One of the greatest high school Cross Country runners of all-time, Dathan Ritzenhein won the Footlocker National Championships an impressive two years in a row. While attending the University of Colorado,… + See More +
One of the greatest high school Cross Country runners of all-time, Dathan Ritzenhein won the Footlocker National Championships an impressive two years in a row. While attending the University of Colorado,… + See More
- See Less - One of the greatest high school Cross Country runners of all-time, Dathan Ritzenhein won the Footlocker National Championships an impressive two years in a row. While attending the University of Colorado, Ritzenhein won the NCAA Championship in the 2003 and was the 5k runner up to Robert Cheseret.
Correction...Ritz COULDN'T BREAK 2:10 for the marathon as recently as April of of this year-(2009 London Marathon) after nearly 6 Years of being a Pro Runner.
Justin Kopunek said: “..I think many of you are over estimating the effect the altitude tents had on his training...
”
Ritz's 12:56 5k was NOT ACHIEVED UNTIL he spent 2 MONTHS with NIKE-CROSOFT (Altitude Simulators, Russian Software,etc) http://www.tracktownusa.com/track.item.5/the-oregon-project.html ...We can debate endlessly about the "THEORETICAL" benefits of his marathon training, but he COULDN'T BREAK 2:10 for a marathon as recently as last summer (2008 Olympics), after 5 YEARS of being a PRO RUNNER.
Ritz's 2:10 marathon PB converts to a 13:18 5k, which is SHOCKINGLY close to his previous 5K PB of 13:16 using this converter: http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6765
I'm as happy as everybody else to see Ritz get a Break, but it's BLATANTLY OBVIOUS that 2 MONTHS using NIKE-CROSOFT TECHNOLOGY has had a TREMENDOUS impact on his ability. His 12:56 5k converts to a 2:06 marathon. I actually think Ritz can run 2:04 in the marathon.....With NIKE-CROSOFT TECHNOLOGY :)
Justin Kopunek said: “I think many of you are over estimating the effect the altitude tents had on his training. He has been with Alberto for only like 2 months and a lot of that time was spent at actual altitude.
His 13:16 PR is old, when was the last time he had a serious track season while being healthy for this long? The drastic improvement comes from 2 years of marathon training, then changing his training to be track oriented and getting a different mental outlook on the sport and what he is capable of.”
Right you are, sir.
Not to mention he went to college in Colorado... He has past experience with altitude. He left it because he thought it was causing injuries, but now he has a different outlook on that, too.
Grey Is My Favorite Color September 2, 2009 at 8:05pm
Dr. Jeffrey Brown in Houston, TX is a miracle worker. Just ask all of Salazar's athletes. Without his magical diagnosis' and prescription meds and inhalers, where would USA distance running be today.
I tend to agree with Justin K. below. Both Hall and Ritz are coming up on those magic years between 25-30. They both manage their running superbly and I'm dying to see what they will get up on the record boards between now and the next Olympics in London.
Real Effects of Simulators said: “The effects of "Live High, Train Low" (LHTL) using Altitude Simulators are REAL...Ritz's 12:56 5k blatantly prove that point. This will cause more Elite Runners to use Altitude Simulators to LHTL because of Ritz's dramatic improvement (his previous Personal Best was 13:16)”
I think many of you are over estimating the effect the altitude tents had on his training. He has been with Alberto for only like 2 months and a lot of that time was spent at actual altitude.
His 13:16 PR is old, when was the last time he had a serious track season while being healthy for this long? The drastic improvement comes from 2 years of marathon training, then changing his training to be track oriented and getting a different mental outlook on the sport and what he is capable of.
Real Effects Of Simulators September 2, 2009 at 1:39pm
Old School Coach said: “Thay aren't doing all of this because of pup tents. They are that close all the time because they are really good and damn near identical as the end result of their training. ”
The effects of "Live High, Train Low" (LHTL) using Altitude Simulators are REAL...Ritz's 12:56 5k blatantly prove that point. This will cause more Elite Runners to use Altitude Simulators to LHTL because of Ritz's dramatic improvement (his previous Personal Best was 13:16)
Technology changes everything, INCLUDING RUNNING, so in order to stay competitive, ALL Elite runners will eventually have to use Technology in their Training, or get left behind. Americans should enjoy this TEMPORARY Technological advantage while it lasts because the East Africans will eventually use the same Technology to improve their performances.
With machines or not, Kenya and Ethiopia will still rule. Bring it on! They will feel even better to know they are beating the machines behind the athletes...
Here in California back in about 1996-2000 Ryan Hall was living high (Big Bear High School is 6900') and running low. All of the meets were down below the smog level! So for pretty much all of his running before Stanford he had little choice. Brother Chad Hall same story. Now at UC Riverside he walks out on the track, looks up, and there's home way up there near the snow line.
Ritz spent his time at Colorado, about 5300', and much like Jenny Barringer, has cashed in on the bennies of thin air living. Not everyone can afford to move to the Sierra Nevada ski areas in the off-season. But if you can, why not? I don't think the little wanna-be altitude set-ups are going to catch on. (Kind of like swamp land in Florida).
But going back to Ritz and Ryan's junior year NCAA Championships at Waterloo, Iowa, they ran the whole race in each other's gun sights, and for the last few K's you could have tied them together with a bungi cord. Hall was pure low-level Stanford training and Ritz was pure Boulder training, and they finished 1.3 seconds apart. Stanford had all seven runners in by 13th place, 1st place team, and Ritz was the overall winner. That pairing dates back to their high school Foot Locker race at Orlando, and is still going on, 9th-10th at the Olympics marathon. Thay aren't doing all of this because of pup tents. They are that close all the time because they are really good and damn near identical as the end result of their training.
PS - That NCAA Championship also featured Miss Flanagan as the women's champion, and the future Mrs. Hall, Sara Bei, in 3rd with a 1st Place Team finish for Stanford.
I just saw an interview of Dr. James Stray-Gundersen, the supposed leading expert in this topic in a soccer magazine about how the US national soccer team is affected by playing at Azteca stadium in Mexico City. He said without altitude simulators the best way to deal with a high altitude event is to either get there long enough in advance to aclimitize or delay your arrival to the day of and have plenty of O2 available before during and after the event.
The guys over at sportscientists.com have already put this subject through its paces, and said just about everything there is to say about it. Although it may not be the most enjoyable way, I think you had better get used to seeing technology dramatically change sporting performaces. It happens in the majority of other sports (cycling is a good example of a sport dependant on tech) and it´s only a matter of time till running catches up on the technology front. Like someone already said, at the moment its running behind the times(pardon the pun)!
Great Debate Everybody...Here's my response to Chris Harland-Dunaway:
Ritzenhein's performance clearly shows that the MOST EFFECTIVE "Live High Train Low" (LHTL) method is to use Altitude Simulators. If your proposed "No-Tech Alternatives" are so effective, why did it take a runner, AIDED by an Altitude Simulator to break Bob Kennedy's 5k American Record ? Why didn't a runner using a "No-Tech Alternative" break it ?
