What will Ritz do now?

Finals

1 Galen Rupp Oregon 27:52.53

2 Dathan Ritzenhein Nike 27:58.59

3 Tim Nelson Oregon TC Elite 28:01.34

I see it going down like the 2009 WC trails race. Ritz took the pace after a slow first 2 miles and dropped everyone but Rupp who just sat on him and then outkicked him by 6 seconds in the last lap. There are a few more players now but they all think they can win in a kick so it's a question of: will Rupp help with the pace? or if Ritz can repeat 2009....just 15 seconds faster?

did the vapor of a steaming hot synthetic track make ritz sick? merga?.

i would not want to breathe that shit.

ritz is still in 13:1x and 27.3x shape.

which could go down to 13.0x and 27.0x come OG.

@running_comment wrote:

Given what we witnessed at last year's WC "trials" joke 10,000 - NOBODY.

All of the second-tier guys will dutifully follow as Rupp runs his half marathon pace for 8000 and then romps on them for 2000.

It was slower than his half marathon pace.

I was in Hengelo, before the race the track was sprayed with water in order to cool it down. Negative side effect was that, when the sun returned, the water got steamy.

In less warm conditions Ritzenhein would really have a shot at the A-standard last sunday. Trailing the Ethiopian pack, he was flying. In the second half of the race, when the pacemakers dropped out, he didn't loose any terrain on the leaders.

With Rupp in the trials race, Ritzenhein definitely can crack the A-standard. For Rupp a slower race won't be any good, because this is one of the few races where he can 'practice' the Olympic final. That is running fast and kick in the last part of the race. Why not pace your teammate through 8k or so and than race.

But AlSal will figure that out too.

I think they go out at 14 flat... maybe 14:10. At that pace, most of the field will be in the race. Then they will grind the last 5k. Ritz will need to come back with a 13:35-13:45, which he should be able to do. Rupp can effectively jog a 5k and then run hard for the last 2k for the win and still be fresh for the 5k. Will simulate the Olympics too (easy 5k followed by a harder 5k).

A 13:35-13:45 last 5k for Ritz will drop everyone but Curtis, Derrick and Nelson (if he's fit... haven't seen anything from him).

Ritz has to like his chances of being 1 of the remaining 2 while also being confident that he can negative split his way to the standard as long as he doesn't go out slower then 14:10.

At 14:10 pace, I doubt Rupp will have a problem helping Dathan out. Then it will be up to Ritz to hammer the last 5k. He'll likely still have Rupp ahead of him anyway.

Does Ritz really need the A Standard? The B should work just fine.

He needs the "A"--period. And if Ritz does run the 10, I'd look for the pace to be no slower than 13:50-55. Indeed, he might have help in pushing the pace, and not just from Rupp. On his Twitter page, Curtis mentioned not wanting to be in a kickers race, and Braun, Vail, and Bauhs are, like Ritz, just outside of the "A" standard and might help the race as well.

sooooothsayer wrote:

Does Ritz really need the A Standard? The B should work just fine.

But if Ritz finishes, say, 3rd behind Rupp and Teg (who both have the A), Ritz gets to go since he has the B (doesn't matter if he has A or B as long as he is in the top 3 and the others in the top 3 have the A).

It's been discussed at length in multiple threads, and I'm pretty sure this is not the case.

NO!!!!!!! The next finisher with the "A" makes the team.

sooooothsayer wrote:

But if Ritz finishes, say, 3rd behind Rupp and Teg (who both have the A), Ritz gets to go since he has the B (doesn't matter if he has A or B as long as he is in the top 3 and the others in the top 3 have the A).

sooooothsayer wrote:

But if Ritz finishes, say, 3rd behind Rupp and Teg (who both have the A), Ritz gets to go since he has the B (doesn't matter if he has A or B as long as he is in the top 3 and the others in the top 3 have the A).

