Healthy Kidney 10K Gets New Champion
Ritzenhein defeats Mottram and breaks course record
[Photos] [Video]
Central Park, New York, May 19—After today’s Healthy Kidney 10K, it’s clear that the “future of American distance running” is now.
In his first race in three months, 24-year-old Dathan Ritzenhein of Eugene, Oregon, defeated two-time defending Healthy Kidney 10K champion Craig “Buster” Mottram, 26, of Australia, in 28:08, breaking the 28:10 Central Park record set by Paul Koech in 1997.
Ritzenhein, Mottram, and six-time IC4A champion Richard Kiplagat of Kenya led the race for the first 5K, running 14:14. Near mile 4, Ritzenhein took a 10-yard lead. Mottram managed to bridge the gap just before mile 5 on a small incline, but Ritzenhein pulled away and again took a solid lead.
Focusing on the competition rather than the clock for most of the race, Ritzenhein was intent on dropping Mottram. With about 400 meters to go, he glanced at his watch, realized he was within reach of the longstanding record, and surged on the uphill to the finish.
Running the last 400 meters in 68 seconds, Ritzenhein pushed through the finish line tape, pumping his fists. Mottram finished second in 28:25, and Demesse Tefera of Ethiopia and the Westchester Track Club took third in 28:31. Places four through seven also broke 29 minutes: Chala Lemi of Ethiopia (fourth, 28:38), Kiplagat (fifth, 28:41), Matt Gonzales of the United States (sixth, 28:50), and Ireland’s Martin Fagan (seventh, 28:54). American marathon record-holder Khalid Khannouchi, who lives in Ossining and was making his Central Park professional racing debut, finished 14th in 30:06.
Ritzenhein last raced at the USA Cross Country Championships in February, placing third. He incurred a stress reaction at that event and trained on a special treadmill, the Alter-G, designed to minimize the impact forces of running. Ritzenhein said came to the Healthy Kidney 10K mainly to “shake out the cobwebs” and test his fitness heading into the summer track season.
When asked if he considered himself back on the scene, Ritzenhein replied with assurance. “I don’t think I ever left,” he said. “Maybe I didn’t fulfill some people’s expectations and sometimes that’s hard. I have had a lot of difficult times and I bounce back. It’s motivation for me to do well.” He added that he was thrilled to break the Central Park 10K record and defeat Mottram, whom he considers one of the world’s best runners. He was disappointed with his last race in New York, his marathon debut at the ING New York City Marathon 2006, where he placed 11th in 2:14:01. “Finally, to get a win here and to get this record is a great way to start off the season,” he said.
Ritzenhein won $27,500 in prize money—$7,500 for the victory and a $20,000 course-record bonus from the race sponsor, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, in honor of the late UAE president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. Ritzenhein chose to donate the $7,500 prize to the National Kidney Foundation.
Mottram, who won $5,000 for his runner-up finish, congratulated Ritzenhein. “I ran well,” he said. “I just got beaten by someone who ran better.” He plans to come back to New York again next year for his fourth Healthy Kidney 10K.
Ritzenhein and his wife, Kalin, are expecting their first child in September. They recently moved from Boulder, Colorado, to Eugene to be closer to Ritzenhein’s trusted adviser Alberto Salazar and to train on softer surfaces, thus minimizing the risk of injuries that have plagued Ritzenhein’s career.
“This is so great,” Kalin Ritzenhein said after the race. “Our life has been a roller coaster lately, but he’s been very level-headed and has had a fire under his butt, so it’s nice that we can leave here today with this solid win.”
Her husband concurred: “We have a lot of going on, but I’m thankful for all of it.”
Dathan Ritzenhein set a new Central Park record of 28:08 at the Healthy Kidney 10K on May 19.
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