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

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

and cross-country athlete, who competed for

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

and currently trains in

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

, 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 Sarah True (''née'' Groff, born November 27, 1981) is an American athlete who competes in triathlon. She represented the United States in triathlon in 2012, finishing in fourth place, and at the 2016 Summer Olympics. True is the winner of the 20 ...

Early career

Born and raised in North Yarmouth, Maine, True competed as a

Nordic skier Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the Ski binding, binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe ...

and runner throughout his time at Greely High School and

. 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 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 Olym ...

. True studied art history and architecture at Dartmouth.

Professional career (2009–present)

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

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 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) is a Private university, private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer ...

alum Sam Chelanga in

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

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive ...

to train with Coach James Li and his group of athletes including Bernard Lagat, 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 4.748 mile (7.641 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 promp ...

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 for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was ...

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 Olympic Stadium. The sport of athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics was made into three distinct sets of events: track and ...

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

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 The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

finale in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

2016

In spring 2016, True was coached by

Tim Broe Tim Broe (born June 20, 1977, in Peoria, Illinois) is a retired American long-distance runner. He reached the 5000 meters final at the 2004 Summer Olympics finishing eleventh. Tim competed collegiately for the University of Alabama where his 3,000m ...

. 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 and Collins Cheboi. 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, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at Hayward Field on the campus of the Univers ...

. 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 on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place June 22–2 ...

in a time of 13:17.94 behind winner Paul Chelimo, 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 ( , , , ) ; it, Losanna; rm, Losanna. is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French speaking canton of Vaud. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and fac ...

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 Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, Cape Elizabeth had a population of 9,535. ...

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

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich () i ...

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

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Sl ...

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. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

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 (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 Beach to Beacon 10K 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 Paul Chelimo 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 in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen ...

, home to the nearby

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

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 physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

in Southern California. The time was 27 seconds faster than his previous best. He finished 4th to Bowerman teammates Marc Scott,

Grant Fisher Grant Fisher (born April 22, 1997) is a Canadian-born American professional middle- and long-distance runner. He placed fifth in the 10,000 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Fisher holds No ...

, 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. The event was held in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

. On September 11, the Strava 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, 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 , 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 are also wheelchair di ...

distance. True was the second American finisher, behind

Elkanah Kibet Elkanah Kibet (born June 2, 1983) is a Kenyan-born Americans, American long distance running, long distance runner. An alumnus of Auburn University, he is also a financial management technician in the United States Army and competes in marathons ...

and finished just four seconds ahead of fellow American Nathan Martin.

US Teams

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:True, Ben 1985 births Living people Sportspeople from New Hampshire People 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