Quick Poll: What place will Dathan finish in the Olympic Marathon? 

What do you think?

Lens Navigator -- it's all just a click away! 

• Did you know? Six fun facts about Dathan Ritzenhein
• Ritz and Bei - Footlocker Champions
• Dathan Ritzenhein in high school
• Dathan wins the 1999 Footlocker Cross Country Championships
• Dathan repeats as 2000 Footlocker Cross Country Champion
• Quick, what do you think of Dathan Ritzenhein?
• Dathan Ritzenhein in college
• Serious questions for serious distance running fans
• Running with the Buffaloes
• Dathan Ritzenhein the professional
• Great videos of Dathan Ritzenhein's professional races
• Serious questions for serious distance running fans
• Dathan's best performances
• Dathan Ritzenhein in "Showdown"
• Dathan Ritzenhein interviews
• Other great distance running lenses by buraian
• News and views on Dathan's performances from the Blogosphere
• Tell us what you think of Dathan Ritzenhein!
• Optimal Training

Did you know? Six fun facts about Dathan Ritzenhein 

You did know? Okay, then answer the polls and enjoy the videos!

1. Dathan set a course record in every cross country race he ran his senior year except one, Footlocker nationals, where he missed the record by six seconds due to the heat. The holder of that record, Dathan--he set it the year before!
2. Dathan was arguably the best high school runner ever, winning two cross country championships and 8:41.10 for 3200m and 13:44.70 for 5000m
3. Dathan holds the NCAA record at 10,000m (27:38.50). He ran it in his first ever 10k on the track.
4. Dathan finished last in the 2004 Olympic Trials 10k, but still made it to the Olympics when Bob Kennedy and Meb Keflezighi didn't run
5. Dathan finished fourth at the 2006 USATF Cross Country Nationals, while suffering from walking pneumonia!
6. Dathan has joined Ryan Hall and other elite runners in writing a bi-weekly blog at TheFinalSprint.com!

Dathan Ritzenhein in high school 

The best high school runner ever

"Don't worry about people telling you to stop doing too much and that you will burn out. Burn out is mental, and if you are tough then you can do anything." --Dathan Ritzenhein

Dathan Ritzenhein grew up in Rockford, Michigan and attended Rockford High School. He first gained notice as a high school sophomore, when he ran 8:58.65 for two miles.

His junior year saw Dathan much improved. He won the footlocker Midwest Regional and then surprised everyone by winning the Footlocker Cross Country Championships (5k) in Orlando, FL in a course record 14:29 (see video below). Only the second junior to ever win the race, he beat a group of future stars, including Donald Sage (2nd), Ian Dobson (3rd), Josh Rohatinsky (4th), Matt Tegenkamp (5th) and Alan Webb (8th).

He ran 8:48.06 for two miles and 4:05.9 for 1600m, and a national record 8:41.10 for 3200m during his junior track season.

His senior cross country season saw Dathan defend his Footlocker title in a much-hyped battle against Alan Webb and Ryan Hall. The three runners had each broken numerous course records throughout the season--Dathan broke the course record in all of his races--and won their Regional races handily. The race was not close, however, as Dathan (14:35) broke away midway through the race and defeated Webb and Hall by 15 and 20 seconds, respectively (see video below).

Later that year, Ritz finished second at the USATF Junior Cross Country Championships behind Matt Tegenkamp, earning a spot in the IAAF World Championships where he finished 3rd, becoming the first American man to medal at the race since 1981.

He wrapped up his high school career by running 8:44.43 for two miles and 13:44.70 for 5k, the latter being the second fastest time ever at the time (Galen Rupp has since run faster). He also won the 5k at the Michigan State Championships in a state record 14:10, defeating second place by 55 seconds. He capped his season off with an 11th place finish in the 5k at the USA Outdoors.

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF

Dathan wins the 1999 Footlocker Cross Country Championships 

Dathan repeats as 2000 Footlocker Cross Country Champion 

Quick, what do you think of Dathan Ritzenhein? 

