Dathan Ritzenhein

Dathan Ritzenhein
Ritzenhein in 2015
Personal information
Full nameDathan James Ritzenhein
Born (1982-12-30) December 30, 1982 (age 41)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight117 lb (53 kg)
Sport
SportCross country, Track and field, Distance running
Event(s)Marathon, Half marathon, 10,000 meters, 5000 meters
College teamColorado Buffaloes
Turned pro2004
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals2004
10,000 m, DNF
2008
Marathon, 9th
2012
10,000 m, 13th
World finals2007
10,000 m, 9th
2009
10,000 m, 6th
2013
10,000 m, 10th
Personal bests
Medal record
World Half Marathon Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Birmingham Individual
World Cross Country Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Ostende Junior race

Dathan James Ritzenhein (born December 30, 1982) is a retired American long-distance runner, and current head coach of the On Athletics Club (OAC). He held the American record in the 5,000 metres (12:56.27) from 2009 to 2010, until it was broken by Bernard Lagat.[2] He is a three-time national cross country champion with wins at the USA Cross Country Championships in 2005, 2008 and 2010. Formerly a Nike athlete for the majority of his professional career, Dathan joined the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project team in 2017. In early May 2020, he announced his retirement from competition. He signed with the Swiss shoe brand On shortly thereafter in June 2020 and currently acts as the coach for the OAC in Boulder, Colorado.

Ritzenhein was a standout runner at Rockford High School in Michigan and the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was part of the stellar high school class of 2001 that also produced American high school and overall mile record holder Alan Webb and American half-marathon and marathon record holder Ryan Hall.

  1. ^ "Dathan RITZENHEIN - Athlete Profile". IAAF. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  2. ^ Dick Patrick (August 28, 2009). "Ritzenhein breaks 13-year-old U.S. 5K mark at Swiss meet". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2009.