Ben True is Maine's fastest distance runner ever.
Born Dec 29, 1985, Greely High School '04, Dartmouth College '09
After showing great promise in 2007 with a sub four minute mile clocking, Ben True burst back onto the US distance scene in 2011 by winning the USA road Circuit championship and capturing 2 road national titles. True turned in some sterling road performances such as 13:42 to win the CVS Downtown 5k, 28:28 for 4th at the Peachtree 10k, 32:48 for 6th at Falmouth 7.1, 43:25 for 2nd to Mo Trafeh at the Gate River Run 15k, and 46:48 for another close 2nd to Mo Trafeh at the US 10 Mile Championships in Minneapolis. He was also 5th at the US Cross Country Nationals and the top American finisher at World Cross.
In local Maine races, True has won the Bridgton 4 on the Fourth in 18:58, won the Yarmouth Clam Festival in 23:27, and paced 12th at Beach to Beacon in 29:00.
in 2012 True stepped up his game to another level and put himself in the hunt for a spot on the Olympic Team. First he hit the crucial Olympic A Standard with a 27:41 10k at Stanford in April. At the Olympic Trials he was waylaid with flu-like symptoms, but he stayed with the leaders early on in the 10k final, only to fade to a disappointing 12th over the last half. He still had one more chance in the 5k. In the 5000 meter Olympic Trials final, True needed not only to place in the top three to make the team, but also get the Olympic A standard of 13:20.0. With that in mind, he moved to the front early and led portions of the first few laps. Coming onto the bell lap most of the field was still intact, and True had placed himself in 5th, in contact with the leaders. Over that last 400, Galen Rupp and Bernard Lagat blasted the fastest last lap in the history of American championship 5000's, closing in 52.5. True was unable to match that speed, but held on to finish 6th in 13:28.
In 2013 True was the top American at the World Cross Country Championships in 6th place, the best placing by an American man in 27 years. He won the Mt Sac Relays 1500 in 3:40, and the Stanford Jordan Invite 5000 in 13:14. At the USATF Championships he struggled in the hot weather to finish a distant fourth in the 10k. True came back to run the 5000, which also dawdled in the heat to an unbelievably slow 10:22 at two miles. Soon after, True attacked the field, running a 61.82 lap, then a 59.13 lap, then with 800 to go a 58.96 lap. In the final 400, Olympic medalists Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp sprinted around him, and despite a 55.67 final lap, and running the last mile in a personal best 3:56.95, True finished fourth. His courageous tactics earned him the respect of all who watched the race, and brought up memories of Prefontaine. True then headed to Europe and ran a PR 13:11 5000 in Heusden, Belgium and then a huge PR 7:36 for 3000 in Rieti, Italy, which moved him to #10 All-Time in the US!
In 2014 True won the Payton Jordan 5000 in 13:02.74, vaulting him to 9th all-time fastest in the US. He also ran 3:40 for 1500, and a 27:51 on the roads at the Beach to Beacon 10k.
True has been ranked in the top ten Americans seven times by Track & Field News in the 5000 and 10,000. He was a three-time NCAA All-American at Dartmouth; once each in Nordic skiing, cross country and the 1500. He won the Heptagonal Cross Country Championship a record three times and set Dartmouth school records at 1500 and the Mile. At Greely High School he placed 5th at the 2003 Footlocker National Cross Country Championship, and 9th at the 2002 Nationals. He won three consecutive Maine State Meets in X-C. His track bests were 1:55.20 for 800, 4:12.28 for 1600 (winning the New England Championship in 2003), and 9:19.34 for 3200.
2007 8th NCAA 1500, 7th hts USATF 1500 1:50/3:40/3:59 14:14
2008
2009 3:42
2010 7:59/13:43
2011 Ranked 7th in US at 5000 10th USATF 5000 13:24/28:16
2012 Ranked 7th in US at 5000 6th TRIALS 5000 7:44/13:20/27:41
Ranked 10th in US at 10,000 12th TRIALS 10,000
2013 Ranked 3rd in US at 5000 4th USATF 5000 3:38/3:56/7:36/13:11
Ranked 6th in US at 10,000 5th USATF 10,000
2014 Ranked 2nd in US at 5000 3:40 13:02
True currently competes for Saucony and the "In the Arena" Track Club. He lives in Hanover, NH.
