Dathan Ritzenhein Heads to Make Long-Awaited Season Debut

Published by MLive on August 22, 2014

Dathan Ritzenhein may not be 100 percent, but he is ready to finally make his racing debut this season.

The three-time Olympian announced Wednesday he will run the 10-mile distance at the HealthPlus Crim Festival of Races in Flint on Saturday.

“It’s been a long time and the Crim, next to the River Bank Run, is about the biggest race in the state and it seemed like it would be a good distance for me considering where I’m at,” Ritzenhein said. “I’m still getting into shape now, been working out hard for about a month now, so this seems like a good fit.”

The 31-year-old Ritzenhein, who recently moved back to his hometown of Rockford from Portland, Ore., has not competed this season following a sports hernia injury late last fall while weight training. He planned to compete in the Boston Marathon, but pulled out in March, a month ahead of the race.

In July, Ritzenhein said he expected to choose a race within a month, likely either a half-marathon or 10K road race. He said he did not feel ready for a full marathon, nor has he done enough speed work to run anything shorter.

Ritzenhein said he became ill a just a week ago, so his normal training has been hampered. That has tempered his expectations.

“I will have to be a little more careful now,” he said of a stomach virus. “I was on the fence whether I would run and if I would feel good enough to do it.