Posted: June 1, 2006

Athletics: It's Official - Ritz To Make Marathon Debut In New York

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

In advance of a press conference in Denver today, the New York Road Runners announced that Dathan Ritzenhein, the NCAA record holder for 10,000m, had agreed to make his marathon debut at the 2006 ING New York City Marathon.

"Dathan's decision to run in New York sets up one of the most anticipated marathon debuts by an American ever," said race director and New York Road Runners's President and CEO, Mary Wittenberg. "We salute him for taking such a bold step at this point in his career, and we're confident we'll see a spectacular showing from him."

Ritzenhein, 23, is young by American standards for making a marathon debut. Nonetheless, his efficient stride and 27:35.65 10,000m personal best could portend the kind of debut made in New York by Alberto Salazar who, in 1980 at age 22, won the race in a U.S. debut record of 2:09:41 (since equalled by Alan Culpepper). Ritzenhein isn't making any specific predictions, but he plans to be in the thick of the battle.

"I want to debut in the marathon now because it is the right choice for my career," said Ritzenhein. "My main goal on November 5 will be to get in the heat of the race and see how well I can hang with the best runners in the world. The other runners will have the experience that I don't have, but I want to see how I compare against them. If I train smart and race tough, I think I can be up there."

Ritzenhein became one of the most sought after high school athletes after winning the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in both his junior and senior years of high school in 1999 and 2000. At the 2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Ostend, Belgium, he announced his presence at the international level by winning an individual bronze medal in the junior race, beaten only by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, and Duncan Lebo of Kenya. He chose the University of Colorado for his collegiate career where he set the U.S. collegiate 10,000-meter mark of 27:38.50 in 2004. He qualified for, and competed in, the 10,000m at the Athens Olympics. But because of a broken foot he failed to finish the Olympic race, hobbling around the track.

Given that there is no summer championship for Ritzenhein this year, he is taking advantage of the schedule to try his hand at the marathon. He attended the race last year as a special guest of the New York Road Runners and got to see the event close up. What he saw impressed him.

"The ING New York City Marathon is the place to do something special," Ritzenhein added. "If I do as well as I think I can, hopefully that will contribute to the momentum that is already driving American distance running to a new level."

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