Dathan James Ritzenhein (born December 30, 1982) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

, and current head coach of On Athletics Club. He held the American record in the 5,000 metres (12:56.27) from 2009-2010, when it was broken by Bernard Lagat. He is a three-time national cross country champion with wins at the

USA Cross Country Championships The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, as ...

in 2005, 2008 and 2010. Formerly a

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athlete for the majority of his professional career, Dathan joined the

Hansons-Brooks Distance Project The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project is an Olympic development program for post-collegiate distance runners. The program was founded by brothers Kevin Hanson and Keith Hanson in Rochester Hills, Michigan in 1999, and joined by Brooks Sports as a ...

team in 2017. In early May 2020, he announced his retirement from competition. He signed with the Swiss shoe brand On shortly thereafter in June 2020 and currently acts as the coach for the OAC (On Athletic Club) in Boulder, Colorado. Ritzenhein was a standout runner at Rockford High School in Michigan and the

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...

. He was part of the stellar high school class of 2001 that also produced American high school and overall mile record holder Alan Webb and American half-marathon and marathon record holder Ryan Hall.

Running career

High school

Ritzenhein ("Ritz") emerged as a cult figure among high school track fans during his junior and senior years at Rockford High School, especially since he graduated from high school in the same year as Alan Webb and Ryan Hall, America's other budding distance prodigies. He set numerous state and national high school records during this time, notably in the 1600m (4:05.9) 3200m (8:41.10) and in the 5000m (13:44.70). He won back-to-back regional (Midwest) and national titles in the

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high school championship races in the fall of 1999 and 2000. There was major build-up to the 2000 championships due to the impending clash between Ritz, Webb, and Hall. Ritz scored a resounding victory over Webb and Hall in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, running the 5k course in 14:35. Perhaps more impressive, the previous year he claimed an unexpected national title while setting the course record in 14:29. As a senior in high school he set the Michigan high school 5k record o
14:10
at state finals; second place was 15:05. His final cross country race in high school was at the IAAF junior world cross-country championships in Ostend Belgium where he won a bronze medal.

Collegiate

Ritzenhein began to attend the

in the fall of 2001 to major in history and compete intercollegiately in cross country and track. During his first cross country season he finished in fourth place at the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Cross Country Championships with a time of 29:11. His finish along with the second-place finish of teammate Jorge Torres helped lead Colorado to the team title. The following spring he competed in the 5000 m race at the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, finishing again in fourth place with a 14:01.02. His 5000 personal record during that season was 13:27.77.

Stress fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

s caused him to decide to redshirt his sophomore year in both cross country and track. In the fall of 2003, Ritzenhein once again competed in cross country. He won the Big 12 title, and then outkicked Ryan Hall of Stanford to win the NCAA Cross Country Championships individual title. His winning time was 29:14.1. In the spring of 2004 Ritzenhein ran a 27:38.50 in his debut at 10,000 m at Stanford to set the American-born collegiate record in the event. The next day he won the 5000 m at the Big 12 Outdoor Conference Championships. Ritzenhein concluded his collegiate season by placing second to Robert Cheseret of Arizona in the 5000 m at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Ritzenhein harbored hopes of competing in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

at the end of the summer in

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, but shortly after the NCAA meet he developed a stress fracture in his foot. He limped through the Olympic Trials in the 10,000 m, finishing last, but was able to make the team because the two other athletes with Olympic qualifying times did not go to Athens, Bob Kennedy having dropped out of the Olympic Trials race with an

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

injury and Meb Keflezighi choosing to focus solely on the marathon. Ritzenhein ran the Olympic 10,000 m, but dropped out mid-race due to pain caused by his stress fracture. Shortly after the Olympics he decided to forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility in order to run professionally. At this time he changed coaches from Mark Wetmore to Brad Hudson.

