Why is Ritz running New York?

I don't see a problem with the maturity part, as he is 23, not 17 years old, and hardly think he'll have career-threatening issues.

His interview though made me understand his thinking. From an experience/'feet wet' perspective, it's a great decision. The 2008 marathon trials are 17 months away, and are in NY. So now's the time, and NY's the race to learn the course. But from a physical perspective, I disagree with it somewhat like you do. He hasn't had ideal sustained training. Running a 'thon will require recovery afterwards and more downtime, which he doesn't need.

Neither option is a perfect decision, unless staying with the 10K through 2008 is viewed as best. It probably is to many.

Personally, i think too many people are hung up on the distance and wait too long. Who knows? You might be great at age 23.

What worries me about DR is his answer in the RW-online interview pertaining to Sell. He marvels at Sell's work ethic and mentions how Sell doesn't have the talent that he and others have. Thus, Sell must work harder.

Guess who'd i bet on in the last mile of a marathon?

We don't know yet that the trials will be in NYC and the course won't be the NYC Marathon course but a different one, probably a crit course. So, I think Dathan is running NYC for the same reason any elite chooses NYC over Chicago or Twins Cities, etc...more money to show up.

Alan

IF NYC gets the trials it will be run on a criterium course in Central Park, so your 'getting to know the course' thingie can not hold water.

Tom Fleming was a HS senior and came in second in NYC Marathon and I believe his 2:19:27 from '75 is the Central Park record still

wineturtle wrote:

IF NYC gets the trials it will be run on a criterium course in Central Park, so your 'getting to know the course' thingie can not hold water.

I thought Ritz said the course would be the same....but going through the RW interview again, I must've imagined reading it the 1st time.

its been said before that he will be a superlative marathoner... he lacks the raw speed needed to be able to compete at the very top levels in the 10k on the track (wasn't it Geb who said that the 10k is the perfect balance between speed and endurance?) and his greatest potential is in the marathon. the marathon is the only distance where blazing speed, while certainly nice, isn't a necessary requirement. Hendrik Ramaala doesn't have blazing footspeed, but he consistently challenges the best in the world in all the top marathons.

I think he should just be focusing on the track right right now. He's pretty good at 5000 and 10000, and he's really good in xc. I don't know why the heck he'd want to race a marathon. Look at Goucher. He's 31(?) and he's STILL running fast at the shorter distances. I'm not saying you should stay at the same distance your whole life, but I don't think Ritz should even think about the marathon until he's about 27 years old. 23 is too young for the marathon. I don't think he'll get injured any more than he's already been, but I don't think he'll be competitive at the distance for quite some time.

A negative in my mind, is I bet Ritz could've run 27:45 in his CU freshman year. I also bet he would've done better at USATF XC, then he did (though he was sick). I understand his decision, but would like to see him well-trained. At the elite level, several months of running, following 3 years of spotted downtimes, is not a good training base for an injury-prone runner at 26.2.

The serious answer to the "why" question is probably money, and the fact that it IS a good non-championship year in which to prepare and gtry a marathon. If it turns out he's not a marathoner, he's got plenty of time to switch back to the 10,000 for 2008.

He thinks he will win running 2:15 and he is content with that.

I'd be 100% in agreement with Ritz....but just don't like the downtime and training compromising he'll have afterwards ('thon recovery). He just doesn't need that.

He does not think he will run 2:15 and he would not be content with that, unless the conditions are horrid. I thought we already cleared that up.

ttc shut the f***k up dude......nobody cares your opinion.

i don't think that ritz is to young at all. the problem with american marathoners today is that they don't get into it early enough. as for the injuries, he says that they tend to happen when he gets into the speed phrase of his training. obviously the marathon doesn't have a ton of short fast intervals and he himself says that high mileage is not the cause of his injuries. actually i think that it is good that he is doing it. he will give himself 4-5 months of high mileage training with little speed work and less chance to get injured which is exactly what he needs. then he can focus on the track with a HUGE base underneath him and work on the 10,000 until 2008 when he can switch to the marathon for good. who knows, he might pull a Salazar and win it on his first try, wouldn't that be awesome

spoken like someone who has never raced a marathon