Ritzenhein to run London
Dathan Ritzenhein will run in the London Marathon, where he will go up against a strong field as practice for the 2012 Olympics. That field will including Sammy Wanjiru, the Chicago and Olympic marathon champion who has reportedly reconciled with his wife after charges of bizarre and dangerous criminal behavior in December.
Ritzenhein was forced to withdraw from a Scottish race last week after suffering a relatively minor injury incurred during -- egads -- 7 miles of intervals on a 200m track in Michigan, where he grew up.
London is the site where Ritzenhein clocked his fastest marathon time, so it's a good place for him to return from a bit of a dip. Recently, the promising 28-year-old has been hit by a series of injuries and setbacks, including clear disappointment over an eighth-place finish in New York last year.
Before going professional, Ritzenhein had a strong college career, including NCAA cross country wins on both the team and individual level. In high school, he had two footlocker wins to his name, and his national 3200 record stood for nearly a decade, finally falling in 2008.
Comments
Would love to have US marathoners be more competitive in the Olympics- hope he does well in London!
Posted by: RachelEJ | January 11, 2011 1:37 PM