Post-collegiate/professional

Ritzenhein began his professional career on December 31, 2004, when he finished 3rd in a 10 km road race in Italy. In January 2005 he won the prestigious Belfast International cross country race, and seemed to be in great form. Ritzenhein won the U.S. Cross Country Championships in the 12 km for his first senior national title. Before the World Cross Country Championships expectations were high and some prognosticators even predicted a top 10 finish, but Ritzenhein faded after going out with the leaders and ended up placing 62nd. Ritzenhein's 2005 track season began with a 13:22.23 5000m personal record and a 7:43.95 3000m. In a much anticipated 2 mile race that included high school rival Alan Webb, Ritzenhein ran 8:23.45, which was a solid performance, but was overshadowed by Webb's 8:11.48 for the American record (the next year, they would switch times). A few days before the U.S. Outdoor Track Championships Ritzenhein injured a nerve on his foot while kicking around a soccer ball bare foot with his dog. This injury effectively ended his season. On February 19, 2006, Ritzenhein faltered in the

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

national cross-country championships at

Van Cortlandt Park Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is managed with assistance from the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. The park, the city's third-lar ...

. Leading with Hall and Jorge Torres for several circuits of the 12K course, he dropped off badly near the end as Ryan Hall ran away from the field. Ritzenhein finished nearly a minute behind Hall and finished fourth in the race. He qualified for the team but appeared to be hurting badly after the race, leading some to question his fitness heading into the IAAF World Cross-Country Championships April 1–2. Ritzenhein was diagnosed with

walking pneumonia Atypical pneumonia, also known as walking pneumonia, is any type of pneumonia not caused by one of the pathogens most commonly associated with the disease. Its clinical presentation contrasts to that of "typical" pneumonia. A variety of microorgan ...

after the USATF national cross-country championships and forfeited his spot on the US team. He again competed against Alan Webb in a 10,000 meter race at the Cardinal Invitational at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

on April 30, 2006. Prior to the race Webb and Ritzenhein agreed to alternate leading the race for the first 24 laps. The last lap would be "every man for himself." Webb's mid-distance background allowed him to outkick Ritzenhein for the win, 27:34.72 to 27:35.65, a personal best for both runners. In the 5000 m at the U.S. Outdoor Track Championships Ritzenhein finished 3rd behind Bernard Lagat and

Matt Tegenkamp Matthew "Teg" Tegenkamp (born January 19, 1982) is a retired professional runner from Lee's Summit, Missouri who specialized in various long-distance events. Tegenkamp represented the United States at two Summer Olympics, in 2008 and 2012. He tra ...

. Ritzenhein's time of 13:16.61 was a personal record. He then went to Europe and ran two 5000 m races. He won his first race in Switzerland, and then ran respectably in an elite field in Rome. Ritzenhein made his Marathon debut in the 2006 ING

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

, finishing in 11th place with a time of 2:14:01. Ritzenhein finished second (2:11:07) in the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials which automatically placed Dathan on Team USA for the Beijing Olympics. In the 2008 Olympic Marathon, Ritzenhein was the first American Runner to cross the finish line, finishing 9th with a time of 2:11:59. His teammate, Ryan Hall, finished just behind him in 10th place. Dathan Ritzenhein 2009 London Marathon

In January 2009, Ritzenhein placed 2nd at the U.S. Half Marathon Championship. Three months later, he set a personal best at the 2009 London Marathon, finishing 11th in 2:10:00. In May 2009, Ritzenhein and longtime coach Brad Hudson parted ways. He moved from Eugene to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

in order to train with

Alberto Salazar Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, whe ...

Nike Oregon Project The Nike Oregon Project was a group created by the American corporation Nike, established in Beaverton, Oregon in 2001. The team folded on October 10, 2019 after an investigation resulted in a four-year ban of longtime coach Alberto Salazar. Fa ...

. On August 17, 2009, Ritzenhein placed 6th in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany. He set a personal best of 27:22.28 in that race. Just eleven days later at the Weltklasse Meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, Ritzenhein placed 3rd in the 5,000 metres, setting a new American record with a time of 12:56.27. He became just the third American to run under 13 minutes in the 5,000, as well as the third fastest non-African of all time in that event behind Dieter Baumann and Craig Mottram. At the Half Marathon Championships, in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, Ritzenhein placed third with a time of 60:00. That time is the second fastest American time ever just behind Ryan Hall's 59:43. Ritzenhein finished just one second behind the second-place finisher. With his 1-hour and 25 second personal best time, Dathan became the first American to go home with a medal from these World Championships. In the January 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials, Ritzenhein ran a personal best 2:09:55, but placed 4th, narrowly missing a spot on the US Marathon Team by eight seconds behind the third-place finisher Abdi Abdirahman. On the evening of June 22, 2012, Ritzenhein placed third in the US Olympic Trials in the

10K run 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

and successfully achieved the Olympic 'A' standard of 27:45.00. Conditions were extremely rainy and cold, and he had not yet achieved the Olympic 'A' standard before the race. He and his teammate and training partner,

Galen Rupp Galen Rupp (born May 8, 1986) is an American long-distance runner. He competed in the Summer Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2021 in Tokyo. He won the silver medal in the men's 10,000-meter run in London ...

