Ritz vs Webb (vs Abdi) March 15th 8k

Is Fam running?

If so I might be willing to take the Other category if the odds were good.

Ritz is the favorite after his last race. Certainly Torres will not be a problem for him. Abdi is the unknown as he hasn't raced lately (that I know of). Webb has shown he has the ability with his good 10k a couple years ago but a super fit Ritz should be able to break him.

Prediction

1) Ritz

2) Abdi

3) Other

4) Webb

5) Torres

Unbelievable race!

Great to see some head to head action in an era when it seems the norm to duck it.

Kudos to the athletes for putting it on the line.

What a bonus

Abdi sometimes struggles in colder weather. Look for Webb to hang and kick. Dathan to surge and try to burn them out.

My Distance Coach wrote:

Is Fam running?

Fam's good at early season time trials, peaking at MT.Sacs and being the next American record holder. Then he finishes out of the podium at nationals and goes away. He makes a video in there too.

Are you f****** high? There's NO WAY Webb will finish in 4th! haha. You even say he has shown the ability with a good 10K, then you pick him 4th! I can' wait til he wins this one...

My Distance Coach wrote:

Is Fam running?

If so I might be willing to take the Other category if the odds were good.

Ritz is the favorite after his last race. Certainly Torres will not be a problem for him. Abdi is the unknown as he hasn't raced lately (that I know of). Webb has shown he has the ability with his good 10k a couple years ago but a super fit Ritz should be able to break him.

Prediction

1) Ritz

2) Abdi

3) Other

4) Webb

5) Torres

I'd definitely pick Ritz in this one, unless Webb can hang with him for the first 4.75 miles, then Webb can beat him.

Yeah, it's hard not to make Ritz the favorite after his XC win. So, I'll take Webb to be in the best March shape of his life and outkick Ritz in something very close to 22 minutes.

I hope these guys don't hurt themselves.

Guess this will show how well Webb has been training. Havent heard much of him in a while, but for polls sake I'm going to have to go with the ol' Ritz. Good question about FAM, that guy is crazy!

I think the AR is going down this year!

Ritz will beat Webb. I can't believe the AR hasn't been broken since 1981.

Maybe Abdi will beat them both

Abdi

Webb

Ritz

Only reason Abdi didn't make the Olympic team is that he was injured during the trials.

Abdi is da man!

Webb will break Dathan like I snap a Ritz cracker. AR might even be broken in the process. The only reason Webb hasn't beaten Ritz more often is that they focus on different events. Webb all the way and winning in a ferocious kick over the last 200m.

straight up showdown between alan and ritz. i hope alan wins but its gonna be close. hopefully both right around 22 minutes.

I'm going with Webb, he owns Ritz.

This could be a great matchup...but the big question is what kind of training has Webb been doing - big miles or lots of speed? It seems like some winters and early springs he's in shape to run a really fast mile, whereas some years he's in 10K/XC shape. If his current training resembles his training before to the Stanford 10K, then he's going to threaten the AR. If he hasn't been doing that kind of training, then it will be a repeat of USA XC where Ritz dropped him and forced a DNF.

Either way, I give the nod to Ritz. He's a beast on the roads, he obliterated Mottram last year in NY, setting the course record and he's coming off a big XC win. Ritz wins and gets the AR.

Kele wrote:

I'm going with Webb, he owns Ritz.

This is a new Ritz. He's had the most healthy training in ages for a while now. His 811 2mile last year indicated he was really ready to run some huge prs, they just didn't happen. I thikn Webb is capable of breaking the Ar, but i thkn Ritz is capable of breaking it by even more.

Tim Culpepper for the win.