So he's racing three weeks in a row. 5K this weekend, Hengelo 10K next week and Pre 5K on June 2nd. Hope his body holds up.
hope he wears flats for the first two races....
this has got disaster written all over it. not that i want it to be...but he is just so fragile. Bet he hasnt races 3 wknds in a row since highschool.
still cant believe he ran 1256 5k and abandoned track for 3 years. unbelievable. A winter on the boards would have been ideal the past 3 winters to be ready for the games. Dont belive me? look at rupp....
I think he'll definitely pull out of at least one of the races. if he runs oxy, which i think he will as of now because he re-entered, he'll pull either hengelo or pre. pre i see as the one he's more likely to pull out of as he has a much better shot at the 10k for the games and this week at Oxy might be something to run at least a trials standard to have something as back up (so more training run), then run hard at hengelo and go for the A. Pre i dont see as happening unless he runs both hengelo and Oxy as training runs to get trials standards, or if he drops out of hengelo.
He's gonna pull out of Hengelo. I bet Alberto is confident of him gouchered into the 10K trials. So it'll be 5K's at Oxy and Pre.
Hawthorne Wingo III wrote:
He's gonna pull out of Hengelo. I bet Alberto is confident of him gouchered into the 10K trials. So it'll be 5K's at Oxy and Pre.
I was gonna say he needs Hengelo but if they let him in the trials he can skip it. The problem is he needs the Olympic A qualifier. Does he want to leave that to the trials?
I just don't see why anyone would leave it up to the trials. If you're going to be in shape to get the A and top 3 at the trials, then you're in good enough shape to get it beforehand. If you leave the time chasing up to the trials then you're just putting extra pressure on yourself compared to the guys who already have it who can wait and let the race play out to their advantage.
The trials standard isn't an issue for the 10k, the A standard is. He is going to need that Hengelo meet to get the standard. I can't see him wanting to chase the standard after the trials, and there's no way the trials will be that fast.
I don't think 27:45 is going to be a problem in the trials... guys are going to run 28:20 and leave it to the last mile. There are too many guys who know they have no chance to make the team like that.
If the 10,000 is going to be his best chance then he needs to run Hengelo.
He can run Oxy to get a racing rhythm. He doesn't have to push it - 13:25 or so would work.
That should not hurt him and if it does then he is just not ready to be world class right now.
Pre could be a back up if Hengelo doesn't work out.
I could see him dropping Pre if he runs fast in Hengelo.
His best chance both to make the team and to do well in London is in the 10,000. True, he's run 12:56, but in a championship race, with heats, where everything turns on the last 600-800, I have trouble seeing him succeed. Nevertheless, having the "A" standard in hand, which I'm sure he hopes to get at Oxy, can only serve him well in itself, but also a fast race will help set up Hengelo, which is nine days after Oxy (Oxy is on Friday and Hengelo on the following Sunday). He cannot rely on the Trials to get the standard (apart from whether the race would tend to go fast enough, counting on the weather being in one's favor is insane), and the rules prohibit him from "chasing the standard" following the Trials. So, the choice is either Hengelo, or a time trial style race Salazar would set up. If Ritz gets the "A" standard at Oxy, expect him to run Hengelo and not run Pre.
A standard wrote:
The trials standard isn't an issue for the 10k, the A standard is. He is going to need that Hengelo meet to get the standard. I can't see him wanting to chase the standard after the trials, and there's no way the trials will be that fast.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Salazar talk Rupp into drawing the 10k out fast to help Ritz, if need be. Rupp is so far out of everyone's league it shouldn't hurt his chances, and Ritz has shown he can grind out a fast time in rough conditions (his 27:2x at World's)
Sidenote, these kind of team tactics don't seem too unusual. At USA's last year, it seemed like Teg more or less acted as the pacer for Solinsky... I remember seeing Teg shake his right arm down towards the ground a fee times and immediately pick up the pace with ~6 laps to go. Solinsky responded to the move without hesitation and quickly dropped everyone but Lagat/rupp
Ritz won't make the Olympic team. They screwed up since his AR 5k. He overtrained and trained for the wrong distances (marathons). Now he won't be sharp enough to make the 10k team or have the standard in time. Sucks
Oxy: Get the 5k standard
Hengelo: Start w/ the expectation of running well. If he crushes it, no Pre. If he isn't doing well, drop out.
Pre: If he crushes Hengelo, no start. If he drops out of Hengelo, races
10K at USATF... he's going to get in regardless. Question is pace. Olympic A is 27:45. If he needs to, there is no doubt he is MORE then capable of that at the trials. He and Rupp will alternate miles and run 27:50 pace from the gun. Rupp will destroying everyone over the last 800 meters. Ritz, Curtis, Derrick and Nelson battle for the 2nd and 3rd spots. All under the A as they roll home the last 1200 meters or so.
adasdf wrote:
Ritz won't make the Olympic team. They screwed up since his AR 5k. He overtrained and trained for the wrong distances (marathons). Now he won't be sharp enough to make the 10k team or have the standard in time. Sucks
I wish the Brojos could set up a way for people to bet about things like this. I would put a lot of money on the proposition that Ritz will make the team.
Does Ritz currently have any standard whether it be the usa trials or olympics in either the 5000m or 10000m?? Does Teg have the 5k standard yet?? If so, I feel like Ritz is going to have to do the majority of the work in the 5k at Oxy to get himself the standard in that race...
A betting man wrote:
adasdf wrote:Ritz won't make the Olympic team. They screwed up since his AR 5k. He overtrained and trained for the wrong distances (marathons). Now he won't be sharp enough to make the 10k team or have the standard in time. Sucks
I wish the Brojos could set up a way for people to bet about things like this. I would put a lot of money on the proposition that Ritz will make the team.
What was the site that allows you to setup gambling for charity or whatever? Same site that Stember used when he was trying to break 18 minutes for the 5K. I can't find it.
Can that be used to gamble (kinda) for races like this?
Found it.
A standard wrote:
The trials standard isn't an issue for the 10k, the A standard is. He is going to need that Hengelo meet to get the standard. I can't see him wanting to chase the standard after the trials, and there's no way the trials will be that fast.
As I understand it, the deadline for getting the "A" is the end of the event at the Trials. They might allow someone who gets eligible afterwards and who does not knock someone else out (e.g., an "A" wins the race and no other athlete has an "A" or "A" wins and only one other "A" races, so the third slot is open).
To your first question, he has the "B" standard for the 10,000 in the Trials; to your second question, yes. There will be a rabbit(s) for many if not all of the sections. And don't be surprised if Rupp and Farah come back 55 minutes after the 1500 and rabbit the 5000.
Kybaws wrote:
Does Ritz currently have any standard whether it be the usa trials or olympics in either the 5000m or 10000m?? Does Teg have the 5k standard yet?? If so, I feel like Ritz is going to have to do the majority of the work in the 5k at Oxy to get himself the standard in that race...