, worked together to pace the race for the first 5000 meters, with Rupp pulling away to win it in the final three laps. On August 4, 2012, at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, Ritzenhein finished 13th in the 10,000 m finals with a time of 27:45:89 behind winner

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a British long-distance runner. His ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever ...

(27:30:42) and second-place finisher Galen Rupp (27:30:90). After the Olympics he ran at the

Philadelphia Half Marathon The Philadelphia Distanced Run is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States on the third Sunday of September. The competition was established in 1978 as the Philadelphia Distan ...

and came third, running a time of 1:00:57 – the fastest by an American that year. A fast finish at the

2012 Chicago Marathon The 2012 Chicago Marathon was the 35th edition of the annual marathon race in Chicago, Illinois and was held on Sunday, October 7. An IAAF Gold Label Road Race, it was the fourth and final World Marathon Majors event to be held that year. Tsega ...

saw him move up into ninth place, the fastest non-African runner, and set a new personal record of 2:07:47 hours. On February 13, 2016, Ritz dropped out at the 2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials. Ritzenhein retired from professional running in May 2020. In an interview with Flotrack, he reminisced memories of his 16 year career. He stated that "I guess I'm not necessarily 25 and retiring in my prime. I have things that I wish that I have done in my career, but I'm also very satisfied, too. I think right now it's something that I thought a lot about the last year. I've had a lot of nostalgic moments, looking back a lot more than looking forward. So, I don't know that I had a lot more goals that I was looking to accomplish."

Coaching

On May 9, 2014, Ritzenhein announced that he would leave the

to move closer to his hometown of

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. He was sponsored by Brooks. Dathan plans to continue coaching; he hopes to attract talent to

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...

in Michigan. Ritzenhein is currently head coach of On Athletic Club based in Boulder, containing athletes such as

Ollie Hoare Oliver 'Olli' Hoare (born 29 January 1997) is an Australian Middle-distance running, middle-distance runner who primarily competes in the 1500 metres. He notably won the 1500 m at the Athletics at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, 2022 Commonwea ...

and

Morgan McDonald Morgan McDonald (born 23 April 1996) is an Australian distance runner. McDonald competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics coming 11th in Heat 2 of the qualifying rounds in the Men's 5000m with a time of 13:37.36. McDonald competed in the Men's 500 ...

and

Geordie Beamish George "Geordie" Beamish (born 24 October 1996) is a New Zealand long-distance runner. He won the 3000m at the 2022 Millrose Games in a time of 7:39.50, also setting a national record. He also holds the New Zealand indoor 5000m record, in a tim ...

High Altitude Training

Dathan regularly trains at

St-Moritz St. Moritz (also german: Sankt Moritz, rm, , it, San Maurizio, french: Saint-Moritz) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

at 1800m above sea-level, to prepare for his major competitions.

Motorsport

Ritzenhein is also interested in motorsports, and has prepared to be a racing car driver (including the Le Mans 24 hour race) after concluding his racing career.

Personal

Ritzenhein is married to Rockford native and former

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

distance runner Kalin Toedebusch. The two have a daughter Addison (2008) and a son Jude (2011).

Achievement chronology

*1999 -

national high school cross-country champion; Nike Outdoor Nationals 2 mile champion *2000 - Foot Locker national high school cross-country champion; Nike Outdoor Nationals 2 mile champion *2001 - IAAF World Junior Cross-Country Championships bronze medalist *2001 - 4th place at

Cross-Country Championships *2003 - NCAA 5,000 m runner-up to Robert Cheseret *2003 - NCAA and

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...

cross-country champion while at the

*2003 -

USTFCCCA The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based professional association representing men's and women's cross country and track & field coaches in the United States. The organization has abo ...

