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Ben True

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Ben True
Ben True running 5000 m at the 2016 Olympic Trials
Personal information
Born (1985-12-29) December 29, 1985 (age 38)[1]
North Yarmouth, Maine, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight164 lb (74 kg)[2]
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)1500 m – 5000 m (track)
5 km – 15 km (road)
College teamDartmouth
ClubAsics Elite Racing
Coached byRay Treacy
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)3000 m: 7:35.53 (2017)[1]
5000 m: 13:02.74 (2014)[1]
10,000 m: 27:14.95 (2021)[1]
Medal record
Representing the  United States
World Cross Country Championships
Silver medal – second place 2013 Bydgoszcz Team

Benjamin True (born December 29, 1985) is an American track and field and cross-country athlete, who competed for Dartmouth College and currently trains in Hanover, New Hampshire, while competing for Saucony and In the Arena. True was the top American at both the 2011 and 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, as well as the 2011 USATF Road Running Circuit Champion, winning the 5 km and 10 km Road Championships along the way.[3][4]

True is married to triathlete Sarah True.[5]

Early career

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Born and raised in North Yarmouth, Maine, True competed as a Nordic skier and runner throughout his time at Greely High School and Dartmouth College. He earned All-American honors twice at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships while in high school, twice at the NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship, three times at the NCAA Skiing Championships, once at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[6][7] True studied art history and architecture at Dartmouth.

Professional career (2009–present)

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After graduating from Dartmouth, True joined the Oregon Track Club for his first year as a professional runner. While at OTC, he was Top Mainer at the Beach to Beacon 10K in 2009, finishing 10th overall, and represented the Ivy League Alumni Select team at the Izumo Ekiden in Izumo City, Japan.

2010

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In the summer of 2010, True returned to Hanover, New Hampshire, to train with In the Arena Track Club, an NGO that provides opportunities for elite athletes to compete professionally while working part-time to strengthen their local communities.[8] True coaches and manages a cross-country and track team at Indian River Middle School in Enfield, New Hampshire.

2011

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True joined the Saucony Elite Racing team in 2011. Since joining Saucony, True has improved his track PR's to 7:36:59 for 3000m, 13:02.74 for 5000m, and 27:41.17 for 10,000m.[9] On the roads, he has won four national championships ranging from 5k to 15k, as well as the 2011 United States Road Circuit Championship.

True was also the top American at both the 2011[10] and 2013[11] IAAF World Cross Country Championships, finishing 35th and 6th. His 2013 performance was the highest finish for an American since 1995 and led the American team to a second-place finish behind Ethiopia, defeating Kenya for the first time since 1984.

2013

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At the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, True finished 4th in both the 5000m and the 10000m. A top-three finish in either event would have qualified him for the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.[12]

Starting in 2013, True trained with Liberty University alum Sam Chelanga in Hanover, New Hampshire. This continued until early 2015 when Chelanga announced he would be moving to Tucson, Arizona, to train with Coach James Li and his group of athletes including Bernard Lagat, Lawi Lalang and Abdihakem Abdirahman among others.

2014

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During the Payton Jordan Invitational track meet in the spring, True ran a world-leading 13:02.74 in the 5000m, winning the race and clocking the 9th fastest time ever run by an American over that distance.[13] True also won the 2014 Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day, outperforming Sam Chelanga during the last half-mile.

2015

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On April 18, 2015, True began a breakout year by winning the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) 5K in a new American 5 km road record, 13:22.[14][15][16][17]

In June 2015, True won the New York Diamond League 5000 meters and ran 27:43.79 in a 10 km at 2015 Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, CA earning a qualifying time[18] for Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2015 World Championships in Athletics

On June 25, Ben True placed second in 10 km and made fourth US team 2015 World Championships in Athletics at 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. On July 18, he had another second place in Heusden, Belgium. True placed 6th at 2015 World.

