Dathan stated he wanted to contest for the win at Chicago and possible run a 3 minute personal best in the area of 2:06. He's run enough marathon and all have been decent but nothing to his show he's better at the marathon then he is in the 5000m/10000m.
Does anyone think he should focus solely on the 5000m/10000m if he doesn't run a significant personal best at this years Chicago Marathon?
Yes, I want to see more of Ritz on the track
I want to see him where he'll have the most success. I understand he wants to be a marathoner and that's where he can make the most money, but as a fan of the sport, I want to see him be competitive. Hell, if that means the road racing circuit (the half seems to be his ideal distance) and cross country, that's fine by me. If he knocks it out in Chicago, more power to him.
I'd like to see him take another option and race on the roads, with the occasional marathon. There's not much money on the track and it seems like being a road racer would make him more marketable than just another track guy.
So true and if he runs anything UNDER 2:08 then I would love to see him run a marathon ever year; however, he has showed too much promise at 5000m and 10000m to waste time with 2:09-2:11 marathons. Ritzenhein is injury prone and the marathon mileage increase his chances of getting injuried.
If he runs 2:08 (when he feels he's in 2:06 shape) or slower he should concentrate on the track and cross country and move to the marathon after 2016 in my opinion.
He would have done better if he'd just had a few more weeks of marathon specific training.
Come on guys do you remember how Ritz closed on K Bekele when he ran his 12:58 personal best and he's finished 6th at World Championships at 10000m with little training back in 2009. The guy is a beast on the track if he can stay healthy for two years with consistent training. Unless he runs faster then 2:06:59 he should focus on the track and forget cross country and the marathon as he doesn't have too many more years in him.
Chicago is about a minute and a half faster than Houston where he ran 2:09:40. That means that 2:08:10 is NO IMPROVEMENT.
Alberto already backed off of the 2:06 prediction because he does not want Galen to see that he can not coach the marathon. So Alberto will spin Ritz's performance into a positive.
FurgetAboutit wrote:
Come on guys do you remember how Ritz closed on K Bekele when he ran his 12:58 personal best and he's finished 6th at World Championships at 10000m with little training back in 2009. The guy is a beast on the track if he can stay healthy for two years with consistent training. Unless he runs faster then 2:06:59 he should focus on the track and forget cross country and the marathon as he doesn't have too many more years in him.
Oh please. He was not closing on Bekele.
VIPAM wrote:
Does anyone think he should focus solely on the 5000m/10000m if he doesn't run a significant personal best at this years Chicago Marathon?
No, why should he? Why not be versatile? The economics of the sport dictate that he should be focusing on the marathon. Common sense says he should spend some time on the track as well. As a fall back, if nothing else.
COMMON SENSE??? Did you say common sense?
If the marathon was anything more than a payday then he would have not chosen a coach that has failed in the marathon. That is common sense.
First of all, Ritz ran 2:09:55 in Houston. Second, on what possible basis can you say that the Houston course is 90 seconds slower than Chicago?
Mammoth TC wrote:
Chicago is about a minute and a half faster than Houston where he ran 2:09:40. That means that 2:08:10 is NO IMPROVEMENT.
Alberto already backed off of the 2:06 prediction because he does not want Galen to see that he can not coach the marathon. So Alberto will spin Ritz's performance into a positive.
Plain and simple he likes the marathon AND its the most financially rewarding. Why would anyone expect or ask him to do otherwise?
What do you think his appearance fee was? Above 150K?
3 Olympics & his **BEST** was @ 26.2.
Ppl can talk 12:56, but he wouldn't have made this year's 5K Olympic team despite being ready (injured much of trials 26.2 buildup, but ready here), much less contend for a decent world placing.
At 10K, he was super prepared & finished 13th.
If he wasn't injured so much heading to the 26.2 Trials, he would have been top 6-7 in the Olympics. He finished 9th in '08 & despite the world getting better, so has Ritz. (Anyone arguing Ritz would not have finished that high is *only* looking to argue.)
All Dathan has to do to run the marathon he and everybody else wants him to run is watch this video every day and then run like that:
agreed, but he's not going to ever admit failure and the marathon is about the payday. he can run one or two marathons per year and still have an outdoor track season, as he showed this year. marathons pay the bills and track makes his legacy.
FurgetAboutit wrote:
Come on guys do you remember how Ritz closed on K Bekele when he ran his 12:58 personal best
Bekele jogged a 60 last lap I believe.
This is the problem with marathoning - so much luck involved. It is going to be in the 70s all week leading up to the race - so if it is 77 on race day and ritz runs 2:09 and finishes 3rd is that a good day or not?
Dathan Ritzenhein and the marathon is like watching the movie "The Poltergist". Don't go into the light little Ritzenhein, stay on the track!