Who is Dathan Ritzenhein

"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

"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

"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.

In his first race of 2009, Dathan finished second to Meb Keflezighi at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, clocking 61:35. He then finished 11th at the London Marathon, running a personal best time of 2:10:00. His first track race of the summer was a 13:34.00 5000m in Toronto. He then took 2nd at the USA Championships 10000m, running 27:58.59.

In Berlin, Dathan ran a huge PR, clocking 27:22.28 to finish 6th. The time puts him 4th on the all-time list for the US. He then ran the best race of his career, breaking the American Record for 5000m at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich, clocking 12:56.27. He then won bronze at the World Half Marathon Championships running 60:00.

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF

"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 - Sheffield (2007)
8:11.74 - 2-mile - Eugene (2007)
12:56.27 AR - 5000m - Zurich (2009)
27:22.28 - 10000m - Berlin (2009)
1:01:00 - half-marathon - Birmingham (2009)
2:10:00 - marathon - London (2009)

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF

Marathon

1. 2:05:38 - Khalid Khannouchi - London (2002)
2. 2:06:17 - Ryan Hall - London (2008)
3. 2:08:47 - Bob Kempainen - Boston (1994)
4. 2:08:51 - Alberto Salazar - Boston (1982)
5. 2:08:53 - Dick Beardsley - Boston (1982)
6. 2:08:56 - Abdi Abdirahman - Chicago (2006)
7. 2:09:00 - Greg Meyer - Boston (1983)
8. 2:09:15 - Meb Keflezighi - New York City (2009)
9. 2:09:27 - Bill Rodgers - Boston (1979)
10. 2:09:31 - Ron Tabb - Boston (1983)
11. 2:09:32 - David Morris - Chicago (1999)
12. 2:09:35 - Jerry Lawson - Chicago (1997)
13. 2:09:38 - Ken Martin - New York City (1989)
14. 2:09:41 - Alan Culpepper - Chicago (2002)
15. 2:09:57 - Benji Durden - Boston (1983)
NR. 2:10:00 - Dathan Ritzenhein - London (2009)

Half Marathon

1. 59:43 - Ryan Hall - Houston (2007)
2. 1:00:00 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Birmingham (2009)
3. 1:00:55 - Mark Curp - Philadelphia (1985)
4. 1:01:00 - Meb Keflezighi - San Jose (2009)
5. 1:01:07 - Abdi Abdirahman - Philadelphia (2006)
6. 1:01:17 - Khalid Khannouchi - Philadelphia (2000)
7. 1:01:30 - Keith Brantly - Philadelphia (1993)
8. 1:01:32 - Paul Cummings - Dayton (1983)
9. 1:01:43 - George Malley - Philadelphia (1982)
10. 1:01:47 - Herb Lindsay - Manchester (1981)
10. 1:01:47 - Bill Reifsnyder - Philadelphia (1985)
11. 1:01:47 - Jon Sinclair - Philadelphia (1985)
12. 1:01:52 - Todd Williams - Orlando (1981)
13. 1:01:57 - Bruce Bickford - Philadelphia (1986)

10,000 meters

1. 27:13.98 - Meb Keflezighi - Palo Alto (2001)
2. 27:16.99 - Abdi Abdirahman - Eugene (2008)
3. 27:20.56 - Mark Nenow - Brussels (1986)
4. 27:22.28 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Berlin (2009)
5. 27:25.61 - Alberto Salazar - Oslo (1982)
6. 27:29.16 - Craig Virgin - Paris (1980)
7. 27:31.34 - Todd Williams - Knoxville (1995)
8. 27:33.48 - Galen Rupp - Palo Alto (2007)
9. 27:33.93 - Alan Culpepper - Palo Alto (2001)
10. 27:34.72 - Alan Webb - Palo Alto (2006)
11. 27:36.99 - Tim Nelson - Palo Alto (2009)
12. 27:37.17 - Bruce Bickford - Stockholm (1985)
13. 27:37.45 - Bob Kennedy - Palo Alto (2004)
14. 27:37.74 - Anthony Famiglietti - Palo Alto (2006)
15. 27:41.05 - Ed Eyestone - Walnut (1985)
16. 27:42.15 - Dan Browne - Palo Alto (2004)

5,000 meters

1. 12:56.27 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Zurich (2009)
2. 12:58.21 - Bob Kennedy - Zurich (1996)
3. 12:58.56 - Matt Tegenkamp - Brussels (2009)
4. 12:59.22 - Bernard Lagat - London (2006)
5. 13:01.15 - Sydney Maree - Oslo (1985)
6. 13:10.00 - Adam Goucher - Heusden-Zolder (2006)
7. 13:10.86 - Alan Webb - Berlin (2005)
8. 13:11.77 - Meb Keflezighi - Heusden-Zolder (2000)
8. 13:11.77 - Tim Broe - Oslo (2005)
10. 13:11.93 - Alberto Salazar - Stockholm (1982)
10. 13:11.93 - Anthony Famiglietti - Walnut (2007)
12. 13:12.24 - Chris Solinsky - Heusden-Zolder (2007)
13. 13:12.91 - Matt Centrowitz - Eugene (1982)
14. 13:13.32 - Abdi Abdirahman - London (2005)
15. 13:13.49 - Bruce Bickford - Oslo (1985)

3,000 meters

1. 7:30.84 - Bob Kennedy - Monaco (1998)
2. 7:33.15 - Bernard Lagat - Paris (2009)
3. 7:33.37 - Sydney Maree - London (1982)
4. 7:34.96 - Adam Goucher - Monaco (2001)
5. 7:34.98 - Matt Tegenkamp - Monaco (2006)
6. 7:35.84 - Doug Padilla - Oslo (1983)
7. 7:36.69 - Steve Scott - Ingelheim (1981)
8. 7:36.90 - Chris Solinsky - Sheffield (2007)
9. 7:37.04 - Jim Spivey - Koln (1993)
10. 7:37.70 - Rudy Chapa - Eugene (1979)
11. 7:38.03 - Marc Davis - Monaco (1993)
12. 7:39.03 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Sheffield (2007)
13. 7:39.28 - Alan Webb - Eugene (2005)
14. 7:39.45 - Tim Broe - Lausanne (2001)
15. 7:40.0 - Daniel Lincoln - Eugene (2006)

Source: All-Time Athletics, Malmo