NCAA Division I National Cross Country Athlete of the Year *2004 - Athens Olympics qualifier for the United States in the 10,000 m race *2005 -

12k cross-country champion *2005 - Winner of the Belfast International Cross-Country *2006 - 4th place at the Edinburgh Cross-Country, defeating

Serhiy Lebid Serhiy Lebid or Serhii Lebid ( uk, Сергій Лебідь; born 15 July 1975 in Dnipropetrovsk) is a Ukrainian long-distance runner. Career He has won the European Cross Country championships on nine occasions, winning ...

and

Alistair Cragg Alistair Ian Cragg (born 13 June 1980 in Johannesburg) is an international track and field athlete. Born and brought up in South Africa, he has since lived in England and United States where he attended the University of Arkansas. He races for ...

*2006 - 11th place at the ING New York City Marathon. 2:14:01 *2007 - 3rd place at the U.S. Cross Country Championships *2007 - 9th place 10,000 m at IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan *2007 - 2nd place at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials, qualifying for the Beijing Olympics *2008 - 1st place at the U.S. Cross Country Championships. *2008 - 9th place, 1st American, at the Men's Olympic Marathon in Beijing, China, with a time of 2:11:59. *2009 - 2nd place at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships. *2009 - 11th place, 2nd American, at the 2009 Flora London Marathon *2009 - 2nd place, 10000m, USA Outdoor Championships, 27:58.59 *2009 - 6th place, 10000m, at IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany *2009 - 3rd place, 5000m, at IAAF Golden League Meet in Zurich, Switzerland, setting the American Record in the 5000m of 12:56.27. *2009 - 3rd place, half marathon, at

IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The World Athletics Half Marathon Championships is a biennial international half marathon competition organised by World Athletics. The competition was launched as the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1992 and held annually until 2010. It ...

, running the 2nd fastest time by an American with a time of 60:00. *2010 - 1st place, 12000m, USATF Cross country Championships, won with a time of 34:34. *2010 - 8th place at the ING New York City Marathon. 2:12:33 *2012 - 4th place at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials (announces semi-retirement from the marathon for the time being) *2012 - 3rd place at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials (10,000m), qualifying for the London Olympics *2012 - 13th place, 10000m, at the London Olympics. 27 minutes, 45.89 seconds *2012 - 9th place, 1st American, Bank of America

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

, 2:07:47 *2013 - 2nd place, 10000m, USA Outdoor Championships, 28:49.66, qualifying for the

2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 200 ...

*2013 - 5th place, 1st American, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 2:09:45 *2015 - 7th place, 1st American, Boston Marathon, 2:11:20 *2015 - 3rd place, beating

Luke Puskedra Luke Puskedra (born February 8, 1990) is an American long-distance runner who competes over distances ranging from 10,000 meters to the marathon. He grew up in Ogden, Utah and attended Judge Memorial Catholic High School before studying busin ...

and

Tyler Pennel Tyler Pennel (born December 21, 1987) is an American distance runner. Having grown up in Colorado, he competed in cross country and track at Golden High School and subsequently at Western State College. He runs for ZAP Fitness and is known for a ...

, U.S. 20 km road Championship *2016 - Did not Finish, U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. 2nd place at Great North Run, missing his 7 year old P.R. by only 12 seconds, finishing 8 seconds behind Mo Farah in 1:00:12, September 11, 2016. *2017 - 1st place at the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K, finishing at 1:14:27 with a pace of 4:48 per mile. Half Marathon time of 1:02:30.

Personal best times

* 1,500 m - 3:42.99 (2002) * 3,000 m – 7:39.03 (2007) * 2 miles - 8:11.74 (2007) * 5,000 m - 12:56.27 (2009) (former American Record) * 10,000 m - 27:22.28 (2009) * Half-Marathon - 1:00:00 (2009) * Marathon - 2:07:47 (2012)

Related runners

Jared Ward Jared Ward (born September 9, 1988) is an American long distance runner. He qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics when he placed third in the marathon at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

: Dathan Ritzenhein's successor runner. 2015 USA 20 km championship winner.

References

External links

* * * * * *
New Yorker profile of Ritzenheim and Coach Alberto Salazar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritzenhein, Dathan 1982 births Living people Sportspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan Track and field athletes from Michigan American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Colorado Buffaloes men's cross country runners Colorado Buffaloes men's track and field athletes