Dathan Ritzenhein in college 

His record-breaking years at Colorado

"My freshman season was great but I was just a rookie in the league and now I feel even better about what I will accomplish." --Dathan Ritzenhein

Dathan entered the University of Colorado at Boulder in the fall of 2001. He had an exceptional freshman cross country campaign. He finished second at the Big 12 XC Championships (behind teammate Jorge Torres). He followed that with a fourth place at the NCAA Cross Country Championships with a time of 29:11 (10k). This was the third best finish ever by a freshman, behind Bob Kennedy (1st, 1988) and Adam Goucher (2nd, 1994). His finish, along with the second place finish of teammate Jorge Torres, helped lead Colorado to the team title.

The following spring Dathan finished 5th at the USATF Cross Country Championships. At the World Championships he finished a strong 24th.

On the track, Dathan ran a 5000m personal record of 13:27.77. He competed in the 5000m race at the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, again finishing fourth (14:01.02). Other personal bests included 3:42.99 for 1500m and 8:01.72 for 3k.

Stress fractures caused him to decide to redshirt his sophomore year in both cross country and track. His best times for that year were 3:46.88, 8:14.96, and 13:39.17.

In the fall of 2003, Dathan once again competed in cross country. He won the Big 12 title, and then outkicked Ryan Hall of Stanford to win the NCAA Cross Country Championships individual title. His winning time was 29:14.1.

In the spring of 2004 Dathan ran a 27:38.50 in his debut at 10,000m at Stanford to set the debut and American-born collegiate record in the event (Galen Rupp now holds the latter). The next day he won the 5000m at the Big 12 Outdoor Conference Championships. Dathan concluded his collegiate season by placing second (13:52.13) to Robert Cheseret of Arizona in the 5000m at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Dathan harbored hopes of competing in the Olympic Games at the end of the summer in Athens, but shortly after the NCAA meet he developed a stress fracture in his foot. He limped through the Olympic Trials in the 10,000m, finishing last (31:13.91), but was able to make the team because the two other athletes with Olympic qualifying times did not go to Athens; Bob Kennedy dropped out of the Olympic Trials race with an Achilles tendon injury and Meb Keflezighi chose to focus solely on the marathon.

Dathan ran the Olympic 10,000m, but dropped out mid-race due to what he believed to be pain caused by his stress fracture. It turned out to be only a calcium deposit. He ended the year ranked #5 U.S. in the 10,000m.

Shortly after the Olympics he decided to forego his remaining collegiate eligibility in order to run professionally. At this time he changed coaches from Mark Wetmore to Brad Hudson.

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF

Serious questions for serious distance running fans 

Running with the Buffaloes 

by Chris Lear

Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and the University of Colorado Men's Cross-Country Team

by Chris Lear

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 10/11/2008)
Used Price: $7.37

This book is awesome. I don't know how to describe it that well. It pretty much documents every day of the CU xc team during a season that culminates with the NCAA national meet. It has ups and downs, and a little bit of comedy. Some of the "language" in the book are direct quotes, but it would have been nice if they were left out. This book would be a good book to read if you are a HS cross country runner planning on running in college at any division. It could get you mentally prepared for a season of running at the college level. --Ethan Albertson

Dathan Ritzenhein the professional 

From Boulder to Beijing

"Right now, there's a synergistic movement going on, where everybody's building off everyone else's performances." --Dathan Ritzenhein

Dathan began his professional career on December 31, 2004 when he finished 3rd in a 10k road race in Italy. In January of 2005 he won the prestigious Belfast International cross country race (29:26, 10k), defeating many of the world's top cross country runners. Dathan won the U.S. Cross Country Championships long course (36:59, 12k) for his first senior national title. Before the World Cross Country Championships, expectations were high and some prognosticators even predicted a top 10 finish, but Dathan faded after going out with the leaders and ended up placing 62nd (38:46).

Dathan's 2005 track season began with a 13:22.23 5000m PR and a 7:43.95 3000m. In a much anticipated 2 mile race that included high school rival Alan Webb, Dathan ran 8:23.45, which was a solid performance, but was overshadowed by Webb's 8:11.48 for the American record. A few days before the U.S. Outdoor Track Championships Dathan injured a nerve on his foot in a freak accident. This injury effectively ended his season.

