Benjamin True (born December 29, 1985) is an American

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

and cross-country athlete, who competed for

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

and currently trains in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...

, 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. True is married to triathlete Sarah True.

Early career

Born and raised in North Yarmouth, Maine, True competed as a Nordic skier and runner throughout his time at Greely High School and

. He earned All-American honors twice at the

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships The Eastbay-Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the ...

while in high school, twice at the

NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship The NCAA Division I men's cross country championships (formerly the NCAA University Division cross country championships) are contested at an annual meet hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the individual and team ...

, three times at the NCAA Skiing Championships, once at the

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

, and at the 2007

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...

. True studied art history and architecture at Dartmouth.

Professional career (2009–present)

After graduating from Dartmouth, True joined the

Oregon Track Club The Oregon Track Club (OTC) is an American running organization based in Eugene, Oregon. History Emerald Empire Athletic Association Formed by Bill Bowerman, the Emerald Empire Athletic Association (EEAA) was the predecessor to the Oregon Track C ...

for his first year as a professional runner. While at OTC, he was Top Mainer at the

Beach to Beacon 10K The TD Beach to Beacon 10K is a road running event that takes place along the coastline of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It begins at Crescent Beach State Park and ends at the Portland Head Light in Fort Williams Park. Starting out as mainly a loc ...

in 2009, finishing 10th overall, and represented the Ivy League Alumni Select team at the Izumo

Ekiden is a long-distance running multi-stage relay race, mostly held on Road running, roads.Otake, Tomoko. ''One for All.'' Dec. 28, 200The Japan Times accessed Feb. 19, 2009. The original Japanese term had nothing to do with a sport or a competiti ...

in Izumo City, Japan.

2010

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. True coaches and manages a cross-country and track team at Indian River Middle School in Enfield, New Hampshire.

2011

True joined the

Saucony Saucony ( ) is an American brand of athletic footwear and apparel. Founded in 1898, the company is owned by Wolverine World Wide. Products commercialised by Saucony include footwear and clothing ranges, such as athletic shoes, jackets, hoodies, ...

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. 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 and 2013 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

At the

2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 20–23 in conjunction with the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Champion ...

, 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. Starting in 2013, True trained with

Liberty University Liberty University (LU), known simply as Liberty, is a Private university, private Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservativ ...

alum Sam Chelanga in

. This continued until early 2015 when Chelanga announced he would be moving to

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, to train with Coach James Li and his group of athletes including

Bernard Lagat Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974) is a Kenyan-American former Middle-distance running, middle and long-distance running, long-distance runner. Lagat was born in Kapsabet, Kenya. Prior to his List of eligibility transfers in at ...

, Lawi Lalang and Abdihakem Abdirahman among others.

2014

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. True also won the 2014

Manchester Road Race The Manchester Road Race is a 4.737 mile (7.623 km) footrace held annually on Thanksgiving Day in Manchester, Connecticut. Race proceeds are donated each year to Muscular Dystrophy research and about 18 other local charities. Beginning prom ...

on Thanksgiving Day, outperforming Sam Chelanga during the last half-mile.

2015

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. 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 Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

earning a qualifying time for

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from 12 to 21 August 2016, at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Olympic Stadium. The sport of athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics was made into three d ...

and

2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...

On June 25, Ben True placed second in 10 km and made fourth US team

2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ...

. On July 18, he had another second place in

Heusden, Belgium Heusden was a municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. In 1977 it merged with the municipality of Destelbergen, of which it is now part. It was mentioned for the first time in the 11th century, by abbot Othejbold. ...

. True placed 6th at 2015 World. On September 11, True ran 13:05 at

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions. The inaugural season was ...

finale in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

2016

In spring 2016, True was coached by Tim Broe. May 28, 2016, True placed 11th at the Eugene

5000 meters in 13:12.67 in preparation for US Olympic Track and Field Trials in July 2016. He placed fifth in the 5000 m at the Olympic trials with a time of 13:36.40. 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 Nicholas Ian Willis (born 25 April 1983) is a New Zealand middle-distance runner and the country's only two-time Olympic medalist in the 1500 metres. He won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and bronze at the 2016 Olympics in R ...

and

Collins Cheboi Collins Cheboi Kiprotich (born 25 September 1987) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. His personal best for the event is 3:31.53 minutes. He was a silver medallist at the 2011 All-Africa Games and was part of ...

