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23-year-old Ritzenhein to make marathon debut in New York

Ritzenhein kiest al vroeg voor de marathon

NEW YORK – Dathan Ritzenhein wants to change the way people think about running in a marathon.He will try to do that in November, when he makes his debut in the 26.2-mile race in New York City.Ritzenhein is 23, a baby when it comes to marathon running. Most Americans tend to concentrate on the track and shorter road races first, then get into the marathon in their late 20s or early 30s. Ritzenhein is ready to break that trend.A good performance Nov. 5 just might do that.

Heilige graal
“A lot of people think that maybe Im too young or not experienced enough to do really well in it,” Ritzenhein said in an interview Wednesday, a day before the official announcement in Denver. “To really turn some heads and accomplish something here would be great.”Ritzenhein, one of the top American distance runners, is making a bold move. But he only has to look to one of the greatest American marathoners for inspiration. Alberto Salazar was 22 and still in college when he made his marathon debut in 1980 in New York.Salazar won in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 41 seconds. At the time, it was the second-fastest performance by an American. But Americans started shying away from running the race at such a young age, and it took its toll after Salazar retired. The United States had few, if any, top runners to challenge the Africans.
“The marathon has become the holy grail on a world level and Americans kind of missed it,” said Mary Wittenberg, the NYC Marathon race director. “I dont know if it was a fear of it, I dont know if it was a lack of respect for it, but in recent years some have waited too long. Its something you need fresh, young legs for and a fresh mind. I just think they didnt see it for the major event it is at a global level.”

Amerikanen
That has started to change. Meb Keflezighi won silver in the Athens Olympics in 2004, and three Americans finished in the top five at the Boston Marathon in April – Keflezighi, Alan Culpepper and Brian Sell.Even still, Keflezighi was 27 when he made his marathon debut in New York in 2002. He finished ninth. Culpepper was 30 when he ran his first marathon in Chicago in 2002, and tied Salazars time as the fastest in a debut race.Bob Kennedy has a different story. The American record holder in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters, Kennedy was 34 when he ran in his first marathon in New York in 2004. He failed to finish.”Theres so many people that are 23 and theyre not thinking anything about the roads at all,” Ritzenhein said. “I think its a mistake sometimes, some people wait a little too long. I really dont want to be 30 years old and feel like Im a little past my prime. I want to give it a shot when Im most ready, and also I want to be experienced when that prime time of my career comes around.”

De top bereiken
Ritzenhein starred at Colorado, where he was a four-time All-American and set the NCAA mark in the 10,000. In 2005, he won the Belfast International Cross Country meet – an impressive showing that included blowing past several Kenyans at the end – and the U.S. cross country championships 12K.But he always knew he wanted to run marathons. He wants to be competitive in New York, and realizes it takes time to reach the top. It took nearly two years from the time Keflezighi started to run in marathons until he won his medal. But Ritzenhein believes he will do well, and wants to take on the challenge now.”Im sure there will be a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks,” he said. “Hopefully people will look at it and say, Well, I guess that was a smart decision.”

© AP