Breaking: Dathan Ritzenhein has joined the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project

I assume he's moving in with Humphrey and Verran and Morgan in one of the shacks.

It's a commentary on the state of US marathoning that he can still get press despite being 34 and oft injured.

So this means he is moving his family or can he live at home. I don't know where in MI Ritz currently resides.

Will Ritz be stocking shelves and fitting the hobby-joggers at the Hanson store, like some of the other runners they train? That would be cool for the locals...

Is this really a good move for Brooks? Hate to say it, but Nike got way more return on their investment in Symmonds than Brooks, just do a Google image search for him. Additionally, I wonder how Desi feels about her new teammate, as she has been very vocal on social media re: anti-doping.

I don't expect he'll ever run 2:07 again but American marathoning isn't exactly deep, but if he can stay healthy and run 2:09 (or its equivalent under poor conditions), he can still be an Olympian.

Ritz is BACK baby!!!

Ghfhjhgnjjmhh wrote:

I'm tired of this washedout broken down talker. He hasn't done squat in nearly half of a decade.

You notice he never cheers for Colorado or his old teammates. He is selfish and always will be.

I hadn't been here for a few weeks. Looks like the same stupid fukcs are still around.

What I like about Ritz running for Hansons is that they show up at races like Boston and the club national XC (Lexington, KY this year) and race as a team. Running in this country needs more serious club competitions—races that are like college conference, regional, and national meets where the team score is paramount. Kevin and Keith know this and I like them and appreciate them for this. They have modeled their club after the Greater Boston Track Club on a national level. We need lots of clubs at all levels so every runner out of college has a team to join.

If we have runners training hard to make their club team—even to be 8th runner— #7 trains harder, so does #6 and so on. The team that finishes 50th in Club Nationals chases #49 and fears #51.

Our GBTC runners (I'm the coach) have jobs or serious grad school but train together, train hard, and race hard. An additional 5000 runners like them all around the country will be like the rising tide that lifts all boats.

So congratulations to Ritz and Hansons and thank you.

Tom

HOKA LOSES RITZ!!

Poor HOKA.. they thought they had him.

Make no mistake -

1. Ritz will PR in the marathon under the Hansons, and

2. Make the 2020 Tokyo team in the marathon

Jack Steeple wrote:

Is this really a good move for Brooks? Hate to say it, but Nike got way more return on their investment in Symmonds than Brooks, just do a Google image search for him. Additionally, I wonder how Desi feels about her new teammate, as she has been very vocal on social media re: anti-doping.

Until Ritz beats Rupp in a head to head marathon.

Not Fast but Furious wrote:

Ritz is easily injured and Hansons-Brooks is really good at injuring its top athletes (Desi etc.) so this seems like a match made in DNS/DNF heaven.

Look everyone, we found the village idiot.

"Ritzenhein is probably best known as a marathon runner."

A bit confused by this statement from LRC. I would describe Ritz as "5,000 AR holder", "XC guy", " US track Olympian" way before "marathoner".

Coffee Black wrote:

Do you think they'll actually coach him?

Maybe Brooks offered him a good deal with the clause he's "on the team" to up their exposure but he'll guide his own training and just wear the kit?

That's what I was thinking. He'll largely be self-coached, maybe bounce a few ideas off them, etc.

titaniumbolt wrote:

Not Fast but Furious wrote:

Ritz is easily injured and Hansons-Brooks is really good at injuring its top athletes (Desi etc.) so this seems like a match made in DNS/DNF heaven.

Look everyone, we found the village idiot.

Sure. Ritz is never injured and Hansons program doesn't push athletes to their limits. I'm really off base here. His entire career has been defined by his injuries.

Prove him wrong then

I think you two have it just right. Ritz is confident is how he trains himself, particularly with respect to running six days a week and trying not to overdo it so as not to get injured. But HB will provide whatever helpful counsel they can as well as logistical support. I'd guess that Brooks will develop a Ritz training shoe and a Ritz Racer.

yep that's what i think wrote:

Coffee Black wrote:

Do you think they'll actually coach him?

Maybe Brooks offered him a good deal with the clause he's "on the team" to up their exposure but he'll guide his own training and just wear the kit?

That's what I was thinking. He'll largely be self-coached, maybe bounce a few ideas off them, etc.

Montesquieu wrote:

I think you two have it just right. Ritz is confident is how he trains himself, particularly with respect to running six days a week and trying not to overdo it so as not to get injured. But HB will provide whatever helpful counsel they can as well as logistical support. I'd guess that Brooks will develop a Ritz training shoe and a Ritz Racer.

yep that's what i think wrote:

That's what I was thinking. He'll largely be self-coached, maybe bounce a few ideas off them, etc.

I think you guys are right. In other words, Brooks probably offered the best deal.

In his RW interview, he said that he will remain in Rockford and run with the Hansons crew when he feels like it (because it is a five hour round trip, I think this means never.)

Does anyone have any insight if Hoka even offered a realistic deal to him?