The answer is that Altitude Simulators, though EXPENSIVE, are MORE EFFECTIVE & MORE PRACTICAL than physically travelling from Altitude to Sea Level to train. Since using Altitude Simulators is the BEST WAY to Live High & Train Low, it HIGHLY FAVORS PRIVILEGED athletes who currently have access to them.
But today's state of the art is tomorrow's common practice...Further stunning performances like Ritz's will prompt the rest of the world's Elite Runners to use LHTL technologies. Perhaps the cost of Altitude simulators will decrease over time like most tech gadgets,but again, this begs the question of how much Technology should be allowed in sports before it becomes a Technology Competition rather than an Athletic Competition ?
L.Y.-Michigan State Alumnus
This is good debate for sure because the line seems murky, but it really isn't that murky. Sports ethics is about following rules, just like ethical behavior is about following the law. We can debate equally as heatedly about whether driving faster than the speed limit is ethical.
East Africans at the sub-World Class level may not be able to afford LHTL rooms. Likewise, I am not advocating the use of such technology for just anybody. There is a level of practical use of resources to the level in question. I coached high school distance runners and never even used heartrate monitors because their level of developmental needs was so basic. Further, I think the last thing this country needs is high school runners feeling they NEED an altitude room to win state. Most of the runners at this level still need so much more basic development first. This is world-class technology, and my point is that if Ritz is going to beat East Africans, then he needs to be a pro! Ditto with anyone else who wants to win internationally. Whether high school running zealots will go so far as to buy altitude rooms for $19K, remains to be seen, but that would admittedly be a bummer. That's putting too much value on a state championship--something I think undermines the development of our most talented in this country kids as it is. People want a short cut to winning at too low a level. But the point is, if you're a pro, be a pro. And world class East Africans most definitely CAN afford the technology and I guarantee you Bekele can, along with every single runner Ritz passed in the last 1200 m in Zurich. I think if someone wanted to research the prize money earnings and win schedules in the shoe contracts of these East Africans, you'd be surprised how poor they are not.
The NCAA skiing championships are held every other year at very high altitude--in fact illegally-high altitude by the rules of the Federation Internationale de Ski. If I coach a team from low altitude, and every other year, my NCAA qualifiers--who are pretty heavily invested in their training and performance--have to race at 7000+ feet, that's problematic in fairness, not to mention expense--which is the topic here on LHTL. If I can buy a used altitude room set up for say, $2000, and spend another $1000 to retrofit a room, and ALLOW (nor force) my likely NCAA qualifiers to sleep there the month before the NCAA Championships in Steamboat Springs, is that unfair technology and over-the-top expense? Consider that sans altitude room I will need to spend easily $3000-$4000 at a minimum, for 10 days in a condo in Steamboat Springs for my athletes to have a remote chance of a fair fight. I did that in Bozeman two years ago. THAT'S EXPENSIVE! That's $3000-$4000 EVERY OTHER YEAR, compared to a one-time investment of $3000. I can tell you what my Athletic Director thinks. This is just an example of how NOT cut-and-dry this argument is.
I think I gave a pretty reasonable explanation why the line is at altitude simulated rooms. It's the same reason the rules stop there too. A simple question then is, if it's not at the altitude room, where is it? And if it's somewhere closer to "less technology," how do you enforce the rules if you move the rules that direction? The other direction is clearly not a direction we want to go. The current rules are very simple: If your body creates the adaptation on its own, it is fair and legal. To me, that's a pretty reasonable place, and to move it anywhere else is problematic in so many ways. To think that the rule stops there because nobody outside of the blogosphere has given it much thought is hugely naive. This stuff has been legal eagled 'til you see fuzzy--which is probably why the line seems as such. But I think the line is visible. In fact, I think it's very visible. That doesn't mean I don't understand that people thinks it's ethically fuzzy, and why. But turn it over in your head more, like I have for the past decade, and it become clearer and clearer.
World silver medalist Kikkan Randall has an academic paper at this link whic will educate you even more about how common this technology is getting. It would appear that it is even affordable for the east africans. http://cub.alaskapacific.edu/kikkanimal/sae.html
I do not think that LHTLT is cheating. I think it is a great idea. I remember as a midshipman at CU in the 70's when Frank Shorter give us a lecture on fast twitch slow twitch which was the latest technology back then. Back then, Frank led the charge in live high train high when he moved to Boulder and brought other serious runners with him. I first heard about LHTLT two years ago at a seminar by PhD who was also a coach of a college nordic ski team. As a grad student, she had consulted with the norwegian ski team when they were first trying it, and I am pretty sure her thesis was on this technology. There are even commercial systems available for sale. http://www.altitudetraining.com/
When Technology = Ability August 31, 2009 at 1:31pm
bonstad said: “....Training involves doing things to your body to help it overcompensate. ie load it with extreme acidosis so it recovers and over-compensates....”
Again, this is not about adapting the body to a NATURAL environment...This is about the Use of TECHNOLOGY in Sports to artificially improve one's Natural Athletic Ability...Where should the line be drawn ? This is a real problem as evidenced by Michael Phelps losing to a guy with a High-Tech Swimsuit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/michael-phelps-loses-to-g_n_246281.html
Chad has got it right. Training involves doing things to your body to help it overcompensate. ie load it with extreme acidosis so it recovers and over-compensates, deprive it of the proper partial pressure of oxygen, breakdown the muscles so that during rest the body will overcompensate and build stronger ones. We think of better ways to prepare the body to run faster.
Where the line is gray is when you start talking about nutrients, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, epo, anabolic steroids, HGH. There is a line there somewhere, but it is sometimes a very murky line.
Is Technology The New Sports ? August 31, 2009 at 12:58pm
Hey Chad & Chris :) You missed my points about Technology vs. Natural Ability & Nike "Air Zero Grav". I NEVER said the NIKE Altitude Project was cheating, nor am I alleging that Ritz is a cheater...I AM asking where do we draw the line between Technology and Sports ? How much Technology is TOO MUCH Technology in Athletic Competitions ?
Technology threatens to change Athletics Competitions into TECHNOLOGY Competitions, which is not what Sports is about. The nature of Sports competitions is to determine the BEST ATHLETE, NOT which ATHLETE HAS THE BEST TECHNOLOGY. Look at those Controversial Swimsuits from the 2008 Olympics...Michael Phelps recently lost to a guy wearing a High-Tech Swimsuit...Is this the Future of sports, where the BEST ATHLETES lose to lesser athletes who have the BEST TECHNOLOGY ? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/michael-phelps-loses-to-g_n_246281.html
As for your point that "Live High, Train Low Technology" (LHTLT) is readily available to anyone who seeks it, I DISAGREE. Alot of East Africans don't even have shoes when they start running, let alone cars....Your point that one can rent a shack at Altitude, and drive down to Sea Level to train, proves my point that LHTLT users have to have Significant Financial Resources. Sports should be about Athletic Ability, not money and technology.
All sports have seen and delt with new technologies, running rarely sees it because it is such a bare minimum sport that is truely a test of toughness and effort. Ritz and the other runners under Nike do have an advantage, but I'd say its all part of the game.