On September 11, True ran 13:05 at Diamond League finale in Brussels.[19]

2016

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In spring 2016, True was coached by Tim Broe.[20] May 28, 2016, True placed 11th at the Eugene Diamond League 5000 meters in 13:12.67 in preparation for US Olympic Track and Field Trials in July 2016.[21] He placed fifth in the 5000 m at the Olympic trials with a time of 13:36.40.[22]

On June 17, True placed third in 1500 meters at 2016 adidas BOOST Boston Games in US leading time 3:36.05 behind Nick Willis and Collins Cheboi.[23]

On August 6, True placed first in the 19th TD Beach To Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, with a time of 28:17. True became the first American and native Maine runner to win the race.[24][25]

On November 24, True won the 2016 Manchester Road Race, beating out one of the most competitive fields the race has seen. Both True and Leonard Korir were given the same finishing time (21:31), though the win was given to True.[26]

2017

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In 2017, True coached himself and trained in Hanover.[27] On April 15, True placed 1st in the B.A.A. 5K in a time of 13:20, breaking his own American 5 km road record.[28]

On May 5, True placed 10th in the 3000 meters at 2017 IAAF Diamond League in a time of 7:47.00 in Doha.[29]

On May 27, True placed 22nd in the 5000 meters at 2017 IAAF Diamond League in a time of 13:28.24 in Eugene Prefontaine Classic.[30]

On June 24, True placed 4th in the 5000 meters at 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in a time of 13:17.94 behind winner Paul Chelimo, Eric Jenkins and Ryan Hill.[31]

On July 1, True placed 6th in the 3000 meters at 2017 IAAF Diamond League in a time of 7:35.53 in Paris.[32]

On July 6, True placed 6th in the 5000 meters in Lausanne Athletissima in a time of 13:28.29.

On July 22, True placed 3rd in the 5000 meters at Heusden-Zolder KBC Night of Athletics in a time of 13:10.83.

On August 5, True placed 4th in the 10 km at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in a time of 27:56.

On August 24, True placed 8th in the 5000 meters at Zürich Weltklasse in a time of 13:17.62.

On August 29, True placed 7th in the 3000 meters in Zagreb Croatia at the IAAF World Challenge in a time of 7:44.36.[33]

In October, True started to train under coach Ray Treacy.

2018

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True won the men's race at 2018 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon in time of 1:02:39 over 10,888 finishers.[34]

On April 14, True placed 2nd in the B.A.A. 5K with a time of 13:42. It was a very close finish as Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet (1st) and American Tommy Curtin were recorded in the same time.[35]

On May 25, True placed 8th in the 2 Mile at the Prefontaine Classic with a time of 8:23.76. He went through 3000 meters in 7:52.36.[36]

True placed 3rd at the Beach to Beacon 10K with a time of 28:29 on August 4.[37]

On August 31, True placed 10th in the Diamond League final 5000 meters, running a near personal best of 13:04.11. American Paul Chelimo went on to break the elusive 13 minute barrier in the same race, placing 6th in 12:57.55.[38]

2019

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On April 13, True placed 2nd in the B.A.A. 5K in a time of 13:44.[39]

2021

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True spent January and February training in Charlottesville, Virginia, home to the nearby University of Virginia and Reebok Boston Track Club.

On February 20, True ran a 10,000m PR of 27:14.95 at the TEN, a meet held by Sound Running in Southern California. The time was 27 seconds faster than his previous best. He finished 4th to Bowerman teammates Marc Scott, Grant Fisher, and Woody Kincaid and is now the 8th fastest American of all time at the distance. Recent Harvard graduate Kieran Tuntivate finished 5th in 27:17 in the historically fast race. It was his first race since September 2019.

On September 6, True won the USATF 20 km Championships in a time of 59:53.[40] The event was held in New Haven, Connecticut.

On September 11, the Strava club Tour de Woodstock[41] held their first weekly public group run. The club was formed by True, along with his current training partners Dan Curts and Fred Huxham.

In November, True announced he had agreed to a deal with Asics that will run through at least 2023.[42]

On November 7, True took home 7th place at the 2021 New York City Marathon, in a time of 2:12:53. It was his first time competing at the Marathon distance. True was the second American finisher, behind Elkanah Kibet and finished just four seconds ahead of fellow American Nathan Martin.

2023

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On April 17, 2023, True finished an impressive 23rd place at the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:16:06.

