With a plethora of accolades to his name, including state track titles in the 3200m and 1600m, two state CC titles, and probably the most impressive of all: back-to-back Foot Locker Cross Country Championship titles, Dathan Ritzenhein of Rockford , MI is the brightest distance star on the high school scene. Having not lost ANY high school race (track or CC) in two years, Ritz has become almost a household name for high school distance fans nation wide. A stellar cross season left no questions unanswered in regard to the top distance runner in the country.
A resurgance of interest in distance running throughout the country has been on the rise in the past few years. And who can we thank for a major part of this new found interest? None other than Ritzenhein. Having set state records in the 1600, 3200, 5000 (track), and setting the course record on every CC course he has run on, the only dream left unfulfilled for Ritzenhein is breaking the national 2 mile record. Jeff Nelson holds the record with a blazing 8:36.2, and with the outdoor season less than a month away, people can only hope to see what kind of record setting numbers Dathan will post. There is also talk of the \"Big 3\" - Ritz, Alan Webb, and Ryan Hall - all competing in the mile, which can only make one think, \"What if there were 3 sub-4 miles in one year?\" It is definately a thought to ponder...
However, before spring fever hits, there is one more race left for Dathan to compete in, his last high school cross-country race. After tasting his first loss in over two years at the USATF National Meet to 4th place FLCC finisher (1999) Matt Tegenkamp, Ritz gained the second of six spots to the World CC Meet in Dublin, Ireland on March 25-26. He will be accompanied by, among others, 1999 third place FLCC finisher Ian Dobson (currently at Stanford), and probably the biggest surprise of all, Matthew Maline. Maline, who didn\'t even go to FLCC this year, is the only other prep runner to accompany Ritzenhein to represent the United States. Ritz\'s goals for the world meet, among many other things, are discussed in the following Prep Distance Stars exclusive interview:
fastPREPS.com: After having run an 8:47 3200 (8:50 2 mile) indoors, and for all intents and purposes alone, and not to mention there were accounts of you \"barely breathing hard\" after the race, do you feel that Jeff Nelson\'s record is unquestionably yours? Also, do you plan to run the 5000 a lot this spring?
Ritzenhein: When I ran that 8:47 I had run 85 miles that week, and done a 15 miler two days before. So I don\'t want to [sound cocky], but I am in incredible shape right now. The record is not mine, but I sure hope it will be soon. I don\'t think I will run the 5000 a lot this spring, but definately a couple of times. My goal with the 5000 is to make the USATF championships in Eugene this June.
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fastPREPS.com: As far as the talk of you vs. Webb or Hall in the mile, what do you think? Do you plan to run the mile much, or focus your energy on the deuce and the 5k. Would you like the opportunity to go head to head with Hall or Alan in the 2 mile?
Ritzenhein: I would love to jump into the mile with Alan and Ryan later in the season. Right now I have been training all strength and endurance so i wont have the speed for a very fast mile until June. I think I could still run a great mile now, but not as good as it would take. Maybe Raleigh if things all workout.
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fastPREPS.com: After racing at the USATF national meet this past month, do you feel any different about racing at the NCAA level? Do you like [8k] more than the traditional high school 5k. Also, how do you feel about the world meet, where you\'d like to place,time you\'d like to run?
Ritzenhein: After the race in Vancouver, it showed me the big difference between racing 5k and 8k. Matt [Tegenkamp] ran an awesome race. I am very confindent that I will excell on the NCAA level. That race was a great learning experience, and I think that I can run a lot better that the world championships. I would like to place in the top 15, but I really have know idea if I can do better, or if that is too optimistic. I have never been in a race like that before so i dont know what to expect.
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fastPREPS.com: As far as training goes, what kind of pace do you go at during easy runs, distance runs, speed workouts, warm up? Also, is it hard not having anyone to run with. Most HS runners have a training partner, someone to train with. Do you wish that you could have someone as well?
Ritzenhein: When I do my one long run a week, usually about a 15 miler, I do it fairly fast, usually between 5:20 and 5:40 pace. My tempo runs, generally, depending on the surface, are 4:50 on hilly grass and 4:25-4:30 on track or flat roads. Speedworkouts often times we will do sets of 400\'s, some at 66 some at 62 and some at 58, but right now slower ones, like a lot of 66s. Then when I do my easy days, like 8 milers, I do them at around 6:00 pace, and that is the kind of pace I will warm up at too.
Yeah, it sucks to not have a training partner, but once in a while, on the easy or medium distance days, Kyle Fujimoto will run with me, (he\'s an animal when it comes to endurance), and then once a week on speedwork days, Brian Smith will run the fastest quarters with me. Then in the summers and the winters my ex-teammate Jason Hartmann (U. of Oregon) comes home and runs with me almost everyday. But it will be very nice when i go to Colorado and have training partners all the time.
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fastPREPS.com: What does a usual, weekly training schedule look like for you? Is there a lot of speed, distance, strength training? Also, what distance are your long runs, and how many miles per week are you currently doing?
