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

You mean that you agree with most people, right?

Team racing works for colleges. Post collegiate is different but its advantage is that it last longer—you can start for a club at age 22 and be going strong 20 years or more later. College is only about 4 years. There is a big population potential. What would it take to give this notion of post-collegiate running a serious test?

Colleges are big, endowed businesses, but so are cities and towns.

Tom

I interpret Ritz going to Brooks as an admission that his running career is effectively over. Other than Desiree Linden, does Brooks have anybody capable of making an Olympic or World team? Maybe Katie Mackey? You are what you surround yourself with. So to me, this is just Ritz mailing it in, trying to collect a few more paychecks before he hangs up the shoes. I want to be wrong, but I'm just not seeing the results from the Hansons.

Derderian wrote:

Team racing works for colleges. Post collegiate is different but its advantage is that it last longer—you can start for a club at age 22 and be going strong 20 years or more later. College is only about 4 years. There is a big population potential. What would it take to give this notion of post-collegiate running a serious test?

Colleges are big, endowed businesses, but so are cities and towns.

Tom

You would need some constraints so that it is actually a team running not just 7 guys who wear the same uniform. That is part of what makes HS running unqiue, less so with college (recruiting) and even less with pros (could hve 7 guys who don't know who else is on the team). HS and College also have a progression (you see people join and grow) while "pro"/club running results in random changes as people switch teams. Club running also sucks in that teams are rarely remotely close in ability.

Maybe distance constraints (all athletes have to live within 50 miles of each other) would help but that would end up excluding a bunch of people.

pessimist wrote:

I interpret Ritz going to Brooks as an admission that his running career is effectively over. Other than Desiree Linden, does Brooks have anybody capable of making an Olympic or World team? Maybe Katie Mackey? You are what you surround yourself with. So to me, this is just Ritz mailing it in, trying to collect a few more paychecks before he hangs up the shoes. I want to be wrong, but I'm just not seeing the results from the Hansons.

Hanson's Bobby Curtis is the number one seed on the World Champ's Marathon Team.

Fentrekker wrote:

Slowestmo wrote:

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

Brooks.

Oiselle

I thought the same thing when Meb went to Skechers and he proved me wrong and Brooks makes a legit product so I think Ritz will be fine in that regard. Brooks has also done well with their athletes considering their limited budget. Sell, Amy Hastings and Desi (twice) were all Olympians while wearing Brooks.

A bunch of pessimists is right! Dear Lord, the poor guy can't win! He's trying his best. He broke free from Nike. He's only 34+ years old. He's raced well as of late, but that's not enough for a lot of you guys. If he had taken 5th in that road 10k, you'd have said "see". He wins the thing with a very solid effort and now he's "mailing it in". He was in Oakland County yesterday at an un-named PT location. I almost asked him "you don't read Letsrun do you?", but I'm glad I didn't as I know he's smarter. I no longer have to wonder why guys like Rodgers, Meyers, etc...don't post here anymore (someone claimed that they on a thread last Fall). As for those talking about grey hair, who cares! Genes are genes, whether you lose it or it turns grey sooner, who cares! He's a tough cookie and so many of you guys don't realize that, what a shame!

pessimist wrote:

I interpret Ritz going to Brooks as an admission that his running career is effectively over. Other than Desiree Linden, does Brooks have anybody capable of making an Olympic or World team? Maybe Katie Mackey? You are what you surround yourself with. So to me, this is just Ritz mailing it in, trying to collect a few more paychecks before he hangs up the shoes. I want to be wrong, but I'm just not seeing the results from the Hansons.

Still sub-27:30 shape in my book. Marathon PR in the offing.

balls out wrote:

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

Curtis is moving on after the WC.

rojo wrote:

I love the grey hair. A smart move financially.

Anyone know if the Hanson's still has the $100,000 guarantee in income for anyone who is sub-2:11 or sub 28.00.

http://www.letsrun.com/2007/hanson1007.php

That is a hot man with gray hair.

Here's a suggestion: look at a map of Michigan. Ritz is not moving from the Grand Rapids area; and the Hanson-Brooks team trains near Detroit. One is on the west side of the state, and the other on the east side. Some 160 miles in distance. He is not driving to train with any team. Perhaps on occasion he'll join up with them--maybe to get some training in in Florida during the winter at the beginning of a Boston buildup--but those occasions will not be frequent. And last year he ran 60:12 for the half. Scarcely seems like a career that's "effectively over."

pessimist wrote:

I interpret Ritz going to Brooks as an admission that his running career is effectively over. Other than Desiree Linden, does Brooks have anybody capable of making an Olympic or World team? Maybe Katie Mackey? You are what you surround yourself with. So to me, this is just Ritz mailing it in, trying to collect a few more paychecks before he hangs up the shoes. I want to be wrong, but I'm just not seeing the results from the Hansons.

Brooks! Where past their prime runners can run into the sunset........

Repeat much? 2 other posters just said that, so it wasn't your suggestion.

Well, how many Nike shills keep repeating the same dribble that Monty responded to?

Not the same guy, but my response is to you, I honestly don't know, please point them out to me as I don't see any Nike Shills anywhere on this thread. Trolls saying that he won't do well is not necessarily a shill.

yeah, but... wrote:

Well, how many Nike shills keep repeating the same dribble that Monty responded to?

"Trolls...not necessarily a shill", but might as well be, eh?

Why else would anyone want to root against the guy is beyond me.

Simple, they are jealous. Trust me, I live here, Dathan is NOT even close to being done. He's running VERY well, so I would not count him out of doing anything special in the near future. He's that talented and has that much drive to win.

yeah, but... wrote:

"Trolls...not necessarily a shill", but might as well be, eh?

Why else would anyone want to root against the guy is beyond me.

not so sure about that. I wonder how much of Ritz will be self coached etc. He certainly wont be moving to Rochester to live in a house with 4 other guys. He is deep rooted guy in western Michigan. A lot of this could be wearing the singlet and maybe pricking up a few bucks from Brooks. I can't see it being anything like the Nike deal. Maybe he runs / trains alone and he picks up 40 K a year running with the singlet. Not sure but probably a good guess