What Nike is doing is absolutely not doping. It is butted right up against the line, that is for sure, but the line is there, is bold and obvious, between cheating and doing everything within the RULES to be competitive. American distance running fans are so jazzed right now because we ARE at least showing up internationally, and even winning medals, but the sport has had such a backwater approach for so long while simultaneously lamenting our inability to be competitive. You do not need to dope to be successful internationally, but you need to be professional about how you do it, and this country has lacked a professional approach until Salazar took a bunch of unknowns in the late 1990s and had them competing with the then Big Names in the country. What you see happening now is what happens when the best talent in the nation works with the most experienced, professional, and analytical coach, who also has morals and knows the line between cheating and not cheating. It's a celebration.
Be very, very clear. The sport is far from clean internationally, yet Ritz just finished third in an AR at the Weltklasse. Do you really think he did it by approaching it with something as simple as "more mileage" and "better diet." No. These are professional athletes and hallelujah that someone like Salazar has finally taken his job as a coach professionally--DOING IT FAIRLY, WITHIN THE RULES.
Blood doping extracts blood, spins out the plasma, and re-injects it into your blood stream. Can your body do this on its own? How is an altitude tent "the same thing." It's not the same thing.
EPO incites the liver to create red blood cells at a rate that your body simply cannot naturally do. In fact an early test for EPO was to test the age of the blood cells in the blood. The livers of athletes on EPO will actually STOP creating red blood cells altogether because the rapidly-increasing rate it was producing them from the EPO tells the liver to stop producing them. Your body will never stop telling the liver to produce red blood cells on its own. Anti-doping scientists could look at the age of blood cells and if there was a gap of production, they could tell an athlete was using EPO. Can your body do all this on its own?
Live high, train low, using oxygen-manipulated environments at low altitude is the LOW-COST method of preparing for endurance sport peak performance without owning a jet, a condo in Truckee and a house in San Francisco. If you ban altitude chambers, you've gotta ban training in West Yellowstone, MT, and flying to sleep down in Eugene. From a cheating-management perspective, it's totally unrealistic.
But that's not even the issue. The issue is, an altitude tent or room does not unnaturally create physiological adaptations that your body would not naturally do. If removing oxygen from the air in a room = taking blood out with a needle, freezing it, then reinjecting it right before a big race, then you can say altitude tent = cheating. I don't think it is, and more importantly, the IAAF and the IOC don't think so either.
So let's let Ritz, and Alberto, and all of us, celebrate 1. that someone--even if it is evil old corporate Nike--found a guy like Salazar to resurrect distance running in this country and 2. they are openly and legally doing it with an altitude room and not hoodwinking us and doing it the lazy way with needles and EPO behind closed doors.
Congrats Ritz!
I think it was Dwight Stones. Colorado takes 'em to the edge, and Salazar keeps bringin' 'em back. When is someone gonna write "RUNNING WITH THE SALAZARS" and give America an insight into what kids really need to be doing for international success?
I watched it on NBC today after watching the two British guys cover the race. The British feel did a much better job of covering and getting excited about Ritz's run.
What an awful job the US announcers did. There was no excitement at all. Who did color there? Liquori or Shorter?
aplasencia said: “NBC did such a bad job covering Ritz during the race and especially afterwards when they knew it was an AR. I know Bekele is the best distance runner in history, but Ritz ran the race of his life and got one of the most treasured records for American distance runners. FloTrack needs to start covering these races instead of those chumps at NBC. Also, now that Kennedy does not have the record I will be expecting Nike to come out with the Zoom Ritz.”
ive watched this interview a good few times, and the race like 5! he's definitely my favourite runner, and i can't wait to see what he can bust out in the 10k and Marathon!
ooh! I'm so glad I caught this race streaming live, it was such a joy, from Bekele to Ritz. The pace was ridiculous, but even with Ritz at the back of that furious train at the beginning, something was up--he just looked good and loose and fast. And then at the end, he just moved up and all the way to the last 200 he was ripping through the field, and the crowd WAS going nuts, he was closing on everybody, really even Bekele--it was magical, an anything-is-possible sort of feeling.
NEW Nike "AIR" ZERO-GRAV ? August 31, 2009 at 12:27am
I agree with your point that Live High, Train Low technology is not "new" nor is it Blatant Blood Doping, however, it is VERY EXPENSIVE, which limits its use to those with Wealthy Corporate Sponsors like the Nike Altitude Project Members or those with Wealthy Government Sponsors like the Norwegeian Ski team.
Use of this Technology is UNFAIR to those who don't have access to it, like many of the East Africans, so its use will eventually tilt the playing field heavily in favor or those privileged enough to use it. (you did say the Nordic Ski team cleaned up the Olympic Medals after using Live High, Train Low Technology)
This begs the question of how much Technology is TOO Much Technology in Sports ? Think of the controversial "Hi-Tech Swim Suits" from the 2008 Olympics, or Overly "Springy" Drivers in Golf. It threatens to turn Sports into a competition of "Who has the Better Technology" rather than who is the Better Athlete. Whats to Stop Nike from introducing "Semi-Anti-Gravity Shoes" like the "Air Zero-Grav" (i made that up) so their runners can compete at a Fraction of their Body Weight ?
Balancing Technology and Sports Performance is a difficult task because everyone wants to win, but Sports should be about Athletic Ability not an athletes use of Advanced Technology to Artificially Improve their Athletic Ability.
thanks for posting that. what a gutsy performance. for bekele to be the only guy in front of you...wow. i started tearing up when ritz did!
never watched a golden league meet before. that is track and field at its finest. that crowd looked incredible (they were doing some sweet clap after the 5k before the 4x1). no reason something as exciting and well commentated shouldn't be on a major network in the us.
glad it was online!
if you haven't taken the 12:56 out of your day to watch ritz light it up, i recommend it.
the difference between this form of blood doping and others, and what makes it legal, is that this is using technology and training techniques to trick the body into generating it's own 'extra' red blood cells and then to train your muscles to use them at low altitude. The key is that all the enhancements in "live high train low" come from within the body itself rather than an outside source of red blood cells; not even a transfusion of your own from previous blood draws.
The Nike Altitude Project is NOT basic Altitude Training. It is an advanced Scientific project designed to give participants the best of both worlds hence the name "Live High, Train Low", i.e. the Increased # of Red Blood Cells-RBCs of living at Altitude, while allowing them to train at sea level. Everybody knows the human body runs slower at altitude because of decreased Oxygen levels, so by doing High Intensity Running at Sea Level, participants get the physiological improvements of high intensity training, while increasing RBCs through living at Altitude.
The controversy surrounding these methods is that True Altitude Inhabitants can't have it both ways....They Live AND Train at Altitude. To get the benefits of "Live High, Train Low" they would have to travel thousands of miles from altitude to sea level everyday, which is financially impossible considering the extreme poverty of most African countries.
While the Nike Altitude Project is not blatant Blood Doping, it is HIGHLY Controversial. It begs the question of how much technology should be allowed to enhance a runner's natural ability ? I applaud Coach Salazar and Nike for publicly sharing information about the project. This is not a shadowy, Government Sponsored Doping Program, but it is does push the boundaries of Natural Ability vs. Technological Enhancements.
