2009 World Half Marathon Championships!

Nice race (and national record) for Kim Smith!

tjefjeig wrote:

This is epic.

Know how I know you're 13?

pert wrote:

1 second between 2nd and 6th place, that is tight for a 1/2 Marathon. Hey Ritz at least medals and wins $10K.

After being stuck in an elevator for an hour they should have given him 59:59.99

It is h:mm:ss - those guys were within a minute, not a second.

tjefjeig wrote:

4.00 mile coming this indoor season.

This is pretty funny. He just ran 60 flat for a bronze medal, was 6th at WC's on the track and ran a 12:56 AR but someone is getting excited about him potentially running a time that may barely qualify him for a USATF Trials.

Maybe he'll even break 50s for the 400!

Belgian Waffle wrote:

Are you saying that Ritz can beat Hall in a marathon right now?

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.

X-Runner wrote:

tjefjeig wrote:

4.00 mile coming this indoor season.

This is pretty funny. He just ran 60 flat for a bronze medal, was 6th at WC's on the track and ran a 12:56 AR but someone is getting excited about him potentially running a time that may barely qualify him for a USATF Trials.

Maybe he'll even break 50s for the 400!

God knows wrote:

Thanks to Salazar Kenyanizing Ritz. You have to be Kenyan to run with Kenyans. Means also you have to be black. With D. Ritz's performance, no American or non-Kenyan/thiopians should have excuse why they are not good... It is all in the mind. Great, impressive performance by Ritz...GO RITZ! GO RITZ!

I thought Stefano Baldini proved that with Oly Gold and a few high finishes at majors and dos Santos proved this with wins at New York. Does stuff only count if an American proves them?

Does stuff only count if an American proves them?

USA All-time half marathon list

59:43 ( 1) Ryan Hall (CA) 14 Jan 2007 Houston TX USA

1:00:00 ( 3) Dathan Ritzenhein (OR) 11 Oct 2009 Birmingham ENG

1:00:55 ( 1) Mark Curp (MO) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:00 ( 1) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (CA) 04 Oct 2009 San Jose CA USA

1:01:07 ( 2) Abdihakim Abdirahman (AZ) 17 Sep 2006 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:17 ( 1) Khalid Khannouchi (NY) 17 Sep 2000 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:30 ( 2) Keith Brantly (FL) 19 Sep 1993 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:32 ( 1) Paul Cummings (UT) 25 Sep 1983 Dayton OH USA

1:01:43 ( 2) George Malley (MA) 19 Sep 1982 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:47 ( 1) Herb Lindsay (MI) 20 Sep 1981 Manchester VT USA

1:01:47 ( 4) Bill Reifsnyder (NM) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

11

1:01:47 ( 5) Jon Sinclair (CO) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:52 ( 1) Todd Williams (MI) 07 Dec 1991 Orlando FL USA

1:01:57 ( 2) Bruce Bickford (MA) 14 Sep 1986 Philadelphia PA USA

malmo wrote:

USA All-time half marathon list

59:43 ( 1) Ryan Hall (CA) 14 Jan 2007 Houston TX USA

1:00:00 ( 3) Dathan Ritzenhein (OR) 11 Oct 2009 Birmingham ENG

1:00:55 ( 1) Mark Curp (MO) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:00 ( 1) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (CA) 04 Oct 2009 San Jose CA USA

1:01:07 ( 2) Abdihakim Abdirahman (AZ) 17 Sep 2006 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:17 ( 1) Khalid Khannouchi (NY) 17 Sep 2000 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:30 ( 2) Keith Brantly (FL) 19 Sep 1993 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:32 ( 1) Paul Cummings (UT) 25 Sep 1983 Dayton OH USA

1:01:43 ( 2) George Malley (MA) 19 Sep 1982 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:47 ( 1) Herb Lindsay (MI) 20 Sep 1981 Manchester VT USA

1:01:47 ( 4) Bill Reifsnyder (NM) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

11

1:01:47 ( 5) Jon Sinclair (CO) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:52 ( 1) Todd Williams (MI) 07 Dec 1991 Orlando FL USA

1:01:57 ( 2) Bruce Bickford (MA) 14 Sep 1986 Philadelphia PA USA

Malmo, could you list the top 20 Americans?