Born Dec 29, 1985, Greely High School '04, Dartmouth College '09
After showing great promise in 2007 with a sub four minute mile clocking, Ben True burst back onto the US distance scene in 2011 by winning the USA road Circuit championship and capturing 2 road national titles. True turned in some sterling road performances such as 13:42 to win the CVS Downtown 5k, 28:28 for 4th at the Peachtree 10k, 32:48 for 6th at Falmouth 7.1, 43:25 for 2nd to Mo Trafeh at the Gate River Run 15k, and 46:48 for another close 2nd to Mo Trafeh at the US 10 Mile Championships in Minneapolis. He was also 5th at the US Cross Country Nationals and the top American finisher at World Cross.
In local Maine races, True has won the Bridgton 4 on the Fourth in 18:58, won the Yarmouth Clam Festival in 23:27, and paced 12th at Beach to Beacon in 29:00.
in 2012 True stepped up his game to another level and put himself in the hunt for a spot on the Olympic Team. First he hit the crucial Olympic A Standard with a 27:41 10k at Stanford in April. At the Olympic Trials he was waylaid with flu-like symptoms, but he stayed with the leaders early on in the 10k final, only to fade to a disappointing 12th over the last half. He still had one more chance in the 5k. In the 5000 meter Olympic Trials final, True needed not only to place in the top three to make the team, but also get the Olympic A standard of 13:20.0. With that in mind, he moved to the front early and led portions of the first few laps. Coming onto the bell lap most of the field was still intact, and True had placed himself in 5th, in contact with the leaders. Over that last 400, Galen Rupp and Bernard Lagat blasted the fastest last lap in the history of American championship 5000's, closing in 52.5. True was unable to match that speed, but held on to finish 6th in 13:28.
In 2013 True was the top American at the World Cross Country Championships in 6th place, the best placing by an American man in 27 years. He won the Mt Sac Relays 1500 in 3:40, and the Stanford Jordan Invite 5000 in 13:14. At the USATF Championships he struggled in the hot weather to finish a distant fourth in the 10k. True came back to run the 5000, which also dawdled in the heat to an unbelievably slow 10:22 at two miles. Soon after, True attacked the field, running a 61.82 lap, then a 59.13 lap, then with 800 to go a 58.96 lap. In the final 400, Olympic medalists Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp sprinted around him, and despite a 55.67 final lap, and running the last mile in a personal best 3:56.95, True finished fourth. His courageous tactics earned him the respect of all who watched the race, and brought up memories of Prefontaine. True then headed to Europe and ran a PR 13:11 5000 in Heusden, Belgium and then a huge PR 7:36 for 3000 in Rieti, Italy, which moved him to #10 All-Time in the US!
In 2014 True won the Payton Jordan 5000 in 13:02.74, vaulting him to 9th all-time fastest in the US. He also ran 3:40 for 1500, and a 27:51 on the roads at the Beach to Beacon 10k.
True has been ranked in the top ten Americans seven times by Track & Field News in the 5000 and 10,000. He was a three-time NCAA All-American at Dartmouth; once each in Nordic skiing, cross country and the 1500. He won the Heptagonal Cross Country Championship a record three times and set Dartmouth school records at 1500 and the Mile. At Greely High School he placed 5th at the 2003 Footlocker National Cross Country Championship, and 9th at the 2002 Nationals. He won three consecutive Maine State Meets in X-C. His track bests were 1:55.20 for 800, 4:12.28 for 1600 (winning the New England Championship in 2003), and 9:19.34 for 3200.
2007 8th NCAA 1500, 7th hts USATF 1500 1:50/3:40/3:59 14:14
2008
2009 3:42
2010 7:59/13:43
2011 Ranked 7th in US at 5000 10th USATF 5000 13:24/28:16
2012 Ranked 7th in US at 5000 6th TRIALS 5000 7:44/13:20/27:41
Ranked 10th in US at 10,000 12th TRIALS 10,000
2013 Ranked 3rd in US at 5000 4th USATF 5000 3:38/3:56/7:36/13:11
Ranked 6th in US at 10,000 5th USATF 10,000
2014 Ranked 2nd in US at 5000 3:40 13:02
True currently competes for Saucony and the "In the Arena" Track Club. He lives in Hanover, NH.