Ken Forrest said: “Go Ritz!!! I bet we will see a sub 2 hour marathon from this man in the next 5 years.”
I'm a little apprehensive about anyone breaking 2 hours for the marathon according to mcmillanrunning.com these are the relative P.R.'s. (This is for a 1.59.59 marathon) But hey who am I to say that it can't happen
Mile- 3.33.2
2 mile- 7.34.9 (3.47.4)
5k- 12.18 (3.58 per mile)
10k- 25.34 (4.06 per mile)
13.1- 56.53 (4.21 per mile)
26.2- 1.59.59 (4.35 per mile)
Ritz, your an inspiration- amazing race. Kudos to you for sticking it out all those years when you knew you more in you than what your performances were showing. I have a feeling this is the start of many more good races to come.... your awesome.
BLIMEY said: “oohhh omg he's living in an altitude tent! ahh it's not fair! it's not natural they can just walk out of a tent and be at sea level! ohhh wahhh where's my 20 second PB?”
"Altitude Science: Live High, Train Low
The technology features of Nike House were based on research demonstrating the benefits of the so-called “Live High, Train Low” theory. This theory holds that distance runners deliver the best race results when they sleep at high altitude, but train at low altitude.
...Nike House, a five-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot bungalow in northwest Portland,...A system of pumps, carbon-dioxide filters, and molecular sieves – which cost Nike a reported $110,000 – removed oxygen from the air, simulating altitudes from 9,000 to 14,000 feet...Nike House became the ideal laboratory for testing the effectiveness of Live High, Train Low...marathoner Dan Browne, who increased his red blood cell count by 11 percent while living at Nike House. Other notable participants in the Oregon Project have included the Ducks’ Galen Rupp, plus Adam Goucher, Kara Goucher, Caitlin Chock and Bret Schoolmeester"
Everybody Loves An Underdog August 30, 2009 at 5:25am
I am proud of the accomplishments of the East African Runners. These athletes have achieved Greatness (Multiple World Records, Olympic/World Champs/World XC Medals) despite few resources, whereas Elite American Runners like Galen Rupp have enjoyed Wealthy Corporate Backing (Nike Facilities & Nike Coaches) since high school, yet have Zero Olympic or World Championships Medals.
However, everybody loves an Underdog, and Ritz's Breakthrough 12:56 5k will give hope & inspiration to Non-African Runners. But I don't agree with the IAAF making the World XC Championships a Biennial event because of East African Dominance. Using that logic, (predictable winner ethnicity), the championships in Hockey, Swimming, Cycling, Skiing, Rowing, Gymnastics, Formula 1, Figure Skating, Mens Tennis, NASCAR etc, should be held every 2 years. Also, when XC was dominated by Non-African Runners (John Treacy, Craig Virgin, Carlos Lopes, Grete Waitz, Lynn Jennings, Paula Radcliffe etc), nobody was complaining, so whats the problem now ? Non-African Runners should stop crying about East African Dominance and start training harder and running faster.
I'm still amazed...what a step forward for American distance running! This is a great way to help close out such a successful year...what else can we expect? Thattaboy Ritz, you're the man! Hopefully Salazar can figure out what went right and we can see Webb coming back again too
What a Beast! Great interview and great race! Awesome to get the American Record in the 5k! Should definitely continue to see some great stuff out of Ritz and the rest of the Portland crew!
oohhh omg he's living in an altitude tent! ahh it's not fair! it's not natural they can just walk out of a tent and be at sea level! ohhh wahhh where's my 20 second PB?
All I have to say that it was an honor to have met Dathan last year at the NYC half-marathon. I am very proud of his accomplishments overall. From his days in h.s. to being an elite runner for the US today. It's good to know that we have runners like Ritz that can tell up and coming distance runners in America that we can beat Kenyans and run fast too. Hard work, dedication, patience, commitment, desire, goals, and over coming injuries can make special things happen. Way to go Ritz...I along with other fellow runners salute you and wish you continuous success in all distances. Keep up the great work.
AlSal should get a lot of credit. But you don't run an AR off of that short a stint with a new coach. AlSal knows this as well.
alazar, a winner of the New York and Boston marathons, has been coaching Ritzenhein for just three months. In April, after finishing 11th in the London Marathon in a personal-best 2:10:00, Ritzenhein decided to leave coach Brad Hudson, whose training group was in Eugene, Ore. By June, Ritzenhein left Eugene for Portland and Salazar's group.
"No doubt about it, Brad Hudson deserves a lot of the credit for this, the majority of credit," said Salazar. "He'd gotten him in great shape from all the marathon training, very aerobically fit."
jeff said: “1. money in the bank (wetmore's term for all that marathon base training ritz has been doing)
2. that's it, i'm moving to oregon, i know I will be in the 13s by the end of the year..haha
3. I think 27:22 is in jeaporday because according to a runner's world calculator, 12:56 indicates that it is possible to go under 27:00 with that speed.
4. my wife is yelling at me telling me to come to bed, and obviously doesn't understand that ritz running 12:56 is a big deal.
Let's hope others follow him to the marathon. Huge base and fantastic results.”
hey, i think you should cite your literature sources next time you feel like copying someone elses posts :(
NBC did such a bad job covering Ritz during the race and especially afterwards when they knew it was an AR. I know Bekele is the best distance runner in history, but Ritz ran the race of his life and got one of the most treasured records for American distance runners. FloTrack needs to start covering these races instead of those chumps at NBC. Also, now that Kennedy does not have the record I will be expecting Nike to come out with the Zoom Ritz.
jeff said: “1. money in the bank (wetmore's term for all that marathon base training ritz has been doing)
2. that's it, i'm moving to oregon, i know I will be in the 13s by the end of the year..haha
3. I think 27:22 is in jeaporday because according to a runner's world calculator, 12:56 indicates that it is possible to go under 27:00 with that speed.
4. my wife is yelling at me telling me to come to bed, and obviously doesn't understand that ritz running 12:56 is a big deal.
Let's hope others follow him to the marathon. Huge base and fantastic results.”
haha! Jeff Come to Eugene! There are lots of us in the 13's and would be willing to help you get there
racist said: “why the hell does everyone look at africans as the bad guys???? americans are the ones taking the steroids lol”
i think you are mistaken here. its not that people think the african's are bad guys at all. when you meet any of the african athletes you see they are the nicest people around, very kind. the reason people make a big deal out of a "non-born african athlete" is because the east african countries have been so dominant over the years. its hard for many to imagine anyone, especially an american, being able to be a legitimate contender. so its not meant to be a negative towards east african runners, its more just being impressed that someone can compete with them. they are kinda like the dream team was in basketball, no one thought they could be touched, so when they were beat (not the original dream team) it was a huge surprise.