Ritzenhein: During this past winter my average week was like this:
Monday: AM - 6 easy mile (6:00 pace)
PM: 3 mile warm-up, 5x mile repeats w/ 3 minute break, then 3 mile cool down
Tuesday: AM - 3 miles easy, weights (bench, curls, lats, pull-ups, dips, squats, set-ups)
PM - 10 miles easy (6:00-6:30 pace)
Wednesday: AM - 6 easy miles
PM - 3 mile warm-up, 16x400 repeats at 65 sec. , 3 mile cool down
Thursday: AM - 3 miles easy, weights (same as Tues.) PM - 10 miles, steady (under 6:00)
Friday: AM - 4 miles easy
PM - 6 miles very easy.
Saturday: 15 miler, very fast
Sunday: Very easy 6 miles That has been my base building. It\'s what my average week has been looking like this winter. This is the first winter that I have done nearly that much. I have been averaging 85 miles a week this winter. Last winter I was only 45-50, so it has been a big jump, but mainly because of the worlds.
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fastPREPS.com: Do you have any runners that you really admire? Who, in your opinion, is the greatest runner of all time?
Ritzenhein: Well, the one guy that I really admire is Gerry Lindgrin. That guy was a stud for running as much as he did. But I think Geb (Haile Gebreselassie)has to be the best all time (Gebreselassie holds the 5000m and 10000m world track records). But my favorite runner that is running right now is Jason Hartmann, he\'s a great friend.
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fastPREPS.com: Looking ahead, do you have any feelings about this fall, and running at CU? What kind of mileage increase are you looking at?
Ritzenhein: I\'m very pumped for next season. Training all summer and all fall with [Jorge and Ed] Torres and [Steve] Slattery and the rest of the team, I know that I will be great next year. [Mark] Wetmore is great; he is funny and crazy, but most importantly he is a very smart coach. He knows what it takes and we will be awesome for the next few years.
I really don\'t know how much training I will bump up. I would guess that it will be about the same as I am doing now, but all in one-a-days, so that will be a lot harder.
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fastPREPS.com: Training as you do, and being as dedicated as you are, are there a lot of sacrifices that you have to make?
Ritzenhein: Of course you have to give up things, but they are well worth it. If I didn\'t run I would probably eat donuts all day and be fat. I would stay up later. You can\'t be a big party guy, but that\'s ok, because I wouldn\'t be anyway.
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fastPREPS.com: Finally, what would your greatest advice be for aspiring high school distance runners?
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. And most importantly, enjoy it because this is the best time you will ever have with your high school buddies from cross-country. And don\'t forget the real reason you run--because you love it!!
Interview granted by DATHAN RITZENHEIN exclusively for fastPREPS.com: March 2, 2001
With a plethora of accolades to his name, including state track titles in the 3200m and 1600m, two state CC titles, and probably the most impressive of all: back-to-back Foot Locker Cross Country Championship titles, Dathan Ritzenhein of Rockford , MI is the brightest distance star on the high school scene. Having not lost ANY high school race (track or CC) in two years, Ritz has become almost a household name for high school distance fans nation wide. A stellar cross season left no questions unanswered in regard to the top distance runner in the country.
A resurgance of interest in distance running throughout the country has been on the rise in the past few years. And who can we thank for a major part of this new found interest? None other than Ritzenhein. Having set state records in the 1600, 3200, 5000 (track), and setting the course record on every CC course he has run on, the only dream left unfulfilled for Ritzenhein is breaking the national 2 mile record. Jeff Nelson holds the record with a blazing 8:36.2, and with the outdoor season less than a month away, people can only hope to see what kind of record setting numbers Dathan will post. There is also talk of the \"Big 3\" - Ritz, Alan Webb, and Ryan Hall - all competing in the mile, which can only make one think, \"What if there were 3 sub-4 miles in one year?\" It is definately a thought to ponder...
However, before spring fever hits, there is one more race left for Dathan to compete in, his last high school cross-country race. After tasting his first loss in over two years at the USATF National Meet to 4th place FLCC finisher (1999) Matt Tegenkamp, Ritz gained the second of six spots to the World CC Meet in Dublin, Ireland on March 25-26. He will be accompanied by, among others, 1999 third place FLCC finisher Ian Dobson (currently at Stanford), and probably the biggest surprise of all, Matthew Maline. Maline, who didn\'t even go to FLCC this year, is the only other prep runner to accompany Ritzenhein to represent the United States. Ritz\'s goals for the world meet, among many other things, are discussed in the following Prep Distance Stars exclusive interview:
fastPREPS.com: After having run an 8:47 3200 (8:50 2 mile) indoors, and for all intents and purposes alone, and not to mention there were accounts of you \"barely breathing hard\" after the race, do you feel that Jeff Nelson\'s record is unquestionably yours? Also, do you plan to run the 5000 a lot this spring?
