22 was an outstanding race too, given the conditions and competition. There is no doubt in my mind he was in sub 27 shape then.

As for the upcoming 5k, if there is anything I have learned about Ritz, it is don't be surprised by what he can do or place limits on him. If he says he is in great shape, I believe him. So I say a 12:50 is not out of the question, but my official prediction is 12:57.9.

13:08 for his upcoming 5k. Not top 6 in the Olympics.

george oscar bluth wrote:

13:08 for his upcoming 5k. Not top 6 in the Olympics.

^ Good call

Spot on. 13:08 would be about right. With a perfect train to ride on, perhaps 13:01-:04

I think he will well at the Olympics. I also think he will run a totally different race from Farah and Rupp too.

If the Games 10k is quick, Ritz will hang way back and try to negative split; whereas Rupp and Farah will be with the front throughout.

george oscar bluth wrote:

13:08 for his upcoming 5k. Not top 6 in the Olympics.

I think Ritz will hange back and mow down people for 5th or better.

The last few posts have been the best on here.

Ritz COULD run anywhere from 12:55 to 13:10 in my opinion. I fully recognize that is a HUGE range, but we just don't know enough to accurately predict.

When he ran 12:56, though, a lot came together. He had no pressure. He had the adrenaline of catching Bekele. He was 3 years younger.

Not saying he can't do so again, but that really was a perfect race for Ritz.

I also see him hanging off the pace and closing on people hard in the Olympics to finish 5th or 6th.

I think Rupp will medal, Ritz will be 5th or 6th, and assuming Teg has had no interruptions, that he will finish top 10 as well. The USA has one of the best 10,000 teams in the world. No reason why they won't perform as such.

grammar popo wrote:

* wrote:

Shouldn't the subject read:

Ritz in London 5K - American AR in jeopardy?

Is Farah not racing now? :)

Well, Farah is not going to get the American Record.

You're doing your letsrun.com posting wrong.

1)You admitted to not having enough evidence to make a specific prediction

2)You didn't attack any other posters

3)You supported our distance runners and predicted good things for them

Good Call wrote:

george oscar bluth wrote:

13:08 for his upcoming 5k. Not top 6 in the Olympics.

^ Good call

I'll say 13:03 for grins, hoping he busts 13:00. No prediction on an Olympic finish. My guess is he is in sub-13:00 shape and could easily run that, but who knows if he's backing off? That 13:14 was a long time ago and he should be much fitter now.

RukiddingMe!! wrote:

I hope he holds back (Ritz), I rather see him in the Olympic final than getting the American record now.

As far as holding back, none of the Kenyans or Ethiopians seemed to be doing that in Paris. They seemed to be running one last race to assess their fitness. If Ritz is doing the same and sharpening the pencil, then sub-13:00 is definitely not reaching, depending on conditions. I would love to see Ritz stay right with Farah and get a PR, but, again, he may be training through this.

I don't know... This blog is dated, but something tells me he'll be going for it:

http://dathanritzenhein.competitor.com/2012/06/15/what-does-it-take/