12:56 is a Monster Breakthrough for Ritz..he had been really frustrated with his performances of late until last week and today...he's finally rising to the level that he should have been at years ago....American Distance runners have as much talent as the East Africans (Ritz was 3rd in the 2001 World Jr. XC champs where Bekele was 1st)....However, American Runners tend to plateau sooner, while the E. Africans continue to improve...Perhaps Coach Salazar is onto something with his liberal use of Altitude Simulation Technology http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.08/nike.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_Oregon_Project
Well I know somebody is going to get jealous. All year, people were all for Galen...even Alberto was just talking about the phenomenon of Galen. Now he is a real pro and he is going to be shadowed by this new comer in the club (Ritz). Funny how things can change in a bit! All people that have beaten Ritz in the past are now asking themselves if they can just do the same or even better! Go USA...
1. money in the bank (wetmore's term for all that marathon base training ritz has been doing)
2. that's it, i'm moving to oregon, i know I will be in the 13s by the end of the year..haha
3. I think 27:22 is in jeaporday because according to a runner's world calculator, 12:56 indicates that it is possible to go under 27:00 with that speed.
4. my wife is yelling at me telling me to come to bed, and obviously doesn't understand that ritz running 12:56 is a big deal.
Let's hope others follow him to the marathon. Huge base and fantastic results.
Michael Randall said: “Flanagan is not in their group”
Yeah, sorry man, but Flanagan is indeed in the group. She is Jerry's first female pro. Jerry and Alberto have a group together that is not quite one, but not quite two. They are working in affiliation with each other.
Wooooooooooooo Hoooooooooo. Go Ritz. Hey Teg, Rupp, Solinsky, Hall, etc. - let's get inspired by this and go after some medals in 2011 and 2012. Let's go USA. Keep pushing those boundaries. Anything is possible.
Great on him! He has matured so much physically and mentally, he is confident but not arrogant. I don't think anyone saw this coming. 2:10 in London, second at USA's in the 10. Then the break out 10k in Berlin and now this. This is great, I know we project these times for youngsters that are phenoms in high school and college and very rarely do these projections come true. Top three as a junior at world cross, now top three at this meet in an AR. I think all of us fans, even Ritz accepted that sub 13 might not happen and to go from the marathon to this is just mind boggling. Such a drop in distance and dramatic increase in times he attributes to marathon training. We are seeing another huge step forward, he is a machine.
Actually, Poopie, I think the American record for 10,000 is more like 27:13 or something. But yeah, Ritz could take that down with the shape he's currently in. In fact, he was looking for a 10k rather than 5k here; but this was the best race at the right time.
Meb's record will live to fall another season, it looks like.
1. money in the bank (wetmore's term for all that marathon base training ritz has been doing)
2. that's it, i'm moving to oregon, i know I will be in the 13s by the end of the year..haha
3. I think 27:22 is in jeaporday because according to a runner's world calculator, 12:56 indicates that it is possible to go under 27:00 with that speed.
4. my wife is yelling at me telling me to come to bed, and obviously doesn't understand that ritz running 12:56 is a big deal.
Before anyone disses him for pursuing the marathon, i think its safe to say that his marathon training gave him a huge base to train off of. It also must have given him a mental boost, being able to push through 26.2 miles can make it mentally easier to run 12.5 or 25 laps around the track. I knew this was what was going to happen, and I can't wait to see what Ritz can do in the future. He may get a ton of expectations now because of this, but knowing how strong he is mentally as physically, I'm sure can pass those expectations, and even his own.
Man, I can see how Ritz wants to savor this, but at the same time, he also must really be thinking, "Gee, I wish I had a 10k in about two weeks." Or even a mile, for that matter. He could throw down a 3:57 or 3:56 at this point, I'd think. He's in such a great place right now, and looking forward to a fall half marathon. That would be great for him to grab Ryan's American record there and really shake things up.
Wow! That's all there is to say Wow! I want every young diatance runner to watch that race. It's a testimate to perseverance, faith, and dedication. He was in dead last for more then half the race and then closed to third as the only non African in the race. That just doesn't happen. With about 1k to go you could sense the crowd getting behind Ritz as he started charging. Bekele was coming back and so was the entire field. The announcers picked up on the crowd and you could just sense the people in the packed stadium were willing him around the track to catch Bekele. How awesome would that have been? The announcers were totally excited by Ritz even if they didn't realize he ran an AR, they realized it was a special performance. NBC guys would have been talking about crackers or something seeing as how they nothing about the US distance guys. Great run man!! Mark thanks for bringing us the interview. I could feel his excitement as well as yours behind the camera. You guys go out and have a few beers tonight. Yah!!!!
By the way what was that relay at the beginning of the Universal feed? I've never seen anything like it.
Congratulations Ritz, some of the credit has to go to your former coach, you always had it in you but this change was great for you and it's nice to see the belief in your new coach and his system.
I watched the race live and was INSPIRED as Ritz kept passing everyone those last few laps. It did, at one point, almost feel like he was going to come up on Bekele! That may have been my favorite race to watch ever. Really, really, cool. Thanks, Ritz. And thanks, Mark, for the interview.
Ritz (American Record 5k), Teg (American Record 2Mi), Webb (American Record Mile), Rupp (American Indoor Record 5k), Flanagan (Every American Distance Track Record). They have such a group up there.
It's nice to have an American distance performance to get legitimately excited about after all the talk over the last two years about the revival to US distance running. Hopefully this provides that extra motivation/confidence to start winning races and medals.
Ryan, Thanks tons. My voice is shot from watching the on-demand. I saw your message after I had already written mine.
USA! USA!
Bummer that I'll have to lose my voice again on Sunday.
Awesome race! once he hung on at about halfway it looked like a big one was coming then the last 1200 was fabulous(duh) The big 3 HS class of ritz webb hall have really lived up to their potential. Talent doesnt go away- i bet within the next 1-2 years there will be a similar style interview with webb.
Dave Fontaine said: “BTW, it's on NBC in high def on Sunday at 1 eastern. Hopefully universalsports.com will have the On-Demand up before then, but they're probably not gonna put it up until they make the money from airing it on broadcast.”
dave the on-demand is already up. i left a comment below and there's a link to the top left so you're good to go!
I didn't think I'd ever yell at my computer screen during a track race, but today changed that. One the most exciting races I've ever seen. Lets see what Webb can do
BTW, it's on NBC in high def on Sunday at 1 eastern. Hopefully universalsports.com will have the On-Demand up before then, but they're probably not gonna put it up until they make the money from airing it on broadcast.
I got chills when he talked about almost going into tears on the cool down and how much of a high he felt when he finally was able to be by himself and think about it. I remember those feelings but I can't imagine what it feels like at this magnitude. Over 10 years of competitive running, moments of brilliance but years of injury and lack luster performances all redeemed in his last two races. He's got some wind in the sails now!
Mark he was at 10:55-56 with 2 laps to go! I really wish you wouldve had your facts straight cause I woud've liked to hear his thoughts on closing in 2 flat and showing some finishing speed that has eluded his up until these past two races. Too bad.
Congrats Ritz, watching that race today was awesome. I am pleased to be able to look back and say I watched that. Mark, thanks again for being in the right place at the right time. Flotrack does it right. Also thanks to you and Ryan for the amazing coverage that you gave us in Berlin. You guys continue to advance our sport all the time.
