Dathan Ritzenhein takes bronze at World Half Marathon Championships

Dathan Ritzenhein added another milestone achievement to conclude a breakout season.

On Sunday in Birmingham, England, Ritzenhein finished third in the World Half Marathon http://buyviagraed.com Championships in 60 minutes flat — and just one second behind second-place finisher Bernard Kipyego of Kenya.
The event, won for the fourth consecutive time by Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea, brought together a very strong field. Tadese won in 59:35.

Ritzenhein, in the best shape of his life, was in second place for stretches of the race but ultimately lost a sprint with Kipyego at the end. Ritzenhein was two minutes ahead of the next American. Ritzenhein’s time is the second-fastest ever by a U.S. runner, trailing only Ryan Hall.

Ritzenhein and the other leaders opened with 14:27 for the first 5K, and went through 10K in 28:30. He split 15K in 42:29 and 20K in 56:48.