It’s a Function of Form
What can Plato do for American running?
There was much hope and expectation riding on Dathan Ritzenhein‘s run at the New York Marathon this past weekend.
While Ritz ran faster than anyone I know personally, after his American Record 5K last summer the expectation was something closer to the win, maybe something under 2:10.
Immediately after the race, armchair critics, of course, piled-on and ridiculed Ritz, Salazar, Nike, and anyone who was a) associated with the Nike Oregon Project, and b) not themselves.
Much of the hype was built around Nike’s investment in Ritz’s training and the famed Alberto Salazar’s remaking of Ritz’s running form. The New Yorker has a marathon-length article on Salazar, running form, and Ritz.
Even if you can’t make it through the entire article, you should check out the accompanying video. The video shows the contrast between Dathan Ritzenhein’s mechanics and those of Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele, whom Salazar feels is the Platonic ideal of a marathon runner. While it is probably too late for you to fix all your running flaws between now and Clarksburg, you might find something helpful in there.
Finally, you will probably enjoy this On Point Radio show on this same subject and the state of American distance running in general. Great stuff.
John,
Interesting article.
How about an article on jogging strollers. With or against traffic?
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