I could write a whole story about his race and how I feel about it, but you all know the story already. I am just so grateful for this website and the fact that I can listen to an in depth interview within 3 hours of the race finish. Congrats and thanks!
thanks for this interview. you know, i was thinking about how many depressing and disappointed interviews i've seen of dathan over the past couple of years. i basically stopped clicking on them a while ago. but since the american trials, he absolutely exudes positive vibes. i'm SO happy for you!!! great job.
Dathan Ritzenhein Ritz video interview after breaking the American record in the 5k
Dathan Ritzenhein sutprised everyone including himself by breaking Bob Kennedy's American record for 5k. Ritz did it on a cool nigh in Zurich, when he finished 3rd in a time of 12:56.27. He is the 3rd fastest non-african and the 3rd American to break 13 mins in the 5000 meter event.
Ritz's Splits
30.9 [15th], 61.8 [1:32.7] [15th],
61.8 [2:34.5] [15th], 61.3 [3:35.8] [15th],
62.7 [4:38.5] [15th], 62.2 [5:40.7] [14th],
62.8 [6:43.5] [12th], 63.9 [7:47.4] [11th],
62.9 [8:50.3] [9th], 62.9 [9:53.2] [8th],
62.5 [10:55.7] [7th], 60.4 [11:56.1] [3rd],
60.2 [3rd]
2:00.6 for his last 800, 4:06 last 1600. August 28, 2009
Dathan Ritzenhein Ritz video interview after breaking the American record in the 5k
“..I think many of you are over estimating the effect the altitude tents had on his training...
”
Ritz's 2:10 marathon PB converts to a 13:18 5k, which is SHOCKINGLY close to his previous 5K PB of 13:16 using this converter: http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6765
I'm as happy as everybody else to see Ritz get a Break, but it's BLATANTLY OBVIOUS that 2 MONTHS using NIKE-CROSOFT TECHNOLOGY has had a TREMENDOUS impact on his ability. His 12:56 5k converts to a 2:06 marathon. I actually think Ritz can run 2:04 in the marathon.....With NIKE-CROSOFT TECHNOLOGY :)
“I think many of you are over estimating the effect the altitude tents had on his training. He has been with Alberto for only like 2 months and a lot of that time was spent at actual altitude.
His 13:16 PR is old, when was the last time he had a serious track season while being healthy for this long? The drastic improvement comes from 2 years of marathon training, then changing his training to be track oriented and getting a different mental outlook on the sport and what he is capable of.”
Not to mention he went to college in Colorado... He has past experience with altitude. He left it because he thought it was causing injuries, but now he has a different outlook on that, too.
“The effects of "Live High, Train Low" (LHTL) using Altitude Simulators are REAL...Ritz's 12:56 5k blatantly prove that point. This will cause more Elite Runners to use Altitude Simulators to LHTL because of Ritz's dramatic improvement (his previous Personal Best was 13:16)”
His 13:16 PR is old, when was the last time he had a serious track season while being healthy for this long? The drastic improvement comes from 2 years of marathon training, then changing his training to be track oriented and getting a different mental outlook on the sport and what he is capable of.
http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2004/08/64659
“Thay aren't doing all of this because of pup tents. They are that close all the time because they are really good and damn near identical as the end result of their training.
”
Technology changes everything, INCLUDING RUNNING, so in order to stay competitive, ALL Elite runners will eventually have to use Technology in their Training, or get left behind. Americans should enjoy this TEMPORARY Technological advantage while it lasts because the East Africans will eventually use the same Technology to improve their performances.
Ritz spent his time at Colorado, about 5300', and much like Jenny Barringer, has cashed in on the bennies of thin air living. Not everyone can afford to move to the Sierra Nevada ski areas in the off-season. But if you can, why not? I don't think the little wanna-be altitude set-ups are going to catch on. (Kind of like swamp land in Florida).
But going back to Ritz and Ryan's junior year NCAA Championships at Waterloo, Iowa, they ran the whole race in each other's gun sights, and for the last few K's you could have tied them together with a bungi cord. Hall was pure low-level Stanford training and Ritz was pure Boulder training, and they finished 1.3 seconds apart. Stanford had all seven runners in by 13th place, 1st place team, and Ritz was the overall winner. That pairing dates back to their high school Foot Locker race at Orlando, and is still going on, 9th-10th at the Olympics marathon. Thay aren't doing all of this because of pup tents. They are that close all the time because they are really good and damn near identical as the end result of their training.
PS - That NCAA Championship also featured Miss Flanagan as the women's champion, and the future Mrs. Hall, Sara Bei, in 3rd with a 1st Place Team finish for Stanford.
Ritzenhein's performance clearly shows that the MOST EFFECTIVE "Live High Train Low" (LHTL) method is to use Altitude Simulators. If your proposed "No-Tech Alternatives" are so effective, why did it take a runner, AIDED by an Altitude Simulator to break Bob Kennedy's 5k American Record ? Why didn't a runner using a "No-Tech Alternative" break it ?
The answer is that Altitude Simulators, though EXPENSIVE, are MORE EFFECTIVE & MORE PRACTICAL than physically travelling from Altitude to Sea Level to train. Since using Altitude Simulators is the BEST WAY to Live High & Train Low, it HIGHLY FAVORS PRIVILEGED athletes who currently have access to them.
But today's state of the art is tomorrow's common practice...Further stunning performances like Ritz's will prompt the rest of the world's Elite Runners to use LHTL technologies. Perhaps the cost of Altitude simulators will decrease over time like most tech gadgets,but again, this begs the question of how much Technology should be allowed in sports before it becomes a Technology Competition rather than an Athletic Competition ?
L.Y.-Michigan State Alumnus
East Africans at the sub-World Class level may not be able to afford LHTL rooms. Likewise, I am not advocating the use of such technology for just anybody. There is a level of practical use of resources to the level in question. I coached high school distance runners and never even used heartrate monitors because their level of developmental needs was so basic. Further, I think the last thing this country needs is high school runners feeling they NEED an altitude room to win state. Most of the runners at this level still need so much more basic development first. This is world-class technology, and my point is that if Ritz is going to beat East Africans, then he needs to be a pro! Ditto with anyone else who wants to win internationally. Whether high school running zealots will go so far as to buy altitude rooms for $19K, remains to be seen, but that would admittedly be a bummer. That's putting too much value on a state championship--something I think undermines the development of our most talented in this country kids as it is. People want a short cut to winning at too low a level. But the point is, if you're a pro, be a pro. And world class East Africans most definitely CAN afford the technology and I guarantee you Bekele can, along with every single runner Ritz passed in the last 1200 m in Zurich. I think if someone wanted to research the prize money earnings and win schedules in the shoe contracts of these East Africans, you'd be surprised how poor they are not.
The NCAA skiing championships are held every other year at very high altitude--in fact illegally-high altitude by the rules of the Federation Internationale de Ski. If I coach a team from low altitude, and every other year, my NCAA qualifiers--who are pretty heavily invested in their training and performance--have to race at 7000+ feet, that's problematic in fairness, not to mention expense--which is the topic here on LHTL. If I can buy a used altitude room set up for say, $2000, and spend another $1000 to retrofit a room, and ALLOW (nor force) my likely NCAA qualifiers to sleep there the month before the NCAA Championships in Steamboat Springs, is that unfair technology and over-the-top expense? Consider that sans altitude room I will need to spend easily $3000-$4000 at a minimum, for 10 days in a condo in Steamboat Springs for my athletes to have a remote chance of a fair fight. I did that in Bozeman two years ago. THAT'S EXPENSIVE! That's $3000-$4000 EVERY OTHER YEAR, compared to a one-time investment of $3000. I can tell you what my Athletic Director thinks. This is just an example of how NOT cut-and-dry this argument is.
