Colin Bennie is an American distance runner who specializes in 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 ...

. He was an All-American runner at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

before shifting to longer races after college. Bennie placed in the top 10 at the 2020 and 2024 United States Olympic Trials Marathon.

Early Life

Bennie grew up in

Princeton, Massachusetts Princeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is bordered on the east by Sterling and Leominster, on the north by Westminster, on the northwest by Hubbardston, on the southwest by Rutland, and on the southeast by H ...

and attended Wachusett Regional High School. He was the

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

state runner-up in the 2-mile run with a time of 9:25. Bennie continued his career at

, where he earned NCAA All-American honors in cross country. On the track, he registered times of 28:37 in the 10,000 meters and 13:38 for 5,000 meters. While competing for the Orange, Bennie was teammates with elite marathoners, Martin Hehir and Joe Whelan.

Career

After graduating from Syracuse in 2018, Bennie made a successful transition to longer races. In a 2021 interview, Bennie stated that his two older brothers inspired him to train for marathons. He placed 19th at the 2019 Houston Half Marathon in a time of 1:02:46, which qualified him for the 2020 United States Olympic Trials (marathon). Bennie took 6th place at the 2019 USA 15km Championship in a time of 44:16. In the fall of 2019, he claimed 11th at the USA 20km Championship. His debut marathon came at the 2020 Olympic Trials in Atlanta, where Bennie battled hills and wind to place 9th of 235 men, with a time of 2:12:14. Later in 2020, Bennie improved his marathon time to 2:09:38 at the Marathon Project event in Arizona. He continued to post strong performances in 2021, taking 6th at the USA 15km Championship and 7th at the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

. He was the top American finisher in Boston, beating the pre-race favorite CJ Albertson by 18 seconds. In 2022, Bennie finished 5th at the USA 15km Championship and 19th at the

. Over the summer, he placed 7th 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 ...

, which was his third top-10 result in the event. In October, Bennie clocked a time of 47:08 at the USA 10 Mile Championship, good enough for 10th place. His best performance in 2023 came at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, where he placed 10th in a world-class field. Bennie competed in the

2024 United States Olympic Trials (marathon) The 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon was held on Saturday, February 3, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, to determine the American athletes who will compete in the marathon event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. The race was hosted ...

in Orlando, where he achieved another top-10 finish, clocking a time of 2:12:17 in sunny, hot conditions. In the fall, Bennie placed 12th at the 2024

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fini ...

. At the 2025

, Bennie placed 18th in a time of 2:11:46. He was the 6th American finisher.

References

External links

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2020 Olympic Trials Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennie, Colin 1995 births Living people American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners Syracuse Orange men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Massachusetts