On February 19, 2006, Dathan faltered in the USATF national cross-country championships at Van Cortlandt Park. Leading with Hall and Jorge Torres for several circuits of the 12K course, he dropped off badly near the end as Ryan Hall ran away from the field. Dathan finished fourth, nearly a minute behind Hall. He qualified for the team but appeared to be hurting badly after the race. He was eventually diagnosed with walking pneumonia and forfeited his spot on the US team.

He again competed against Alan Webb in a 10k race at the Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University. Webb and Ritz worked together throughout, trading off pacing duties every 800m, but in the final lap Webb (27:34.72) outkicked Dathan (27:35.65). In the 5000m at the U.S. Outdoor Track Championships Dathan finished 3rd behind Bernard Lagat and Matt Tegenkamp in a personal record time of 13:16.61. He then went to Europe and ran two 5000m races. He won his first race in Switzerland, and then ran respectably in an elite field in Rome.

Dathan then ended his track season to prepare for the ING New York City Marathon. It was his debut marathon, and he ran 2:14:01. He also ran the Great North Run Half-Marathon in a personal best 1:01:26.

Dathan's 2007 track campaign saw him achieve some new personal bests. He ran a PR for 3k in Sheffield, England (7:39.03), finishing 4th. He also ran a PR for two-miles at the Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, finishing 4th (8:11.74) in a race that saw Matt Tegenkamp set a new American Record.

Dathan then finished 3rd at the US Outdoor Track and Field Championships at 10k, running 28:31.88. He finished 9th at the World Outdoor meet in a time of 28:29.59. He then turned his focus to the Olympic Trials Marathon, where he finished second in a personal best time of 2:11:06. He will join Ryan Hall and Brian Sell to compete in the marathon in Beijing.

Dathan ended 2007 ranked #3 in the U.S. at 3000m & 10000m, #6 at 5000m in the U.S., and #2 in the U.S. in the marathon by T&FN.

Dathan started 2008 strongly, by winning the US Cross Country Championships 12k in 35:03. He skipped the World Cross Country meet to heal some injuries. He finished 8th at the US Olympic Trials 10k, running 28:05.31 in a tune-up for the Olympic Games. He then ran 1:01:38 to finish 3rd in the NYC Half Marathon on July 27th as his final tune-up race.

In the Olympic marathon, Dathan finished 9th in a time of 2:11:59. He was the first American to cross the line, finishing 34 seconds ahead of Ryan Hall, who finished 10th. Dathan was less than 1 minute off of his personal best, which was quite an accomplishment given the hot weather during the race.

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF

Great videos of Dathan Ritzenhein's professional races 

Serious questions for serious distance running fans 

Dathan's best performances 

From cross country to the track to the roads

"I haven't always run great, but I do tend to avoid having bad days, when I make it to the line." --Dathan Ritzenhein

Championships

1999 Footlocker Cross Country Champion (14:29CR)
2000 Footlocker Cross Country Champion (14:35)
2003 NCAA Cross Country Champion (29:41.1)
2005 US Cross Country Champion (36:59)
2008 USA Cross Country Champion (35:03)

Personal records

3:42.99 - 1500m - 2002
7:39.03 - 3000m - 2007
8:11.74 - 2-mile - 2007
13:16.61 - 5000m - 2006
27:35.65 - 10000m - 2006
61:26 - half-marathon - 2006
2:11:07 - marathon - 2007

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF

Dathan Ritzenhein in "Showdown" 

A glimpse into Dathan's training

Dathan Ritzenhein interviews 

A comprehensive list of Dathan's interviews, ranked by the readers!

If you like one of these interviews, rank it so others read it first! And if you know of a great interview that isn't here...Add it!

Add to this list

Grab this list

Get the RSS feed: Keep an eye on this Plexo list. See who wins. And who's left in the dirt.

Get the widget: Add this Plexo list as a widget on your blog, site, forum, whatever. Be an influential. Show off your great find.

Get this on my lens: Attack of the clones! Grab this Plexo module for your own lens. Get YOUR readers to vote for their favorites.

