Ritz will be back on the track

I’ve got a confession to make.

Prior to Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, I was secretly rooting for Dathan Ritzenhein not to finish in the top three and not qualify for his third Olympic team.

Why? Not for any sort of malicious reason but because I felt he would be better off in the 10,000 meters rather than in the marathon.

Ironically, the race in Houston showed exactly why the 10k distance fits Ritzenhein the best and why the marathon may not be his strongest event.

Ritzenhein has struggled to master the marathon despite five previous attempts at the distance. Earlier on, it had to do with leg cramps and other fueling challenges that hampered him at his debut in New York City in 2006 and at the Beijing Olympics.

Despite difficulties with the marathon, Ritzenhein has continually stuck with the event, perhaps due to outside pressure to succeed in the event.

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Amy Hastings down but not out (PhotoRun.net)

The race in Houston this past weekend that determined the U.S. Olympic marathon team was quite an experience.

It led to four separate American males dipping below the 2:10 barrier and a close and top notch field of women which had the top three finishers within a 30 second gap between them.

It saw the reemergence of a pair of past-their-prime athletes Meb Keflezighi and Abdi Abdirahman taking home spots to their third and fourth Olympic Games, respectively, and the darling of the sport Ryan Hall proving he belongs with the top as he pushed the pace early.

As for the women an entirely new set of marathoners are being sent to London but with the caveat that they are the finest team ever assembled. Shalane Flanagan won over the tight competition of Desi Davila and Kara Goucher who though lacking the Olympic hardware of Flanagan, are more polished at the marathon distance.

Aside from the obvious success and notoriety of these individuals, the race also provided important insights into America’s future at the marathon and the chance for those who did not qualify to excel at other events.

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Davila, Flanagan, Goucher (Dan Cruz/Competitor Group)

Shalane Flanagan pulled away from Desiree Davila with just two miles remaining in the race to claim victory at Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.

A group of four women – Flanagan, Davila, Kara Goucher and Amy Hastings – remained in the lead pack midway through the 26.2 mile race. Hastings dropped from the group by mile 19 and Goucher soon thereafter, leaving pre-race favorites Flanagan and Davila to duke it out.

In the end, Flanagan, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist at 10,000 meters, finished in a Trials record time of 2:25:38 to qualify for her third Olympic team. In just her second marathon, Flanagan smashed her previous personal best by over three minutes.

Davila of the Hansons Brooks Distance Project matched her runner-up finish from the 2011 Boston Marathon with a finishing time of 2:25:55, the second fastest marathon of her career.

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