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True Seeks Win at USATF Cross Country ChampionshipsPublished by
New Hampshire Native Ready to Challenge for Top Spot in BoulderBy Scott Bush In 2013, Ben True shocked the world, running to a sixth place finish at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Poland. True's finish led Team USA to a silver medal finish in the senior men's race, one of the more impressive international success stories for American distance running over the past 30 years. On Friday, True showed he's up to the challenge once again, entering to compete at the USATF Cross Country Championships on February 7 in Boulder, Colorado. Following up a successful 2013, True's most notable 2014 result came while running 13:02.74 to win the Payton Jordan Invitational 5,000m. His performance ranked him tops in the world for nearly two month while giving him an end-of-season ranking of U.S. #2 (only behind Galen Rupp's 13:00.99) and World #8. Sixs week prior to Payton Jordan, True won the USATF 15 km Championships, then came back in early August to place third in the always competitive TD Beach to Beacon 10K. True enters the action in Boulder as one of the pre-race favorites, heading a start list which includes three-time USATF cross country champion Dathan Ritzenhein and reigning two-time champion Chris Derrick. While True has shown he's capable of competing head-to-head with Ritzenhein and Derrick, the two have a slight advantage when it comes to USATF Cross Country Championship racing. Regardless, True has spent this month training in the thin air of Boulder, acclimating as best he can to the conditions of racing at near 5,500 feet. Read up on the top athletes and previews all next week on RunnerSpace.com and make sure to tune-in on Feburary 7 as the USATF Cross Country Championships will be shown live on USATF.TV.
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