• Add to Bloglines
• Add to My Yahoo
• Add to Google
• Add to Technorati
• Add to NewsGator
• Add to My MSN
• Grab the XML

Please pick your widget size and display. Then click "Make the Widget" to get the code that's just right for you.

Pick your widget size:

Small size: Best for blog sidebars, and areas 250 pixels or less
Standard size: Best for blog posts, and areas greater than 250 pixels wide

How many list items to show? 5 10 15 All

Make the Widget!

Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

Add more links    Submit

Type or paste links below (one per line):
(Ex: http://www.cuteoverload.com) Help me find links

Done Adding

Cancel

Other great distance running lenses by buraian 

Because the world needs to know!

Alan Webb

Alan Webb has had a record-breaking career, and he is still just 25 years old. He holds the National High School indoor and outdoor mile records, the American mile record, and is the former holder of the two-mile record. He ranks among America's elit...

Matt Tegenkamp

Matt Tegenkamp is a phenomenal runner. The American record holder for two-miles, he has also run the fourth fastest 5k all-time in America. He has won USA cross country titles, indoor track titles, and come within four hundredths of a second of medal...

Ryan Hall

Ryan has had success on the track, but he owns the roads. He is the American Record holder for the half-marathon (59:43), he ran the fastest debut marathon in US history (2:08:24), he won the US Olympic Marathon Trials and ran 2:06:17 in London! In B...

German Fernandez

German Fernandez is arguably the best high school runner ever. Despite numerous injuries that kept him off the track, he demolished the CIF state meet record in cross country (14:24), won the USA Junior Cross Country championships (24:18 for 8k), and...

Jon Rankin

Jon Rankin is the fastest miler you've never heard of. Unless you've lost to him, that is! The graduate of UCLA has consistently run 3:36 for 1500m and finished 6th at the Olympic Trials, just missing a spot on the Olympic team. He is an avid suppor...

News and views on Dathan's performances from the Blogosphere 

From the USATF Cross Country Championships to Beijing, what others are saying about Dathan

Dathan Ritzenehin: Back To Boulder B (Elite Athlete Blog Entry 14)

DATHAN RITZENHEIN The Final Sprint Elite Athlete Blog Series logo 425x77 pixels Welcome to the official blog of top US distance runner Dathan Ritzenhein! Check back every other Tuesday for Ritz's latest entry at ...

Dathan Ritzenehin: Post-Olympic Marathon Blog (Elite Athlete Blog ...

dathan ritzenhein finishing 2007 us olympic men's marathon trials Well it has been a month now since the last blog posting. Sorry to the regular readers who may have been looking for the last post. Thank you so much to everyone who has ...

Dathan Ritzenhein, Ryan Hall: Top Ten

Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall gave the United States a pair of top-10 finishers [Olympic Marathon] for the first time since 1976? (and I'm crushin' on both of ?em? BIGTIME). Ritzenhein, who rose steadily through the pack as the race ...

A Brief Chat With Dathan Ritzenhein

Reported By Peter Gambaccini Photo by Victah Sailer Dathan Ritzenhein, who is a 2008 US Olympic marathoner after his second place 2:11:07 at the US Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in New York in... The Daily News presents the most ...

Tell us what you think of Dathan Ritzenhein! 

Share your stories, sightings, thoughts, rants, raves...

buraian Thanks Joe! What I was trying to say, actually, was that it was a debut record. You're absolutely right about Rono having the record. (Sidenote: Rono was a beast.) I've modified it to make it more clear! Posted April 26, 2008

Joe Ese

You have your facts a little mixed up with the NCAA 10k record. Dathan was never the overall record-holder, he had the record for american-born collegians. His 27:38 put him at 3rd behind Henry Rono's 27:22 and Samson Kimombwa 27:30. Now he's 4th after Galen Rupp ran 27:33 last spring.

Posted April 24, 2008

buraian I'd love to know your thoughts on Dathan or this lens. Let's make this the go-to place to learn about Dathan Ritzenhein! Posted February 24, 2008

Optimal Training 

Develop the mindset of a champion

Fetching RSS feed... please stand by