Mile SUB 4:10
3:56.15 Riley Masters, Bangor, Oklahoma 2015
3:56.24 Will Geoghegan, Brunswick, Dartmouth / Oregon 2017
3:57.28 Eric Nedeau, Kennebunk, Northeastern 1995
3:57.31 Ben True, North Yarmouth, Dartmouth 2017
3:57.57 Matt Lane, Yarmouth, William & Mary 2002
3:58.30 Isaiah Harris, Lewiston, Penn State 2021
3:59.29 Dan Curts, Ellsworth, Iowa State 2020
4:01.38 Dereck Treadwell, Old Town, U Maine 1999
4:01.44 Pat Tarpy, Yarmouth, Brown 2006
4:01.8 Bruce Bickford, Benton, Northeastern 1987
4:02.26 Sam Wilbur, Lincoln, Dartmouth 1995
4:02.40 Brendan O’Keefe, Gouldsboro, Brown 2008
4:03.06 Levi Miller, Belfast, Georgetown 2007
4:03.33 Henry Sterling, South Freeport, Dartmouth 2015
4:03.63 Ayalew Taye, Portland, Georgetown 2008
4:04.02 Ryan Demers, Portland, Tennessee 2002
4:04.04 Sintayehu Taye, Portland, Virginia 2009
4:04.21 Brandon Bonsey, Falmouth, Georgetown 2007
4:04.7 Dave Farley, Orrington, Brown 1965
4:05.97 Mike Hughes, Bar Harbor, Dartmouth 1993
4:05.99 Casey Quaglia, Bangor, Binghamton 2011
4:06.41 Ryan Widzgowski, Rockport, Keene State 2014
4:06.57 Alex Moser, York, U Maine 2013
4:06.67 Ben Ray, Auburn, U Maine 2000
4:06.95 Parker Pruett, Birch Harbor, Dartmouth 2000
4:07.29 Chris Kibler, Bath, Fitchburg State 2014
4:07.6 Gerard LaFlamme, 1976
4:07.72 Aaron Willingham, Mt Blue Farmington 2023
4:08.35 Sean Steinhagen, Portland, Vermont 2007
4:08.46 Ethan Crain, North Windam, MIT 1997
4:08.6 Paul Hammond, Westbrook, Bates 1980
4:08.? Jamie Goodberlet, West Sumner 1985
4:09.59 Donald Drake, Portland 2007
4:09.77 Mitchell Black, Brunswick, Tufts 2016
(in BOLD Maine Record at the time)
3:56.15 Riley Masters, Bangor, Oklahoma 2015
3:56.24 Will Geoghegan, Brunswick, Dartmouth / Oregon 2017
3:57.28 Eric Nedeau, Kennebunk, Northeastern 1995
3:57.31 Ben True, North Yarmouth, Dartmouth 2017
3:57.57 Matt Lane, Yarmouth, William & Mary 2002
3:58.30 Isaiah Harris, Lewiston, Penn State 2021
3:59.29 Dan Curts, Ellsworth, Iowa State 2020
4:01.38 Dereck Treadwell, Old Town, U Maine 1999
4:01.44 Pat Tarpy, Yarmouth, Brown 2006
4:01.8 Bruce Bickford, Benton, Northeastern 1987
4:02.26 Sam Wilbur, Lincoln, Dartmouth 1995
4:02.40 Brendan O’Keefe, Gouldsboro, Brown 2008
4:03.06 Levi Miller, Belfast, Georgetown 2007
4:03.33 Henry Sterling, South Freeport, Dartmouth 2015
4:03.63 Ayalew Taye, Portland, Georgetown 2008
4:04.02 Ryan Demers, Portland, Tennessee 2002
4:04.04 Sintayehu Taye, Portland, Virginia 2009
4:04.21 Brandon Bonsey, Falmouth, Georgetown 2007
4:04.7 Dave Farley, Orrington, Brown 1965
4:05.97 Mike Hughes, Bar Harbor, Dartmouth 1993
4:05.99 Casey Quaglia, Bangor, Binghamton 2011
4:06.41 Ryan Widzgowski, Rockport, Keene State 2014
4:06.57 Alex Moser, York, U Maine 2013
4:06.67 Ben Ray, Auburn, U Maine 2000
4:06.95 Parker Pruett, Birch Harbor, Dartmouth 2000
4:07.29 Chris Kibler, Bath, Fitchburg State 2014
4:07.6 Gerard LaFlamme, 1976
4:07.72 Aaron Willingham, Mt Blue Farmington 2023
4:08.35 Sean Steinhagen, Portland, Vermont 2007
4:08.46 Ethan Crain, North Windam, MIT 1997
4:08.6 Paul Hammond, Westbrook, Bates 1980
4:08.? Jamie Goodberlet, West Sumner 1985
4:09.59 Donald Drake, Portland 2007
4:09.77 Mitchell Black, Brunswick, Tufts 2016
(in BOLD Maine Record at the time)