not an irrelevant stat at all. ritz is a lot like salazar and does better as he moves up. and ritz has 3 or 4 10,000s faster than salazar's when he ran 2:09. wouldn't surprise me if ritz did run faster than salazar's 2:09 debut time. his 10,000 is also comparable to to culpepper's who also debuted in 2:09.
and abdi could go 2:07-2:08 on that course with ideal conditions and pacing.
I hope you are not suggesting that Ritz has proven himself to be even remotely as mentally tough as Salazar. Its Salazar's mental toughness that made him so good in the marathon. Also remember that Bob Kennedy had way better 5k and 10k PR then Ritz and wasn't able to make the transition.
There is alot of question marks in my mind about Ritz and the marathon. Its a long race and alot of pounding and Ritz hasn't proven to be the most durable guy around, regardless of what Hudson says.
I'd like to see the kid do well but the comparisons to Salazar are premature.