US Teams

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World team place
2009 road 13th[43]
2011 12 km xc 35th
2013 12 km xc 6th
2015 10 km outdoor
2015 5 km outdoor 6th
2019 5 km outdoor

References

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  1. ^ a b c d IAAF. "Athlete profile for Ben True".
  2. ^ Lorge, Sarah. (March 1, 2013) Big Ben | Runner's World. Runnersworld.com. Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  3. ^ USA Track & Field – Men. Usatf.org. Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "Ben True | Saucony Athletes". Athletes.saucony.com. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  5. ^ Groff, Sarah (March 12, 2014). "Taking the Plunge". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  6. ^ "Men 1500 Meter Run 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships". usatf.org. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  7. ^ "True-ly an Impressive Career Wearing Green – DartmouthSports.com—Official Web Site of Dartmouth Varsity Athletics". Dartmouthsports.com. May 7, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  8. ^ "Athletes". In the Arena. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  9. ^ Athlete Profile Ben True. "Athlete profile for Ben True". Iaaf.org. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  10. ^ "Senior Race Result – 40th IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2013". Iaaf.org. March 24, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  11. ^ "Senior Race Result – 39th IAAF World Cross Country Championships". Iaaf.org. March 20, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  12. ^ "Ben True Locked & Loaded For US 10K Team | Ben True Videos". Flotrack. June 14, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  13. ^ "2014 Payton Jordan Invitational". May 5, 2014.
  14. ^ Press Releases | NYRR Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Production001.nyrr.org. Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  15. ^ NYRR Media Relations on Twitter: ".@bentrue wins the #BAA5K in a new American 5k road record, 13:22! http://t.co/fshrF2iLb5". Twitter.com (April 18, 2015). Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  16. ^ Hetzel, Megan. (April 18, 2015) Ben True, Molly Huddle Set American Records to Win BAA 5K | Runner's World. Runnersworld.com. Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  17. ^ USA Track & Field – Huddle and True set pending American records at B.A.A. 5k. Usatf.org (April 18, 2015). Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  18. ^ Weekly, Athletics. (April 15, 2015) IAAF approves entry standards for Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  19. ^ Complete Brussels Diamond League Results (iaaf results service) 11/09/2015 Archived September 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Trackandfieldnews.com. Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  20. ^ "Ben True Thinks He Can Medal at World Championships". August 20, 2015. Archived from the original on August 21, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  21. ^ "Men 5000 Meter Run 2016 Prefontaine Classic – 5/27/2016 to 5/28/2016 Diamond League Hayward Field – Eugene, OR". runnerspace.com. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  22. ^ U.S. Olympic Trials – Track & Field. usatf.org
  23. ^ Adidas Boost Boston Games Jun 17, 2016 Jun 18, 2016. milesplit.com
  24. ^ Maine Native Ben True Becomes First American Ever to Win TD Beach to Beacon, Kenya's Mary Keitany Shatters Course Record at 19th Edition of Iconic Road Race. Wolfenews.com (January 1, 1998). Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
  25. ^ TD Beach to Beacon 10K Cape Elizabeth, ME, August 6, 2016. coolrunning.com
  26. ^ Ben True, Emily Sisson Win 80th Manchester Road Race. letsrun.com
  27. ^ "Ben True Talks About Coaching Switch to Ray Treacy". YouTube Letsrun. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  28. ^ "2017 BAA 5K Results". Boston Athletic Association. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  29. ^ "2017 IAAF Diamond League Doha Diamond League 3km". IAAF Diamond League. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  30. ^ "2017 IAAF Diamond League Eugene Diamond League 5km" (PDF). IAAF Diamond League. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  31. ^ "2017 USATF Championships Results - 6/22/2017 to 6/25/2017 Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, California". usatf.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  32. ^ "2017 IAAF Diamond League Paris Diamond League 5km". IAAF Diamond League. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  33. ^ "2017 IAAF Diamond League Doha Diamond League profile Ben True". IAAF Diamond League. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  34. ^ "Two First-Time Winners and Two Repeat Winners Lead United Airlines NYC Half". New York Road Runners. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  35. ^ "B.A.A. 5K Winners". BAA. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  36. ^ "Eugene Diamond League - Nike Prefontaine Classic - Results/History - 2018 Results". Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  37. ^ Glenn, Jordan (August 4, 2018). "More than 6,500 brave muggy conditions at Beach to Beacon 10K". Press Herald. Maine Today Media. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  38. ^ "IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE FINAL - Brussels (Belgium) - 30th - 31st August 2018" (PDF). Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  39. ^ "2019 BAA 5K results". Boston Athletic Association. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  40. ^ "2021 USATF 20 km Championships, presented by Toyota - Official Website - info/Results - 09/06/21".
  41. ^ "Tour de Woodstock".
  42. ^ Cacciola, Scott (November 3, 2021). "Making His Marathon Debut, With a Lot of Help From New Friends". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  43. ^ Larner, Brett. (October 13, 2009) japan running news: Gitau Delivers Another Izumo Ekiden Win – Updated. Japanrunningnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved on August 8, 2016.
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