FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein Returns to His Midwest Roots for the
2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Decision to Run Chicago Made on the Heels of
Qualifying for Third Olympic Team
CHICAGO - The Bank of America Chicago Marathon today announced that U.S.
Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein will set his sights on the October 7 race after
he represents Team USA in the 10,000 meters at the Olympic Games on August
4. The 35th edition of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon will mark
Ritzenhein's first time toeing the line in Chicago and will be a unique
opportunity for him to perform in a world-class competition less than 200
miles from his boyhood home in Rockford, Mich.
"I am extremely excited to return to the Midwest to run the 2012 Bank of
America Chicago Marathon," said Ritzenhein. "Growing up just across Lake
Michigan, everyone in western Michigan set their sights on fast times at
Chicago and hopefully I can do the same. Coming off a healthy year of great
training, I plan to carry the momentum from the Olympic Games and the track
season to a great race on October 7. I feel stronger than ever and I can't
wait test myself on the streets of Chicago."
Last Friday, he punched his ticket to his third Olympics with a third place
finish in the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in
Eugene, Oregon. Previously, he qualified for the 10,000 meters at the 2004
Athens Games and the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he was the
top American finisher in ninth place.
The 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be Ritzenhein's first
marathon since placing fourth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in
January in a personal best 2:09:55, leaving him one spot shy of making the
U.S. squad. His return to the track and focus on the Olympic 10,000 meters
will serve him well on Chicago's flat and fast course.
"The Bank of America Chicago Marathon was built for a guy like Dathan,"
said Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. "It's a track-like course and
he runs with great rhythm and speed. What's even more exciting is that he's
a hugely successful athlete who grew up just a short drive from Chicago in
Michigan. He'll have a lot of supporters lining the course cheering for him
on race day, especially with so many of our participants hailing from the
Midwest."
After a high school career that included numerous state and national
titles, Ritzenhein burst onto the world scene by winning a bronze medal at
the 2001 IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championships, becoming only the
second American to do so. Success continued in college at the University of
Colorado, winning the 2003 NCAA Cross Country title. Currently based in
Portland, Ore., and coached by Alberto Salazar, he had his best year as a
professional in 2009, when he placed sixth in the 10,000 meters at the IAAF
World Track & Field Championships in a personal best 27:22.28, set a
then-American record of 12:56.27 in the 5,000 meters, and captured the
bronze medal at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in a personal
best 1:00:00.
About the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Celebrating its 35th year and a member of the World Marathon Majors, the
Bank of America Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 participants,
including a world-class elite runner and wheelchair field, and an estimated
1.7 million spectators. As a result of its national and international draw,
each year, the iconic race assists in raising millions of dollars for a
variety of charitable causes while generating $170 million in economic
impact to its host city according to a report by the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign's Regional Economics Applications Laboratory
(R.E.A.L.). The 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will start and finish
in Chicago's Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 7. In
advance of the race, a two-day Health & Fitness Expo will be held at
McCormick Place Convention Center on Friday, October 5, and Saturday,
October 6.
www.chicagomarathon.com
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