Dathan Ritzenhein

Dathan Ritzenhein will use the USATF Cross Country Championships as the next step in his preparation for the Boston Marathon.

(MLive file photo)

ROCKFORD, MI - Dathan Ritzenhein has started his season with #throwback.

Ritzenhein, who competed just once last season, announced Monday he entered the USATF Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colo., on Feb. 7. It's the next step in his training for the Boston Marathon on April 20, Ritzenhein said, and will be his third competition already this year.

"It's a logical progression," he said of the 12K in Boulder. "I'm healthy, I want to run more and it will be 10 weeks before Boston so it sets up well."

Ritzenhein, who lives in Rockford and is an assistant coach at Grand Valley State, was in Europe earlier this month where he won the Campaccio Cross Country race Jan. 6 and, four days later, was third at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country meet.

At the 10K Campaccio, held near Milan, Italy, Ritzenhein won in 29 minutes, 8 seconds on a flat 2K course.

In Edinburgh, under muddy conditions, Ritzenhein ran the 4K in 12:27 to finish third, behind Garrett Heath (12:11) and Japhet Korir (12:19).

Boulder will also be part of an unintentional nostalgia tour for Ritzenhein. He had not competed on a cross country course in nearly two years before Campaccio, had not raced at the Great Edinburgh since 2008 and will now head to Boulder where he ran while at University of Colorado in the early 2000s. He last competed there in 2007.

Ritzenhein last ran the USATF Cross Country Championships in 2013.

The 32-year-old has proven capable of handling cross country courses. The three-time Olympian is also a three-time winner of USA Cross Country Championships (2005, 2008, 2010).

Given his relatively late entry into the USATF Cross Country Championships, Ritzenhein said he won't have time to acclimatize to the elevation of Boulder (5,430 feet above sea level), which usually takes three to six weeks. The next best option, Ritzenhein said, is to arrive as close to race day as possible, or likely the night of Feb. 5.

"I'm not sure what to expect," he said, noting he made the decision to race late last week. "But it will be good training and it will be good to get out and compete."

Ritzenhein said he also hopes to run a half-marathon before Boston.

Pete Wallner covers sports for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at pwallner@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.