It's clear after 5 attempts at the distance (although New York is not a fast course) and countless injuries, Dathan should focus his efforts on the track and cross country. Wasn't it Malmo who wrote, to paraphrase, (correct me if I am mistaken) that the athlete doesn't choose the distance, the distance chooses the athlete? Basically, no matter how much someone wants to excel at 26.2, it may never work out. Ever since switching to Salazar, Ritz has been plagued by injuries, and I think it's fair to say that his 27:22 and 12:56 were mainly due to the training he received from Hudson doing so much marathon training. His form changes were also a disaster. I think this latest injury is a reality check for him. Obviously, I don't expect him to read this of course, it's his career, but despite the money in the marathon right now, I think it would be best for Ritz to focus on XC/Track for now and try the marathon a little later in his career. Having time to get good races in without injuries may just be the key to a breakthrough marathon for him in the future.
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Avg: 2:11:56