Ritzenhein out of London Marathon

American marathoner Dathan Ritzenhein announced yesterday that he will not compete in the Virgin London Marathon. Ritzenhein had been the top North American prospect in the race. Unfortunately, he injured his ankle while training indoors this December, and he and his coach decided that he was not going to be able to get in a proper build-up for the very competitive marathon.

This injury continues a difficult trend for Ritzenhein, whose career has had more than its share of ups and downs. Ritzenhein first emerged on the scene as a high school star in 1999-2001. In 2001, his third place finish at the World Junior Cross Country Championships established him as a truly world class talent. But since then, chronic injuries have prevented him from fully delivering on his early promise.

In 2009, it seemed that Ritzenhein had turned the corner. He proved himself as North America’s top distance runner with an American record over 5000m, a 3rd place finish at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and a 6th place finish in the 10,000m at the IAAF World Championships of Track & Field. But now he again finds himself struggling, first with a disappointing twelfth place finish in last year’s New York Marathon and now with this ankle injury. At this point we expect him to turn his focus towards getting in good, healthy training leading up to London 2012; sadly, as this ankle injury shows, staying healthy may prove a challenge for this mercurial athlete.

Though Ritzenhein is out of the race, London will still be one to watch. The London Marathon is arguably the most competitive marathon in the world, with this year’s field boasting six men who have run under 2:06, including Olympic champion Sammy Wanjiru and last year’s winner Tsegaye Kebede.

For London elite men’s and women’s start lists, as well as more on Ritzenhein’s withdrawal, click here