Brojos say it is a fair question: Is Ritz on drugs?

google.com

pretty simple: Trafeh quotes khannouchi as his model and the latter is suspect from his best era, many Moroccan distance runners have tested positive over the years, and Ritz was allowed by Salazar to finally hit the hard intervals that Hudson understandably kept him from doing, on concerns of injuries, which have struck again.

Nevertheless, Trafeh ran a couple of outstanding races at the right age and until there is any proof of anything, we should just praise him for the great times and watch and see what he can do at the marathon now. That time put him very high on the American lists (3rd?).

is trafeh not morrocan born? right there hes got double the talent of ritz just by being african

It's Symmonds name that comes up 1st in any conversation on the subject. Not Ritz or Trafeh although maybe.

Ritz' progression:

Bob Kennedy's Progression:

Bekele's Progression:

Daniel Komen's Progression:

But, now, Tim Montgomery's progression:

Interesting coincidence, don't you think? People here may want to suspect Ethiopians (I do suspect Komen) but none of the others (not convicted of drug use) had an extended period of plateauing, followed by an "amazing" jump in performance.

One can make the case (and I have, in the past) that Ritz performance can be at least partially explained by the speed training Salazar brought to Ritz. But to ignore the Nike/Salazar/Athletics West connection would make you a moron.

Marion Jones also was in tears after she won gold.

I haven't read the entire thread, but this one hops the track right away with the suggestion that Cabada is as talented as Ritz. There's absolutely nothing whatsoever to suggest that is true.

Ritz probably now has the benefit of access to an altitude chamber. The maximum benefit from these things appears to occur when they are set to simulate 14k-15k feet and used for 12 hours or more per day. There seems to be a big spike in erythropoietin production once these parameters are reached vis-a-vis lower altitude settings or shorter durations that most people use when they merely spend 7-9 hours a night sleeping in a hypoxic tent. Performances also tend to improve by an average of one second per lap in the longer track distances using this protocol, even among already highly-accomplished runners who are new to this type of use of a hypoxic chamber. All indications are that this is safe and allows the body to produce its own hormone in response to a controlled stimulus rather than simply injecting the hormone at the risk of bypassing some natural protective mechanism.

Use of thyroid hormone and prednisone, however, constitutes at best a gray area. Some people think pre-existing conditions may warrant their use. Others may disagree or claim the "pre-existing condition" diagnoses are bogus cover stories to justify use of the drugs. That's why it's a gray area.

Ritz' 13:16 to 12:56 doesn't seem improbable--it's an improvement of 1.6 seconds per lap.

Is Ritz using? i have no idea--i'm suspicious of everyone nowadays though. But it is quite possible to run fast and not be using, and Ritz has been a world class runner since high school, so my answer to your question is no.

Remember, Ritz put all his efforts into the Marathon for 2-3 years, at the exclusion of fast track races. The reason you don't see a "progression" from 13:16 to 12:56 is because he didn't have it as a priority during that time. Then, he used all of that 2-3 years training and concentrated it on the 5K. Not surprising to me.

I tend to agree that this artificial living at higher elevation for hours at a time, the access to alter G, and the massive marathon base and long threshold runs paved the way for his breakthrough. However, it is up to you guys to discern whether it was "natural." Personally, as very few can "reasonably" simulate living and sleeping at 15,000' while training at sea level, I have my suspicions. I don't think Trafeh has had the same luxuries. Lacking all of this, I see Ritz as a 13:0x guy. But that's just my opinion. Maybe he's just leveling the playing field without technically circumventing the rules.

Setting an AR in college, how about.

Yanqui wrote:

I haven't read the entire thread, but this one hops the track right away with the suggestion that Cabada is as talented as Ritz. There's absolutely nothing whatsoever to suggest that is true.

Suspicious progressions:

Sadly, this one is the most suspicious to me. I was a fan until that last data point.

Jaouad Gharib - Morocco, born 22/5/1972

2009 2:05:27 London 26/04/2009

2008 2:07:16 Beijing (National Stadium) 24/08/2008

2007 2:07:54 London 22/04/2007

2006 2:07:19 Fukuoka 03/12/2006

2005 2:07:49 London 17/04/2005

2004 2:07:02 London 18/04/2004

2003 2:08:31 Paris Saint-Denis 30/08/2003

Similar jump in his half-marathon time in 2009. All his other PBs came around age 30.

A record for a distance almost no one runs

I'm not even much of a Ritz fan so I'm not making excuses for him. But go back and look at his history...the guy is always hurt. He's had tons of stress fractures and stress reactions and that is despite using the alter g and being a lower mileage type guy (100-120).

The fact is that you need that durability to train well and you need to train well to reach your potential. Guys like geb, wanjiru, etc rarely get hurt. I remember Tergat saying his first real injury was a calf pull a few years ago and thats when he realized he was getting old. He ran most of his career without having to take time off.

Just look at goucher. Same injury patterns. Great runner but he's always "just getting back to consistent training". it's always next year for him and one day there won't be any years left.

The point of this whole thing being- he's got tons of talent and we are seeing flashes of it. If he gets healthy then watch out. If not then not so much.

DS can you please describe the concentration that you mention? Last year he ran a 130 min marathon in April, followed by two ten ks, followed by 12;56.

desperately seeking wrote:

Remember, Ritz put all his efforts into the Marathon for 2-3 years, at the exclusion of fast track races. The reason you don't see a "progression" from 13:16 to 12:56 is because he didn't have it as a priority during that time. Then, he used all of that 2-3 years training and concentrated it on the 5K. Not surprising to me.

My PR progression is suspicious too

1500m

1989 never raced that far

1990 4:05

1991 3:54.6

1992 3:52.4

1993 3:42.9

I have heard a lot of talk about Al Sal using the thyroid medication and asthma inhalers but not prednisone. I think the advantage the inhalers provide is pretty easy to understand but what are the advantages that the thyroid meds and prednisone provide?

Use of thyroid hormone and prednisone, however, constitutes at best a gray area. Some people think pre-existing conditions may warrant their use. Others may disagree or claim the "pre-existing condition" diagnoses are bogus cover stories to justify use of the drugs. That's why it's a gray area.

Google before you post wrote:

After seeing Ritz nearly in tears after his 12:56 AR I do not see him has a drug cheat. I'm sorry, but that kind of passion is different than the expressionless face of Ramzi.

It reminded of the stone mason quote.