Didn't Abdi run 60:29 in NYC against Geb? Is there something defective about the course?

malmo wrote:

USA All-time half marathon list

59:43 ( 1) Ryan Hall (CA) 14 Jan 2007 Houston TX USA

1:00:00 ( 3) Dathan Ritzenhein (OR) 11 Oct 2009 Birmingham ENG

1:00:55 ( 1) Mark Curp (MO) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:00 ( 1) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (CA) 04 Oct 2009 San Jose CA USA

1:01:07 ( 2) Abdihakim Abdirahman (AZ) 17 Sep 2006 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:17 ( 1) Khalid Khannouchi (NY) 17 Sep 2000 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:30 ( 2) Keith Brantly (FL) 19 Sep 1993 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:32 ( 1) Paul Cummings (UT) 25 Sep 1983 Dayton OH USA

1:01:43 ( 2) George Malley (MA) 19 Sep 1982 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:47 ( 1) Herb Lindsay (MI) 20 Sep 1981 Manchester VT USA

1:01:47 ( 4) Bill Reifsnyder (NM) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

11

1:01:47 ( 5) Jon Sinclair (CO) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:52 ( 1) Todd Williams (MI) 07 Dec 1991 Orlando FL USA

1:01:57 ( 2) Bruce Bickford (MA) 14 Sep 1986 Philadelphia PA USA

Great run by Ritz today.

My only comment is that watching the course it looked to have way too many twists and turns on it.

In the early miles you could see many many runners cutting the corners and running up on the sidewalks, rather than staying on the street (as you would drive).

In general I consider a 90 turn to cost about 1 second of time.

There looked to be a hill or two in there as well.

IMO this was a superior PERFORMANCE than Hall's Houston, and the BEST half marathon ever run by an American.

ritz and hall are pretty close over a marathon right now. Remember, Ritz beat Hall in Beijing. Then again, Tadesse had a bad debut marathon in london so the half isn\'t always the guarantee of a great marathon. I think Ritz should leave the marathon for a year or so and focus on setting the world on fire in all other events.........world x-country next?

Montesquieu wrote:

Didn't Abdi run 60:29 in NYC against Geb? Is there something defective about the course?[quote]malmo wrote:

Duh.

VIPAM wrote:

MEN

25:00

pack of 9: five Kenyans, Ritz, one Ethiopian, Tedese and one of his countrymen.

WOMEN

Keitany passes 15km faster 8 seconds faster than the offical 15km WR and still looks smooth.

Thanks much for posting all the updates and the thread.

I'm just reading the race reports now.

need more wrote:

Malmo, could you list the top 20 Americans?

Sure.

USA All-time half marathon list

59:43 ( 1) Ryan Hall (CA) 14 Jan 2007 Houston TX USA

1:00:00 ( 3) Dathan Ritzenhein (OR) 11 Oct 2009 Birmingham ENG

1:00:55 ( 1) Mark Curp (MO) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:00 ( 1) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (CA) 04 Oct 2009 San Jose CA USA

1:01:07 ( 2) Abdihakim Abdirahman (AZ) 17 Sep 2006 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:17 ( 1) Khalid Khannouchi (NY) 17 Sep 2000 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:30 ( 2) Keith Brantly (FL) 19 Sep 1993 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:32 ( 1) Paul Cummings (UT) 25 Sep 1983 Dayton OH USA

1:01:43 ( 2) George Malley (OR) 19 Sep 1982 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:47 ( 1) Herb Lindsay (MI) 20 Sep 1981 Manchester VT USA

1:01:47 ( 4) Bill Reifsnyder (NM) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

11

1:01:47 ( 5) Jon Sinclair (CO) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

1:01:52 ( 1) Todd Williams (MI) 07 Dec 1991 Orlando FL USA

1:01:57 ( 2) Bruce Bickford (MA) 14 Sep 1986 Philadelphia PA USA

1:02:00 ( 1) David Morris (IL) 14 Mar 1999 Yamaguchi JPN

1:02:06 ( 1) Eric Polonski (TX) 19 Jan 1997 Carlsbad CA USA

1:02:07 ( 1) Martyn Brewer (KY) 20 Sep 1987 Philadelphia PA USA

1:02:09 ( 2) Steven Spence (PA) 16 Sep 1990 Philadelphia PA USA

1:02:09 ( 3) Brett Gotcher (AZ) 18 Jan 2009 Houston TX USA

1:02:14 ( 2) Kirk Pfeffer (CO) 20 Sep 1981 Philadelphia PA USA

1:02:14 ( 1) Dean Matthews (FL) 16 Sep 1984 Philadelphia PA USA

1:02:14 ( 6) Phil Coppess (IA) 15 Sep 1985 Philadelphia PA USA

22

on the runs wrote:

pert wrote:

1 second between 2nd and 6th place, that is tight for a 1/2 Marathon. Hey Ritz at least medals and wins $10K.

After being stuck in an elevator for an hour they should have given him 59:59.99

They did, probably better than that but, as you know, IAAF rules stipulate that any fractions of a second are rounded up to the next full second in road racing. He could have run 59:59.01 and it would officially be 1:00:00.

Very nice runs by Tadese, Kiprop and Ritz.

Ritz would have broken 60 had he pushed past Kiprop for 2nd.

J.R. wrote:

Ritz would have broken 60 had he pushed past Kiprop for 2nd.

My, you're a bright bulb aren't you?