I think I gave a pretty reasonable explanation why the line is at altitude simulated rooms. It's the same reason the rules stop there too. A simple question then is, if it's not at the altitude room, where is it? And if it's somewhere closer to "less technology," how do you enforce the rules if you move the rules that direction? The other direction is clearly not a direction we want to go. The current rules are very simple: If your body creates the adaptation on its own, it is fair and legal. To me, that's a pretty reasonable place, and to move it anywhere else is problematic in so many ways. To think that the rule stops there because nobody outside of the blogosphere has given it much thought is hugely naive. This stuff has been legal eagled 'til you see fuzzy--which is probably why the line seems as such. But I think the line is visible. In fact, I think it's very visible. That doesn't mean I don't understand that people thinks it's ethically fuzzy, and why. But turn it over in your head more, like I have for the past decade, and it become clearer and clearer.
http://cub.alaskapacific.edu/kikkanimal/sae.html
http://www.altitudetraining.com/
“....Training involves doing things to your body to help it overcompensate. ie load it with extreme acidosis so it recovers and over-compensates....”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/michael-phelps-loses-to-g_n_246281.html
Where the line is gray is when you start talking about nutrients, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, epo, anabolic steroids, HGH. There is a line there somewhere, but it is sometimes a very murky line.
Technology threatens to change Athletics Competitions into TECHNOLOGY Competitions, which is not what Sports is about. The nature of Sports competitions is to determine the BEST ATHLETE, NOT which ATHLETE HAS THE BEST TECHNOLOGY. Look at those Controversial Swimsuits from the 2008 Olympics...Michael Phelps recently lost to a guy wearing a High-Tech Swimsuit...Is this the Future of sports, where the BEST ATHLETES lose to lesser athletes who have the BEST TECHNOLOGY ? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/michael-phelps-loses-to-g_n_246281.html
As for your point that "Live High, Train Low Technology" (LHTLT) is readily available to anyone who seeks it, I DISAGREE. Alot of East Africans don't even have shoes when they start running, let alone cars....Your point that one can rent a shack at Altitude, and drive down to Sea Level to train, proves my point that LHTLT users have to have Significant Financial Resources. Sports should be about Athletic Ability, not money and technology.
Be very, very clear. The sport is far from clean internationally, yet Ritz just finished third in an AR at the Weltklasse. Do you really think he did it by approaching it with something as simple as "more mileage" and "better diet." No. These are professional athletes and hallelujah that someone like Salazar has finally taken his job as a coach professionally--DOING IT FAIRLY, WITHIN THE RULES.
Blood doping extracts blood, spins out the plasma, and re-injects it into your blood stream. Can your body do this on its own? How is an altitude tent "the same thing." It's not the same thing.
EPO incites the liver to create red blood cells at a rate that your body simply cannot naturally do. In fact an early test for EPO was to test the age of the blood cells in the blood. The livers of athletes on EPO will actually STOP creating red blood cells altogether because the rapidly-increasing rate it was producing them from the EPO tells the liver to stop producing them. Your body will never stop telling the liver to produce red blood cells on its own. Anti-doping scientists could look at the age of blood cells and if there was a gap of production, they could tell an athlete was using EPO. Can your body do all this on its own?
Live high, train low, using oxygen-manipulated environments at low altitude is the LOW-COST method of preparing for endurance sport peak performance without owning a jet, a condo in Truckee and a house in San Francisco. If you ban altitude chambers, you've gotta ban training in West Yellowstone, MT, and flying to sleep down in Eugene. From a cheating-management perspective, it's totally unrealistic.
But that's not even the issue. The issue is, an altitude tent or room does not unnaturally create physiological adaptations that your body would not naturally do. If removing oxygen from the air in a room = taking blood out with a needle, freezing it, then reinjecting it right before a big race, then you can say altitude tent = cheating. I don't think it is, and more importantly, the IAAF and the IOC don't think so either.
So let's let Ritz, and Alberto, and all of us, celebrate 1. that someone--even if it is evil old corporate Nike--found a guy like Salazar to resurrect distance running in this country and 2. they are openly and legally doing it with an altitude room and not hoodwinking us and doing it the lazy way with needles and EPO behind closed doors.
Congrats Ritz!
What an awful job the US announcers did. There was no excitement at all. Who did color there? Liquori or Shorter?
“NBC did such a bad job covering Ritz during the race and especially afterwards when they knew it was an AR. I know Bekele is the best distance runner in history, but Ritz ran the race of his life and got one of the most treasured records for American distance runners. FloTrack needs to start covering these races instead of those chumps at NBC. Also, now that Kennedy does not have the record I will be expecting Nike to come out with the Zoom Ritz.”
I'll buy a Zoom Ritz! hahah
Use of this Technology is UNFAIR to those who don't have access to it, like many of the East Africans, so its use will eventually tilt the playing field heavily in favor or those privileged enough to use it. (you did say the Nordic Ski team cleaned up the Olympic Medals after using Live High, Train Low Technology)
This begs the question of how much Technology is TOO Much Technology in Sports ? Think of the controversial "Hi-Tech Swim Suits" from the 2008 Olympics, or Overly "Springy" Drivers in Golf. It threatens to turn Sports into a competition of "Who has the Better Technology" rather than who is the Better Athlete. Whats to Stop Nike from introducing "Semi-Anti-Gravity Shoes" like the "Air Zero-Grav" (i made that up) so their runners can compete at a Fraction of their Body Weight ?
Balancing Technology and Sports Performance is a difficult task because everyone wants to win, but Sports should be about Athletic Ability not an athletes use of Advanced Technology to Artificially Improve their Athletic Ability.
“Here's the archived meet video from Universal Sports. The 5k starts about 2 hours and 6 minutes into it.
http://www.universalsports.com/mediaPlayer/media.dbml?SPSID=105559&SPID=13055&DB_OEM_ID=23000&id=644818&sid=13055”
never watched a golden league meet before. that is track and field at its finest. that crowd looked incredible (they were doing some sweet clap after the 5k before the 4x1). no reason something as exciting and well commentated shouldn't be on a major network in the us.
glad it was online!
if you haven't taken the 12:56 out of your day to watch ritz light it up, i recommend it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_Oregon_Project
http://www.tracktownusa.com/track.item.5/the-oregon-project.html
The Nike Altitude Project is NOT basic Altitude Training. It is an advanced Scientific project designed to give participants the best of both worlds hence the name "Live High, Train Low", i.e. the Increased # of Red Blood Cells-RBCs of living at Altitude, while allowing them to train at sea level. Everybody knows the human body runs slower at altitude because of decreased Oxygen levels, so by doing High Intensity Running at Sea Level, participants get the physiological improvements of high intensity training, while increasing RBCs through living at Altitude.