. 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. 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.

2017

In 2017, True coached himself and trained in Hanover. 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. On May 5, True placed 10th in the 3000 meters at 2017 IAAF Diamond League in a time of 7:47.00 in Doha. 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 The Prefontaine Classic is a track and field meet held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Organized by the Oregon Track Club, it was previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, and ...

. On June 24, True placed 4th in the 5000 meters at

2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium (Sacramento), Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California, Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field ...

in a time of 13:17.94 behind winner

Paul Chelimo Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo (born October 27, 1990) is a Kenyan born American track and field athlete. He is the 2016 Olympic silver medalist and the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist in the 5000 meters and is known for his success at the highest level o ...

, Eric Jenkins and Ryan Hill. On July 1, True placed 6th in the 3000 meters at 2017 IAAF Diamond League in a time of 7:35.53 in Paris. On July 6, True placed 6th in the 5000 meters in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

Athletissima in a time of 13:28.29. On July 22, True placed 3rd in the 5000 meters at

Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian Limburg (Belgium), province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769. The total area is 53.23 ...

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 Cape Elizabeth is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland–South Portland, Maine, South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, Biddeford, Ma ...

, in a time of 27:56. On August 24, True placed 8th in the 5000 meters at

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Weltklasse in a time of 13:17.62. On August 29, True placed 7th in the 3000 meters in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

Croatia at the IAAF World Challenge in a time of 7:44.36. In October, True started to train under coach Ray Treacy.

2018

True won the men's race at 2018

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

NYC Half Marathon in time of 1:02:39 over 10,888 finishers. 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 Hagos Gebrhiwet Berhe (, born 11 May 1994) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 5,000 m at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the 5 km at the 2023 World Road Running Championships. He ...

(1st) and American Tommy Curtin were recorded in the same time. On May 25, True placed 8th in the 2 Mile at the

with a time of 8:23.76. He went through 3000 meters in 7:52.36. True placed 3rd at the

with a time of 28:29 on August 4. On August 31, True placed 10th in the

final 5000 meters, running a near personal best of 13:04.11. American

went on to break the elusive 13 minute barrier in the same race, placing 6th in 12:57.55.

2019

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

2021

True spent January and February training in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

, home to the nearby

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

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 Marc Scott (born 21 December 1993) is a British long-distance runner. He took his first global medal with bronze in the 3000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. He is the European indoor record holder for the 5000 metres. Scott re ...

, 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 USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

20 km Championships in a time of 59:53. The event was held in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. On September 11, the

Strava Strava is an American internet service for tracking physical exercise which incorporates social network features. It started out tracking mostly outdoor cycling and running activities using Global Positioning System (GPS) data, but now incorpor ...

club Tour de Woodstock 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. On November 7, True took home 7th place at the

2021 New York City Marathon The 2021 New York City Marathon, the 50th running of New York City Marathon, that city's premier long-distance race, was held on November 7, 2021. Around 30,000 people ran in the event, of whom 25,020 finished. The race followed its traditional ...

, in a time of 2:12:53. It was his first time competing at the

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

distance. True was the second American finisher, behind Elkanah Kibet and finished just four seconds ahead of fellow American Nathan Martin.

2023

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

Coaching

As of 2024, True transitioned to coaching both professional and amateur distance runners through the club he founded, Northwoods Athletics. In January 2025, True was hired as an assistant coach of cross country and track and field at his alma mater,

US Teams

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:True, Ben 1985 births Living people Track and field athletes from New Hampshire Sportspeople from Hanover, New Hampshire Track and field athletes from Maine American male long-distance runners World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Dartmouth Big Green men's cross country runners Dartmouth Big Green men's track and field athletes Diamond League winners