Runnerville

Ritz + cross country = sunshine and daisies. This past weekend, Dathan Ritzenhein’s strong victory over Ryan Hall et. al. at the USATF Cross Country Championships only fortified my belief that cross country is a distinctly different sport than track (obvious) and road racing (less obvious). While Ritz has turned in solid performances in those other arenas (8:11 2M, 2nd in Olympic Marathon Trials), his star has always shined brightest traversing hill and dale, where he was once 3rd in the World (for his age), and 24th among Senior Men as a 19 year old. I think it’s pretty clear that there are specific skills that lend themselves to cross country and specific people who perform best in that discipline.

I’m not advocating that Ritz abandon the asphalt and Mondo. But, with the Olympics being so regularly on my mind these past months, Dathan’s performance in San Diego prompts me to advocate the following… Read more…

Cross Nationals are easily my favorite National Championship each year (NCAA Cross Country, notwithstanding). In the past few years we’ve had Messrs. McDougal and Withrow make auspicious in-roads toward elite senior status as college kids. Max King had everyone asking “Who’s Max King?” in New York. A photo finish on frozen tundra in Indianapolis, and a local guy making good in the long-course race. (I forget his name; I just remember the gist of the story.) Ryan Hall claiming the mantle of Best American Distance Runner in 2006 (though we didn’t know, at the time, that this one dominating race was only the beginning). Last year, Boulder’s best defending their home turf — er, home mud. Read more…