Breaking: Ryan Hall Retires at Age 33

How many track races did he do after 2008? He obviously never made a serious attempt at it because he enjoyed the long tempos.

Webb...done

Hall...done

Ritz...marches on.

jjjjjj wrote:

How many track races did he do after 2008? He obviously never made a serious attempt at it because he enjoyed the long tempos.

Well if you get injured every time you try fast workouts on the track then I would not expect him to race on the track.

Sad day - even though most of us figured this was coming. Ryan brought so much to this sport and had some truly electric performances. For the period he was at his peak, no US marathoner was even in the same stratosphere.

Watching him close the final mile of the Trials in New York was ethereal. It's almost like he was floating on a cloud. Truly a performance for the ages. It was unbelievable how much he had left in the tank.

In addition to what Hall did for the sport, he made a significant impact globally with his foundation and other civic work in Africa. And now adopting four girls, he's done more for the world than most people.

This is just a sad day, watching one of the all time great's have to bow out. He could have started cheating and probably continued his career - but he chose not to.

Thanks, Ryan.

ianmleavitt wrote:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/sports/ryan-hall-fastest-us-distance-runner-is-retiring.html?_r=1

#1- Sara is the head of the family;

#2- faith based training greatly sucks;

#3- the Hall's kitchen is full of pseudo drugs.

i've heard over and over again people talk about how Americans just don't know how to train for the marathon, how they just don't GO FOR IT.

well, Ryan Hall did just that; and his work payed dividends with some world class results and some of the absolute best marathoning in American history.

if he was smarter, his career might have been longer, but would he have had such incredible results?

i, for one, am glad he went for it; and i appreciate his humble and kind character. i have always been and will remain a supporter, even though i WISHED FOR MORE!

Ryan, cheers to you and your career. you, unlike so many others, chose to burn out rather than fade away, and i can respect that.

Its clearly the right thing to do. Something was off for quite a while now, and even during gaps between his glory days.

Best wishes to Ryan and his family. Ryan is an incredibly lucky husband, and so great to adopt such beautiful kids.

That article was terribly written. Ryan was not the fastest American distance runner in history. He ran the single fastest marathon by an American and he was clearly a big part of the American resurgence after 2000. His legendary performances will always be remembered.

Hall always made American marathoning more interesting. I'll miss him being a part of it.

imarunr wrote:

Guess I shouldn't be surprised, but WOW nonetheless. Sad that he never seemed to full realize his potential, after his half-marathon AR and "aided" 2:04:xx marathon at Boston.

Best of luck to him (and his wife) in all future endeavors!

He did reach his potential. Those races were it. You have to enjoy every success because you never know when that last race will end up being your best.

3 impressions wrote:

ianmleavitt wrote:http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/sports/ryan-hall-fastest-us-distance-runner-is-retiring.html?_r=1

#1- Sara is the head of the family;

#2- faith based training greatly sucks;

#3- the Hall's kitchen is full of pseudo drugs.

Why wasn't the dog praying? Is that because all dogs know they are going to heaven, no matter what, or is their dog an atheist?

Yes! That would be awesome. I plan to be there to spectate the race, all sports do some sort of farewell for their greats. Get the word out Letsrun higher ups, you guys have the connections to get it done.

Before I pay my respects:

1) A 5k race is not the same as a 5000m race. A 5k race is run in XC or on the roads. A 5000m race is run on the track. Obviously, 5 km is equal to 5000 m. That is not the point though. Most runners are 100% aware of this difference and do not refer to track races using the "k" terminology.

2) Hall is not even remotely close to being the American GOAT. It is irrelevant that his PR is faster than Shorter's, Rodger's, Salazar's, etc. Greatness is relative and should be measured by how well someone stacks up against their competition. Otherwise, any NCAA D1 kid could argue that they are "greater" than Paavo Nurmi. Give me a break.

Okay, now that those things are out of the way:

Congrats to Hall on a magnificent career. He was a pure joy to watch when he was healthy and he helped to elevate the level of American marathoning. Thank you, Ryan.

Uused wrote:

Unlike the other two, has Ritz ever won a major race? If not, maybe he should have burned the candle a bit hotter.

What major race did Hall or Webb win? Ritz made 3 Olympic teams with a legitimate shot for a 4th. He has a bronze from world junior XC and bronze from world half. Plus he probably made Bekele shit his pants when he saw a white boy catching him at the end of that 5k in Zurich.

demethedream wrote:

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/ryan-hall-americas-fastest-marathoner-retires-at-33?cid=soc_Running%20Times%20Magazine%20-%20RunningTimesMagazine_FBPAGE_Runner%E2%80%99s%20World__EliteRacing

Could not steal your thunder and start another thread. RunnersWorld also posted.

Sounds like it was really bad if he couldnt run 12 miles a WEEK. You almost wonder if he meant 12 a day.

I dont know his story that well, but I thought folks said he had a TUE for this stuff way back when in 07-08? Makes you wonder if he just got treated if that would be the key.

Regardless of where you stand with Ryan he did a lot to advance US distance running. Hell enjoy being a father and watching his wife continue to train at a high level. If he is coaching her it makes you wonder if maybe he will form a small training group eventually.

If he got a TUE for it, he WAS treated. That is what a TUE is. Also, that was the KEY, Testosterone is why he was running 59:43 and 2:06 in that time frame. Use your head.

I guess I've been asleep, but what the heck are the Halls doing in Redding, CA? I have been through Redding several times usually just for a gas and maybe food stop when going up to Shasta or Oregon from Sacramento, but I've seen some of the strangest messed up people young and old around there. Not exactly the type of place I would expect a couple Stanford grads to reside and NOT the kind of place that I expect a comfortable life for 4 Ethiopian girls to transition to the US. Quite honestly I'm a little afraid for their safety, that is some serious redneck area.

Hall should try Prozac like Salazar and maybe he'll come back from this!

162430 wrote:

Before I pay my respects:

1) A 5k race is not the same as a 5000m race. A 5k race is run in XC or on the roads. A 5000m race is run on the track. Obviously, 5 km is equal to 5000 m. That is not the point though. Most runners are 100% aware of this difference and do not refer to track races using the "k" terminology.

This is not a standard that is widely known or followed. It is something made up by a few people made up by people like you so that you can correct the "uninformed." It is not a big deal to call a track 5000m and 5k. People in the sport harp on stupid crap like this and then wonder why the ordinary person can't relate to elite running.

162430 wrote:

... Obviously, 5 km is equal to 5000 m. That is not the point though. Most runners are 100% aware of this difference and do not refer to track races using the "k" terminology...

Translation: I bask in the snobbery demanding worship at the alter of inside irrelevancies.

Dang, some runners REALLY go out of their way to make the "runners are basically d-bags" stereotype true.

Pointing Out the Obvious wrote:

162430 wrote:

... Obviously, 5 km is equal to 5000 m. That is not the point though. Most runners are 100% aware of this difference and do not refer to track races using the "k" terminology...

Translation: I bask in the snobbery demanding worship at the alter of inside irrelevancies.

Dang, some runners REALLY go out of their way to make the "runners are basically d-bags" stereotype true.

+1

Stop making all competitive runners look like jerks. The rest of us want outsiders to appreciate the sport.