I don't think he would have this year at least.
I don't think he would have this year at least.
Yes, of course he would. Wetmore knows how to peak him for a big race, it's BJ who doesn't.
While Bairu's wins have seemed dominating, and it seemed that Ritz had to struggle to beat hall in the final stretch, Ritz would find a way to win. Bairu is great at XC. Ritz is one step ahead in XC and could dominate him on the track. Ritz, uninjured, is ready to make the jump to world beater in XC.
Are you kidding?!?!?!?!?!?!
Ritz would DESTROY bairu. Wouldn't even be close. Even if Bairu somehow managed to stay with Ritz until the last 6k, he wouldn't be able to outsprint him.
If Ritz ran.. it would have been like Foot Locker nationals Ritz's senior year (this is what would've happened last year). Ritz would have beaten him even worse this year.
It wouldn't even be funny. Ritz is so much better than Bairu.
but thats the thing, ritz wont get over his injury problems because it takes hard high mileage to be a world beater and it seems that ritz cant sustain that for a long period of time. which probably means that it will be frustrating for him and for us to watch him go to really really good, then to get injured again and again.
theoretically if i had a lot more talent i would be able to make the jump to world beater in xc
The only reason Ritz "struggled" to beat Hall was because Ritz had been running for about 6 weeks prior to competition. If the race was a week later Ritz would have won by 10 seconds.
If if if...let's see what the kids do in the next few years. We all expect Ritz to be the 10k world champ or something by now. He's almost 23. That's it. That's not old, guys. Not even in the running community.
Ritz probably wass hanging with the Ziegles every night and didn't have his legs. He probably would have run 27:55 for 10K CC because all you idiots say he is GOD !!
Stupid bastards.
ritz is so much better than bairu? um, i don't really know where you come up with that... face it, if bairu was white we we'd all be hailing him as the second coming of jesus.
bairu has 2 titles. ritz has one.
don't pretend the level of competition was so much higher when ritz won. ritz was barely the class of the field at his best. ritz might be slightly better but he is hardly out of bairu's league, especially in x-c.
not exactly. Ya know other white people have won before and they don't get the attention rtiz does. Jorge is hispanic but still native born nonetheless and dathan still seems to get most of the attention. Ritz is a bit more special than your annual NCAA winner.
but thats the thing wrote:
but thats the thing, ritz wont get over his injury problems because it takes hard high mileage to be a world beater and it seems that ritz cant sustain that for a long period of time. which probably means that it will be frustrating for him and for us to watch him go to really really good, then to get injured again and again.
theoretically if i had a lot more talent i would be able to make the jump to world beater in xc
no it doesnt take hard high mileage. Seb Coe never ran more than 55mpw.
considering a 13:13 guy got 9th this year, id say the field was pretty tough.
ritz was healthy for less than 2 months and beat a guy who went on to run something around 13:20. Bairu has dominated 13:30-13:40 guys but hall would be a strong challenge for bairu. last year when bairu was racing collegiate guys ritz was racing the 5 time euro cc champ and olympic marathon gold medalist. Ritz is out of bairu's league at this point.
wut wrote:
but thats the thing wrote:but thats the thing, ritz wont get over his injury problems because it takes hard high mileage to be a world beater and it seems that ritz cant sustain that for a long period of time. which probably means that it will be frustrating for him and for us to watch him go to really really good, then to get injured again and again.
theoretically if i had a lot more talent i would be able to make the jump to world beater in xc
no it doesnt take hard high mileage. Seb Coe never ran more than 55mpw.
Seb Coe was also an 800m/1500m runner. Ritz is a 10k/XC/possibly marathon runner. There's a big difference.
Bairu outkicked Morrison at Canadian Champs last week.
Ritz beat Morrison EASILY at Nationals when they both ran.
BIG EDGE to Ritz, and Bairu is a straight-up stud.
Seb Coe ran 100 mpw in base phases. The 55 mpw were what he called quality miles. All his warm ups and cool downs and easy runs weren't counted in this total. I know there was a post a few months back about someone who had talked personally with Seb abot this. It takes mileage.
dean moriarty wrote:
Bairu outkicked Morrison at Canadian Champs last week.
Ritz beat Morrison EASILY at Nationals when they both ran.
BIG EDGE to Ritz, and Bairu is a straight-up stud.
Sure, but this may be more complex.
1. Paul Morrison was an All-American at Princeton as either a freshman or sophomore (I can't remember) and had about 35 years of medical redshirts (exaggeration). He eventually finished his running career at Texas (as a grad student, I think), where he was continually on the mend and up-and-up from his down days while injured at Princeton. So I don't know what his actual fitness was like at Texas. It was definitely good, but it may not have been his best by any comparison.
2. Bairu won NCAAs two weeks ago and took a team win, too. He might have raced his big x-c race for a while and, knowing he could beat Morrison, have held back and finished him off at the end expending less energy.
3. It might as well have come down to a kick--who besides Morrison was he actually racing?
these are the results:
http://www.bcathletics.org/results/2005/cdnxc/srmen.htm
Beninger I'm sure you guys all know, McKenzie is like a 13:36? 5k guy, , Coolsaet is 13:23 5k, Kerr is a former hog and I've seen him go 7:56 for 3k. My point being that it wasn't a bunch of slouches that bairu beat for the win. Morrison was something like 17th at worlds for short course 2 years ago but was injured last year.
About a year ago, Bairu won NCAA's in what was deemed to be a big upset. One month ago half the people on this board were saying Bairu would barely finish top ten at NCAA's, and then he goes on to win the thing. Now you're saying it would be no contest against Ritz. Where's the respect? Everyone's been underrating Bairu for over a year, it's time the TWO-TIME NCAA Cross Country CHAMPION got some respect.