If Ritz qualifies in the 10k do you think he'll do that or the marathon?
Khalid might give him 100k to do the 10,000 :)
If Ritz qualifies in the 10k do you think he'll do that or the marathon?
Khalid might give him 100k to do the 10,000 :)
Ritz would be an idiot if he ran the 10 000.
I know he says he will focus on the 10000 if he makes it.
Given the marathon is the last event at the olympics; if he makes the 10000 team and runs well, the marathon is pure gravey. If he makes the 10000 and runs poorly, the marathon can be his redemption. Either way, I don't see him not starting the olympic marathon. I researched it and couldn't find one guy who qualified for the olympic marathon from the US and skipping the race.
realistic wrote:
Ritz would be an idiot if he ran the 10 000.
Why? He was 9th at Worlds this year, why not go for a top 5 finish at Beijing?
not a bad race wrote:
realistic wrote:Ritz would be an idiot if he ran the 10 000.
Why? He was 9th at Worlds this year, why not go for a top 5 finish at Beijing?
Because he has a lot bigger chance to become a really god marathoner, so he should focus on learning that event. He will never place in the top 5 at the 10k. Tadesse placed 4th in Osaka, and he´s in a completely different league.
yeah, he'd be an idiot; i agree. can he finish in the mid 50's in the last quarter? No. Can he take it out of the africans in the middle of the race? No. There's a lot more variables in the marathon that give him a chance to medal then in the 10k.
Mandingo wrote:
the marathon is pure gravey.
gravy
Yeah Ritz should run the marathon. We need to break this pattern of guys saying: "I know I'll never really succeed in the 10k, but I just want to bring my time down a little more before I turn to the roads." Specificity of training is where it's at. If you want to win a medal, run the marathon.
Marathoning didn't seem to hurt Radcliffe's 10k PRs.
midwesta wrote:
a chance to medal then in the 10k.
*than
The wanker can't finish in the heat!!!!
Thanks for the spelling correction! I was rushing out to get wood chips for the back yard and messed up.
I really think that given it's the last event there is every reason to run it. THe only caveat would be if for some reason he thought KK was in awesome shape and ready to ripe it up at worlds. THis is obviously a very low percentage scenario.
IT's just worth to much to be able to say "Olympic Marathoner" THat stays on your resume forever.
not a bad race wrote:
realistic wrote:Ritz would be an idiot if he ran the 10 000.
Why? He was 9th at Worlds this year, why not go for a top 5 finish at Beijing?
While 9th at Worlds certainly isn't bad, anyone who watched the race had to realize that Ritz was never even remotely competitive in Osaka. Place doesn't tell you everything! The top Africans are still simply way ahead on the track at 5000 and 10000. I don't see Ritz dropping a 53 second closing lap anytime soon! I'm not suggesting that Ritz shouldn't think about doing both events, but the logic that "he was 9th at Worlds, therefore he could be top 5 at the Olympics" doesn't hold much water.
Bump this up - this is precisely the reason.He would would need to start training on and off in Miami / Houston / Galveston, etc. - starting next week. Living and training 100% in Eugene would be an invitation to an ass kicking. Training 100% in a hot climate would not be advisable either.He can suffer for 30 min in the heat - but I don't think that he can cut it for 2+ hours.
wantarun wrote:
The wanker can't finish in the heat!!!!
I don't see Ritz dropping a 53 second closing lap anytime soon!
I don't either, but a 53-second last lap wins the race. You're right that Ritz was on the second tier of that race, the times show that, but strange things can happen in the heat.
I don't know if his 2:11 makes him any more competitive in the heat.
Best chance to medal is in the marathon, hands down! Africans dominate the track! Sit and kick races.