Notes from the Coach - March 11, 2008
Hartmann fifth at USA 15k champs, Ritz out of USA 8K champs

Jason Hartmann had a strong race at the Gate River Run this past weekend in Jacksonville, Florida.  He finished fifth place in the U.S.A. 15K championships in his first race of the year. 

Dathan Ritzenhein will not be competing in the U.S.A. 8K championships this weekend in Central Park, New York City as originally planned.  This is a tough decision for Dathan because he loves racing, especially in Central Park.   He is still feeling complications from his IT band, which became aggravated  after a cross country race in January in Edinburgh, Scotland.  We don’t want to risk making it any worse.   The original plan was to follow the 8k with the World Cross country championships back in Scotland at the end of March, another race which he had his heart set on racing.  But we have made some changes there too scratching that from the schedule.  We are in consensus that it is best to be conservative.  Before we move forward with any intensity we need to make sure he will be 100%  ready for his spring and summer training for the Olympic Marathon held in August in Beijing.  Both Jason and Dathan are looking forward to the 10,000 meters at the U.S.A. Track and Field Olympic Trials here in Eugene on July 4^th.  

Notes from the Coach - Feb. 18, 2008
Ritz Wins USATF Cross Country Nationals, Carney Finishes Sixth

At a scenic, sunny and spectator friendly seaside venue this past weekend in San Diego's Mission Park Dathan Ritzenhein won his second national U.S. Cross County title.  James Carney finished  strong in 6th place.  Both athletes made the U.S.A. team for the 2008 World Cross Country Championships next month in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Race photos are posted on our MULTIMEDIA page. Also, lots of new running and racing discussions have been posted on our MESSAGE BOARD .

Notes from the Coach - Jan. 13, 2008
Carney Wins U.S.A. Half Marathon Champs

James Carney led wire to wire at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon today. The 13.1 mile race also served as the U.S.A. Half Marathon Championships. James threw in a couple of fast miles after mile 5 to pull away from the other competitors. He said he hit a small headwind on the second part of the out and and back course but overall he felt very strong. He was excited about the win. He raced to a 1:02:21 debut performance at the half marathon distance. For a nice recap of the race read the Story from the Houston Chronicle.

Stephanie Rothstein also had an excellent performance in Houston. In her half marathon debut she raced to an eleventh place finish in a time of 1:13:16. Read her account of the race on our new ATHLETE REPORT PAGE.

We have also just posted a recent interview with Jeff Johnson "On The Mystique of Hayward Field" on our INTERVIEWS PAGE.

Notes from the Coach - Jan. 12, 2008
Ritz Fifth in Scotland

Dathan Ritzenhein opened his cross country season with a strong showing in the BUPA Great Edinburgh Cross Country Meet today in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, Scotland. Dathan finished 5th in a top international field.

For a great recap of the race visit the IAAF REPORT

Holyrood Park will also host the World Cross Country Championships at the end of March.

Notes from the Coach - Dec. 24, 2007
2007 Highlights - THANK YOU!!

Thank you for following our adventures this year. It has been exciting. To start, the 2007 National Cross Country Championship in Boulder was outstanding. The crowd support was amazing. Thanks to everyone who cheered us on. We placed 5 runners in the top 15.

Next, to escape the snow, we headed South to a winter training camp in Tallahassee, Florida. We were treated to warm weather, sunshine, an abundance of running trails and routes, and first rate Southern Hospitality courtesy of the GULFWINDS TRACK CLUB and our friends at the MACLAY SCHOOL.

As the spring track season began we had a slew of personal records. Jason Hartmann, following a strong 3rd place on the roads at the Gate River Run USA 15k Champs, raced to a PR of 28:15 on the track at the Stanford Invitational. Palo Alto proved to be a productive location as a month later we had solid performances from Jorge Torres and James Carney. Jorge ran 27:42 and James ran 27:43, both earning the 2008 Olympic A standard.

After careful deliberation, we moved our home base to Eugene, Oregon. Our plan is to train athletes in Eugene and Boulder, but have a base now at sea-level. The community here in Eugene has been very welcoming. It really is Track Town U.S.A. The momentum for the 2008 Track and Field Trials is growing. Yesterday we saw two commercials on local television telling the town to get ready and get pumped- and it is only December….

In May, Dathan set a new course record on the 10K loop in Central Park by winning the Healthy Kidney 10K race. He then set an 8:11 PR in the Pre 2 mile a month later. After a solid summer in Europe and 9^th place finish in the World Champs 10,000 meters on the track he secured a spot on the Olympic team in in the marathon in another PR of 2:11:07 with a second place finish at the Olympic Marathon Trials.

Jason had a solid year as well with a strong 6th place showing in the 10K during the national track championships and representing the U.S.A. at the Pan Am Games in Brazil. He raced to a a marathon PR and a tenth place finish at the Olympic Marathon Trials.

James finished 2nd at the USA 20k Championships, 3rd at the USA 8 mile championships and 7th at the Falmouth Road Race. He finished 14^th at the Marathon trials completing our trio 3 runners in the top 15. The crowd support at the trials was off the charts. Constant cheering and wonderful fan support (including great signs) made the event unforgettable. It was remarkable to see the marathon and marathoners receive superstar status in New York City. USATF and the NYRR did an amazing job. Thank you again for making the race so special for the athletes, fans and running community.

In 2007 we were treated to great internet coverage of the sport, one example being the trials streaming live on NBCsports.com . Back home in Eugene a group of friends and supporters gathered in the morning darkness to cheer on our guys from the West Coast.

Outstanding year round, 24/7 coverage of the sport was provided through the video innovation , drive and hard work of the Flotrack crew. Thanks Mark Floreani.

The sport was also captured in the action photos and great work of Victah Salier at PHOTORUN.NET and Alison Wade at ELITERUNNING . Special thanks to Victah, Alison and other photo contributors to our website - Phil Astras, Phil Johnson and John Kalin.

In 2008 we plan to keep you on top of all the great things about Eugene leading up to the trials. Here is our first installment A SUNDAY RUN WITH DATHAN now posted on our MULTIMEDIA page. A training snapshot from Dathan’s log has been posted on our MESSAGE BOARD .

Look for exciting interviews with prominent figures in the running world over the next couple of months. If you would like to receive email notifications of our web updates – send us an email with UPDATES in the title to info@marathonperformance.com .

We have a lot of hard work ahead of us in 2008. We hope you will join us for the ride. Olympic years are always quite special. We are wishing you lots of great runs and races in the new year.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Notes from the Coach - Nov. 27, 2007

We are back working hard in Eugene, Oregon following our trip to New York City in early November for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials hosted by the New York Road Runners Association on November 3rd. The weekend saw thousands of spectators come out to cheer on the 100+ of the best U.S. marathoners on their quest to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Team.

Performance Training Group athletes Dathan Ritzenhein, Jason Hartmann and James Carney all raced to personal bests at the 26.2 mile distance. Dathan's second place finish in a time of 2:11:06 earned him a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Jason finished 10th and James was 14th overall.

The Olympic Trials event drew together the distance running community from around the country to celebrate our best marathoners. Tragically during the race one of the competitors, Ryan Shay, a former national marathon champion, passed away. Our deepest condolences to Ryan's family and his wife Alicia.

Donations in memory of Ryan Shay can be sent to:

The Ryan Shay Memorial Fund
5873 Leisure Lane
East Jordan, MI 49727