Flanagan & Ritzenhein Dominate U.S. XC Champs
Posted February 16th, 2008 at 8:00 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Cross Country
Shalane Flanagan and Dathan Ritzenhein each brought their “A” game to Mission Bay Park here today, running away with their first long-course U.S. Cross Country titles in commanding fashion.
Flanagan, who struggled with the high altitude in Boulder at last year’s championships where she was soundly beaten by Deena Kastor, jumped quickly to a five second lead after 2 km of the 8 km race, and expanded it with each lap. She was unrelenting, pressing all the way to the finish line to win by a whopping 70 seconds in 25:26.
“I had a blast,” said a beaming Flanagan who liked the grass course and the warm conditions. She added: “If we could have venues like this I would be coming every single year.”
Flanagan, who won the U.S. 4-K cross country title in 2004 and 2005, said that she continued to press so hard even though she had the race well in hand because it is an Olympic year. She’s also contemplating a debut at 10,000m and saw today’s 8-K as a great build-up race.
“I’ve been training hard,” she said. “The thought of Beijing, the thought of the Trials. I have to practice: I just can’t expect to show up in Beijing without have already practiced that mental toughness.”
Behind Flanagan, Renee Metivier held off constant challenges from a surprising Emily Brown and an in-form Katie McGregor, both of Team USA Minnesota, to take second in a three-up sprint to the line. Metivier, who has qualified for the last four U.S. teams for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, relishes cross country running.
“I’m pretty muscular, I’m pretty short,” said a smiling Metivier of why she excels in cross country. “I feel at home on a cross country course.”
Metivier was clocked in 26:36 to Brown’s 26:37 and McGregor’s 26:38. Molly Huddle took fifth (26:52) and Blake Russell took sixth (26:54), locking up the final places on the U.S. team for Edinburgh next month.
For Ritzenhein, the victory was particularly sweet after he faded to third place in last year’s championships in front of big crowds in Boulder where he had competed for the University of Colorado. He was more patient in this year’s race, but began to pull away from his biggest rivals, Ryan Hall and Jorge Torres, after 5-K. He ended up running the last half of the race alone, winning by 26 seconds in 35:03 over 12-K.
“I didn’t expect it that much,” said Ritzenhein of how easily he was able to win despite nursing a leg injury. “I didn’t expect to do it like that, either.”
Hall, the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Champion from last November, struggled a bit in the final laps, fading to finish fifth. He said he had no physical problems, but his legs felt a little tired from his preparations for the Flora London Marathon on April 13.
“I felt very similar to how I felt in other tune-ups prior to a marathon,” Hall explained. “The turnover just wasn’t quite there.”
Finishing behind Ritzenhein was his old Colorado teammate, Jorge Torres, who clocked 35:29. Josh Rohatinsky, the 2006 NCAA Cross Country Champion, finished third in 35:41, while former William & Mary Star, Ed Moran, came home fourth in 35:42. James Carney, the reigning U.S. half-marathon champion, was sixth while Oregon Track Club Elite teammates Max King and Ryan Bak finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
In the junior women’s race, Jordan Hasay defended her title, using a more conservative strategy than last year when she bolted to the front and nearly exhausted herself in Boulder’s thin air. The high school junior from Arroyo Grande, Calif., who is only 16, covered the 6 km course in 20:32, 13 seconds up on Stanford’s Alex Gits.
“At Foot Locker (last December) I went out really fast, so today I just wanted to stay in the pack for the first two laps, and just give it all I had in the last 2-K,” said Hasay who grew a little taller since last year.
The junior men’s 8-K race came down to a thrilling sprint between high schooler German Fernandez of Riverside, Calif., and Iona College’s Ryan Sheridan. The two entered the top of the finish straight together, but it was Fernandez who hit the tape first in 24:18, just one second up on Sheridan.
“It was a hell of a race,” said Fernandez who has yet to select a university for next year. “I’m just looking to go to Scotland,” he added. “It’s my dream.”
(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
PHOTOS: Taken by Adam Jacobs (TheFinalSprint.com)
and Jane Monti (Race Results Weekly)
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: alex gits, Beijing, beijing olympics, blake russell, Boulder, cross country, Dathan Ritzenhein, ed moran james carney, Emily Brown, flora london marathon, german fernandez, jordan hasay, Jorge Torres, Josh Rohatinsky, katie mcgregor, max king, Molly Huddle, olympics, oregon track club, renee metivier, ryan bak, Ryan Hall, ryan sheridan, san diego, Team USA Minnesota, U.S. Cross Country Championships, USA cross country championships, XC
Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!
The Final Sprint
[…] Flanagan & Ritzenhein Dominate US XC Champs “I didn’t expect it that much,” said Ritzenhein of how easily he was able to win despite nursing a leg injury. “I didn’t expect to do it like that, either.” Hall, the US Olympic Marathon Trials Champion from last November, … credit : http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2008/02/flanagan-ritzenhein-dominate-us-xc-champs/ […]
February 16th, 2008 at 11:52 pm