Boston College Athletics
T&F/CC Assistant Coach Tim Ritchie Wins Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly Half
November 12, 2015 | Men's Track & Field
Ritchie Runs Second Fastest Half Marathon in US This Year
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Assistant Coach Tim Ritchie entered Philadelphia with the hopes of qualifying for the US Olympic Team Trials that will take place next February in Eugene, Oregon.
In order to do so, the Brighton native would have to finish the race in less than 65 minutes. Sixty-five minutes in order to run 13.1 miles, a task that would seem herculean even to some of the most experienced runners. However, Ritchie knew that this goal was not outside of his reach, having set his previous personal record at one hour and two minutes.
There were many factors that were in Ritchie's favor. The field for this race was highly competitive, with many runners striving for the invite to the Olympic Trials. Competitive fields often breed better results, as the athletes are pushed by their fellow competitors in order to spur on the pace of the race. However, he quickly became the pace pusher, taking the lead shortly after the fourth mile and never looking back.
He also attributed some outside sources to his success in the race. For Ritchie, the encouragement of his fellow coach, Matt Kerr, as well as a strong performance from this team the day prior, helped him enter the race in good spirits.
"The BC guys ran well the day before at the ACC Championships so I woke up feeling inspired and ready to go," Ritchie said.
Ritchie ended up breaking the tape in a blistering 1:01.22, setting a new personal record and running the second fastest half marathon in the country this year. The second place finisher, Jake Riley, who Ritchie battled with for first position up until mile 4, crossed the finish line two minutes later. Ritchie said that the win was a great accomplishment for his career, having never taken first place in such a high profile event.
However, he does not point out the victory as the highlight of the race. Instead, Ritchie cherished the fact that he was able to share the excitement with two other former Eagles who both qualified for the Olympic Trials, Louis Serafini '13 and John Bleday '16. For the '09 graduate, it was "a big weekend for BC Track & Field, past and present!"
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