Breaking: Dathan Ritzenhein has joined the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project

knower of aerobic monsters wrote:

Make no mistake -

1. Ritz will PR in the marathon under the Hansons, and

2. Make the 2020 Tokyo team in the marathon

I hope this is true, but I think the 2020 Marathon Team will be Rupp and two WCAP members.

knower of aerobic monsters wrote:

Make no mistake -

1. Ritz will PR in the marathon under the Hansons, and

2. Make the 2020 Tokyo team in the marathon

Odds of either one happening is about 5% at best. Setting PRs after 34 is pretty rare for a guy who has been running an event for 8+ years and Ritz making it to the starting line at 37 or so seems an unlikely event.

Excited for Ritz! Always a fan. Glad to see new developments in his already lengthy and impressive career.

Jack Steeple wrote:

Is this really a good move for Brooks? Hate to say it, but Nike got way more return on their investment in Symmonds than Brooks, just do a Google image search for him. Additionally, I wonder how Desi feels about her new teammate, as she has been very vocal on social media re: anti-doping.

Unlike you, I think Desi is capable of understanding the difference between ardent, complicit dopers and someone in Ritz's situation who was coerced by a bad coach to cross the line momentarily and soon thereafter distanced himself from said coach.

Nice the OLD guy got a job, but who would pay him and money to wear stuff

Slowestmo wrote:

Nice the OLD guy got a job, but who would pay him and money to wear stuff

Brooks.

Fentrekker wrote:

Jack Steeple wrote:

Is this really a good move for Brooks? Hate to say it, but Nike got way more return on their investment in Symmonds than Brooks, just do a Google image search for him. Additionally, I wonder how Desi feels about her new teammate, as she has been very vocal on social media re: anti-doping.

Unlike you, I think Desi is capable of understanding the difference between ardent, complicit dopers and someone in Ritz's situation who was coerced by a bad coach to cross the line momentarily and soon thereafter distanced himself from said coach.

1. Was he coerced? Yes, unfortunately according to WADA, an athlete is 100% responsible for what THEY put in their body.

2. I'm sure the Hanson's had the Ritz conversation with Desi, but if they didn't, who cares? It's their program, they are adults, they can make their own decisions, they don't need approval from anybody except for maybe Brooks, since they cut the checks.

OLD guy? Not quite, he's got more left in the tank than you think.

Slowestmo wrote:

Nice the OLD guy got a job, but who would pay him and money to wear stuff

My guess is Dathan has one or two good marathon performances in him, just like Desi. It is doubtful that both will exceed their previous best performances.

It will be interesting to see if Hansons can attract some younger American born talent.

It still takes wheels to run a 2:08/09 marathon. Carlos Lopes' 2:09 in LA in 1984 was likely worth a 2:07/08 in cool conditions in Chicago or London or Berlin. He was I think 37 at the time, and ran somewhere around 27:13 as a personal best. Query what Ritz can now run for 10k. He still needs to dip reasonably well below 28 minutes. He has had a tough, last night career, and is the only one left running from the stellar high school group of Hall, Webb, and Ritz himself. Tough way to make a living - I wish him well.

Ghfhjhgnjjmhh wrote:

Prove him wrong then

Look, the village idiot has a friend.

Get off my lawn, kids. I don't argue with crazy people, proved my point, and you can move on to a different thread because you clearly don't know what you are talking about.

In this video, we see one of the most inspiring runs by an athlete, ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAqFWLDpgR4

A future Ritz/Rupp matchup in the 'Mary'-'thon' could now be even more interesting.

yeah, but... wrote:

In this video, we see one of the most inspiring runs by an athlete, ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAqFWLDpgR4

A future Ritz/Rupp matchup in the 'Mary'-'thon' could now be even more interesting.

wow that was balls out racing

"Project" why does everything need to be a "project," damn you Alan Parsons. In the UK the project is like that building that went up in flames recently, basically a state-owned housing complex.

An Extra Litre of Blood wrote:

"Project" why does everything need to be a "project," damn you Alan Parsons. In the UK the project is like that building that went up in flames recently, basically a state-owned housing complex.

That is what Projects are in the US too.

Just wow... wrote:

Buff Running Man wrote:

I think it's a shot at Wetmore..

Or a shot at Hudson? But seriously, Ritz is an awesome guy to root for, and I believe he still has the ability to at or near the very top for the U.S. in the marathon and half-marathon for another few years. Ironically(!?), he may be somewhat "preserved" due to all his injuries and reduction in running.

It's a shot at his HS Cross-Country coach. He has been running on hate since.

Fentrekker wrote:

Jack Steeple wrote:

Is this really a good move for Brooks? Hate to say it, but Nike got way more return on their investment in Symmonds than Brooks, just do a Google image search for him. Additionally, I wonder how Desi feels about her new teammate, as she has been very vocal on social media re: anti-doping.

Unlike you, I think Desi is capable of understanding the difference between ardent, complicit dopers and someone in Ritz's situation who was coerced by a bad coach to cross the line momentarily and soon thereafter distanced himself from said coach.

Wow - I mean I realize Ritz has had a big following ever since high school but still amazing the excuses that are made for someone who admitted to knowing he was likely doping but felt he didn't have any other choice if he wanted to continue to be coached by the person insisting he do it. Which just happened to coincide with the timeframe where he achieved all of his fastest times. He didn't distance himself soon after as it was more like 2-3 years. I get the nostalgia factor with him and being the last of that group still competing but I'd hope there are some up and comers that have had nothing to do with Salazar or the NOP that start getting some times that show promise and give us someone to root for. If it's just Rupp and Ritz it's just depressing.

Not if what he took and the amounts were in the allowable limits...or even very, very close to it. And Wow-Dathan set his 5000 and 10000 personal bests in 2009, 8 years ago. He wasn't on drugs and had in fact just parted was with Hudson. Yeah, Wow indeed;)

No, it isn't.

Floyd Pink wrote:

Just wow... wrote:

Or a shot at Hudson? But seriously, Ritz is an awesome guy to root for, and I believe he still has the ability to at or near the very top for the U.S. in the marathon and half-marathon for another few years. Ironically(!?), he may be somewhat "preserved" due to all his injuries and reduction in running.

It's a shot at his HS Cross-Country coach. He has been running on hate since.