The controversy surrounding these methods is that True Altitude Inhabitants can't have it both ways....They Live AND Train at Altitude. To get the benefits of "Live High, Train Low" they would have to travel thousands of miles from altitude to sea level everyday, which is financially impossible considering the extreme poverty of most African countries.
While the Nike Altitude Project is not blatant Blood Doping, it is HIGHLY Controversial. It begs the question of how much technology should be allowed to enhance a runner's natural ability ? I applaud Coach Salazar and Nike for publicly sharing information about the project. This is not a shadowy, Government Sponsored Doping Program, but it is does push the boundaries of Natural Ability vs. Technological Enhancements.
“Go Ritz!!! I bet we will see a sub 2 hour marathon from this man in the next 5 years.”
Mile- 3.33.2
2 mile- 7.34.9 (3.47.4)
5k- 12.18 (3.58 per mile)
10k- 25.34 (4.06 per mile)
13.1- 56.53 (4.21 per mile)
26.2- 1.59.59 (4.35 per mile)
“oohhh omg he's living in an altitude tent! ahh it's not fair! it's not natural they can just walk out of a tent and be at sea level! ohhh wahhh where's my 20 second PB?”
http://www.tracktownusa.com/track.item.5/the-oregon-project.html
"Altitude Science: Live High, Train Low
The technology features of Nike House were based on research demonstrating the benefits of the so-called “Live High, Train Low” theory. This theory holds that distance runners deliver the best race results when they sleep at high altitude, but train at low altitude.
...Nike House, a five-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot bungalow in northwest Portland,...A system of pumps, carbon-dioxide filters, and molecular sieves – which cost Nike a reported $110,000 – removed oxygen from the air, simulating altitudes from 9,000 to 14,000 feet...Nike House became the ideal laboratory for testing the effectiveness of Live High, Train Low...marathoner Dan Browne, who increased his red blood cell count by 11 percent while living at Nike House. Other notable participants in the Oregon Project have included the Ducks’ Galen Rupp, plus Adam Goucher, Kara Goucher, Caitlin Chock and Bret Schoolmeester"
However, everybody loves an Underdog, and Ritz's Breakthrough 12:56 5k will give hope & inspiration to Non-African Runners. But I don't agree with the IAAF making the World XC Championships a Biennial event because of East African Dominance. Using that logic, (predictable winner ethnicity), the championships in Hockey, Swimming, Cycling, Skiing, Rowing, Gymnastics, Formula 1, Figure Skating, Mens Tennis, NASCAR etc, should be held every 2 years. Also, when XC was dominated by Non-African Runners (John Treacy, Craig Virgin, Carlos Lopes, Grete Waitz, Lynn Jennings, Paula Radcliffe etc), nobody was complaining, so whats the problem now ? Non-African Runners should stop crying about East African Dominance and start training harder and running faster.
http://www.runningandinspirationalstories.blogspot.com
alazar, a winner of the New York and Boston marathons, has been coaching Ritzenhein for just three months. In April, after finishing 11th in the London Marathon in a personal-best 2:10:00, Ritzenhein decided to leave coach Brad Hudson, whose training group was in Eugene, Ore. By June, Ritzenhein left Eugene for Portland and Salazar's group.
"No doubt about it, Brad Hudson deserves a lot of the credit for this, the majority of credit," said Salazar. "He'd gotten him in great shape from all the marathon training, very aerobically fit."
Mens 5k
Awesome race, congratulations, Ritz!
“1. money in the bank (wetmore's term for all that marathon base training ritz has been doing)
2. that's it, i'm moving to oregon, i know I will be in the 13s by the end of the year..haha
3. I think 27:22 is in jeaporday because according to a runner's world calculator, 12:56 indicates that it is possible to go under 27:00 with that speed.
4. my wife is yelling at me telling me to come to bed, and obviously doesn't understand that ritz running 12:56 is a big deal.
Let's hope others follow him to the marathon. Huge base and fantastic results.”
“1. money in the bank (wetmore's term for all that marathon base training ritz has been doing)
2. that's it, i'm moving to oregon, i know I will be in the 13s by the end of the year..haha
3. I think 27:22 is in jeaporday because according to a runner's world calculator, 12:56 indicates that it is possible to go under 27:00 with that speed.
4. my wife is yelling at me telling me to come to bed, and obviously doesn't understand that ritz running 12:56 is a big deal.
Let's hope others follow him to the marathon. Huge base and fantastic results.”
“why the hell does everyone look at africans as the bad guys???? americans are the ones taking the steroids lol”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_Oregon_Project
“NBC guys would have been talking about crackers or something seeing as how they nothing about the US distance guys.”
2. that's it, i'm moving to oregon, i know I will be in the 13s by the end of the year..haha
3. I think 27:22 is in jeaporday because according to a runner's world calculator, 12:56 indicates that it is possible to go under 27:00 with that speed.
4. my wife is yelling at me telling me to come to bed, and obviously doesn't understand that ritz running 12:56 is a big deal.
Let's hope others follow him to the marathon. Huge base and fantastic results.
“Flanagan is not in their group”
Meb's record will live to fall another season, it looks like.
Mark and Ryan, God bless you guys for what you do. This is simply amazing!!!!!!
2. that's it, i'm moving to oregon, i know I will be in the 13s by the end of the year..haha
3. I think 27:22 is in jeaporday because according to a runner's world calculator, 12:56 indicates that it is possible to go under 27:00 with that speed.
4. my wife is yelling at me telling me to come to bed, and obviously doesn't understand that ritz running 12:56 is a big deal.
By the way what was that relay at the beginning of the Universal feed? I've never seen anything like it.
63.9 [7:47.4] [11th], 62.9 [8:50.3] [9th], 62.9 [9:53.2] [8th], 62.5 [10:55.7] [7th], 60.4 [11:56.1] [3rd], 60.2 [3rd])
Yes, 2:00.6 for his last 800.
“awesome job, but Galen Rupp will break it.”
Congrats, Ritz.
USA! USA!
Bummer that I'll have to lose my voice again on Sunday.
(30.9 [15th], 61.8 [1:32.7] [15th], 61.8 [2:34.5] [15th], 61.3 [3:35.8] [15th], 62.7 [4:38.5] [15th], 62.2 [5:40.7] [14th], 62.8 [6:43.5] 12th],
63.9 [7:47.4] [11th], 62.9 [8:50.3] [9th], 62.9 [9:53.2] [8th], 62.5 [10:55.7] [7th], 60.4 [11:56.1] [3rd], 60.2 [3rd])
Yes, 2:00.6 for his last 800.
“BTW, it's on NBC in high def on Sunday at 1 eastern. Hopefully universalsports.com will have the On-Demand up before then, but they're probably not gonna put it up until they make the money from airing it on broadcast.”
Man. Crush.
“Ryan, I bet you wish you were there!”
http://www.universalsports.com/mediaPlayer/media.dbml?SPSID=105559&SPID=13055&DB_OEM_ID=23000&id=644818&sid=13055
What do i have to do to be fast??