Rupp will be more successful. I hope that Ritz can be a player, but I think that Rupp has a bigger upside.
Rupp will be more successful. I hope that Ritz can be a player, but I think that Rupp has a bigger upside.
At the last Olympics, Rupp finished 13th, Ritz 9th in diefferent events. So internationally they are at about the same place in their respective event. Now Ritz has a better coach, but Rupp is younger. I think it all depends on the event they are racing. Who would do better at World Cross, probably Ritz. Olympic 10k, Rupp.
A lot of people have mentioned Ritz getting injured a lot. Well, he got injured a lot under Wetmore. He has been healthy now for over a year and moving to a coach that does a great job of keeping runners healthy. People say Rupp is more durable, but thats probably because he has had Salazar coaching him the whole time. The equipment and coaching now availible to a Ritz already on an injury-free streak should be great.
Ritz - Some running have big improvements when switching to a new coach. Other then Rupps body maturing and his experience in big races growing, what's going to change. He's been running like a professional for 5 years. He'll have the same coach, same training (I think I heard that he even has the high altitude tent), so what's going to be the big change in Rupp.
I hope I'm wrong and that Rupp blows the doors off now that he's a pro, but I just don't think so.
This is such an easy question to answer. Rupp will have more success in the future than Ritz. It was mentioned in an interview that Ritz will bring his focus back to the track for a while (not sure how long) and there is no way that he can develop the same type of weapons that Rupp has come to enjoy. Watch for a top 5 finish at Worlds this year for Rupp. I also think Rupp is in shape to break the American records at both 5k and 10k he just needs to decide when he will do it.
Mostly Wrong wrote:
I do believe Ritz will definitely improve and break the US record... but you are wrong in saying Ritz has barely improved since college... the only track PR of his that hasn't improved has been 10K (only 4 seconds improvement). He has run 8:11 for two full miles, 13:16 (I think) for 5K and I want to say 7:43 for 3K (someone correct me if I'm wrong). So, it's unfair to say that he has barely improved since college.
We're splitting hairs. Ritz ran 13:22 and 27:38 in college. He's since run 13:16 and 27:36. I'll give you the 3k, but I don't know how much he forcused there in college. Admittedly, he's been focused on the marathon, not the track. But I guess that's my point. In the last year, he's run 10ks in the range of 27:58-28:08 around his Olympic and London efforts. I think if he runs sub-27:30 LEADING INTO his next major marathon, he'll run faster than he has.
And, actually, I think he ran 7:43 in college too.
13:27, not 13:22. He ran the latter as a professional in 2005.
Perhaps you're right. I forget that he didn't run his entire college career before he turned pro and redshirted in there as well, so he didn't get many opportunities. He WOULD'VE been a college senior then? Nevertheless, that 13:27 was as a true frosh.
Rutz wrote:
At the last Olympics, Rupp finished 13th, Ritz 9th in diefferent events. So internationally they are at about the same place in their respective event. Now Ritz has a better coach, but Rupp is younger. I think it all depends on the event they are racing. Who would do better at World Cross, probably Ritz. Olympic 10k, Rupp.
A lot of people have mentioned Ritz getting injured a lot. Well, he got injured a lot under Wetmore. He has been healthy now for over a year and moving to a coach that does a great job of keeping runners healthy. People say Rupp is more durable, but thats probably because he has had Salazar coaching him the whole time. The equipment and coaching now availible to a Ritz already on an injury-free streak should be great.
My initial reaction was that Rupp would have a better future. On the track, I think that's a given: Ritz won't develop the speed Rupp has if he's focusing on the marathon.
But by looking at their respective events, Ritz is about as good in the marathon as Rupp is in the 10k. So I'd say Rupp will improve more because he's younger, but I also think Ritz will start being competitive with Hall in the marathon.