This is only true for the World Chmampionships (which are governed by the IAAF). In the Olympics, which are governed by the IOC, you can send either A, AA, AAA, or B. There is no AB or AAB allowed.

Ritz needs the A-standard. He and a couple other guys will make sure the race goes out somewhere in the 13:50s. Rupp will take the lead somewhere between 6,000m and 8,000m and drop the field, and Ritz and the rest will be left to duke it out for the last two spots. My picks for those two spots: Rupp, Ritz, and either Bobby Curtis, Chris Derrick, or Ben True.

I predict Teg nails Ritz from behind.

What will Ritz do?

He will go to the Trials and set an A standard pace in the 10,000 if no one else does. But likely it will be him pushing it. He can't hope others will help or rely on others in any kind of a plan.

Then battle for top 3.

If he falls short of making the team he will come back and try for the 5,000.

I highly doubt he will skip the 10,000 to focus on the 5,000.

I can't believe Vaughn is getting mentioned more, as he's one of only six or seven who have the A, and when he ran that a few weeks ago he hadn't even begun workouts (from what I understand). I hear he's getting fit! We'll see in three weeks.

For Ritz to not have the A-Standard now, is on Salazar. It's a large time window to get it, incl. in case he missed the 26.2 team. Whether not making the 26.2 team, being injured or missing the standard- it's on Salazar.

ttc wrote:

For Ritz to not have the A-Standard now, is on Salazar. It's a large time window to get it, incl. in case he missed the 26.2 team. Whether not making the 26.2 team, being injured or missing the standard- it's on Salazar.

Obviously. It is well known that he is the most underperforming marathon coach in the US, but failing to get Ritz under the A before trials really is pretty bad. I'd say it's a surprise from a guy who only ruins some of the already excellent 5/10 runners he recruits.

Face it, Salazarians, you can say this is no big deal, but if Ritz and Al didn't think it was important to come to trials with the A, he wouldn't have travelled to Hengelo to target it. Goal missed.

I think that Ritz is good for much faster in better weather, but now he's going to have to make the team the hard way: soloing the A pace alone from the start. We know Rupp well enough to know he won't take one step in the lead until after 8000 (at least).

ritz's greed has ruined his career and got him in a situation he should had never been in the first place.

First of all, Ritz should had said the hell with the marathon for awhile after london 09. After that 12:56, he should had spent the last couple years fine tuning his speed, like rupp has. its been since 2005 for christs sake since Ritz even ran world xc. But anyway, Ritz let the greed and glory of the marathon get to him and ruin times he should already have in his belt. Bob Kennedy, stuck with his guns and never left the track, and thats why he was the shit!

Here were Alsal/ritz messed up this year....once he failed to qualify for the maratthon trials, TWO MONTHS Later...ritz is running a half marathon in NY? why? no good would come of that bc. it was so close from the marathon and no olympic half event....MONEY....

Then ritz and goes a stupid 10k at stanford against college kids in spikes? why? he knew he wasnt getting no A standard that night. He should had ran the 5k at Stanford as a rust buster/tune up, get the A IN THE 10K at Payton Jordan, run the 1500 at Oxy, go to Pre 5k ass rape it...and make the team w in 10k...but oh no GREEED, and MONEY got the best of ole ritz in terms of neglecting years of speed work and now we/he are sweating bullets wondering if he will even make it to london.

Can we call his moving to 26.2 as greed? I thought he was destined to be great. Heck, he was 9th @ the '08 Games. Another note- I will be DISAPPOINTED if the 10K trials field doesn't go in A-Standard pace. In my book, that'll make them certified (competition time) wimps.

Ritz ran a great race in Beijing, no doubt about it...but can you really say it was better than a 12:56 5k? an 8:11 2mile? 27:22 10k?

fact is ritz ran some really fast times at shorter stuff...and once he saw he didnt have the fuel tank just yet for the marathon...he should had cashed in on his youth/speed and kept trying to develop it, instead....he let the world, mary wittenberg, and money tellhim he was a marathoner.