CAPE ELIZABETH — Ben True, the United States 5K record holder who just missed an Olympic berth earlier this month, has been added to the world-class field for the TD Beach to Beacon 10K, race organizers announced Wednesday.
True, a North Yarmouth native, and Bangor’s Riley Masters will add even more flavor to professional runners to the startlign line at Cape Elizabeth on Saturday, Aug. 6.
The addition of those two helps round out the 32-member professional field for this year’s race, barring any last-minute travel or injury issues, according to Elite Athlete Coordinator Larry Barthlow.
True and Masters deepen the field of top U.S. distance runners who will compete in the $23,000 American-only prize category, with $5,000 of that going to the winner.
Eric Jenkins, a New Hampshire native who won the American category last year, is back to defend, and the field also includes former U.S. Olympians Dathan Ritzenhein and Abdi Abdirahman.
Jenkins and True fell just short in their bids to make the U.S. Olympic team, finishing fourth and fifth in the 5,000-meter final at the U.S. Olympic trials in Oregon. The top three finishers qualified for the Rio Games. Masters finished 16th in that same race.
True, 30, a former Greely High School and Dartmouth College All-American, placed third (27:50) in his professional return to the TD Beach to Beacon in 2014 — the fastest road 10K by an American in 29 years. He won the Maine resident title in 2008 and 2009, when he set the course record in that category.
True had planned to run the 2015 TD Beach to Beacon, but decided instead to rest in preparation for the World Championships, where he took sixth at 5,000 meters. Earlier in 2015, he broke the American 5K record in Boston.
Masters, 26, is a former Bangor High School standout and All-American at the University of Maine and University of Oklahoma. He won the Maine category at the 2013 TD Beach to Beacon. He returned as a professional last year and finished ninth overall.
Race Founder and Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson is happy that True and Masters decided to again return to their home state and compete in this year’s race.
“Ben and Riley will bring a large amount of inspiration to our younger runners, especially in our inaugural year of the high school mile,” Samuelson said.
True also will be among the favorites for the Open title. He and Jenkins will compete in that category against a handful of young international track runners, Olympic medalists and high-level marathoners for the $10,000 top prize.
The world-class athletes will join a race day field of more than 6,600 runners who will wind along the fast, relatively flat course that begins near the Crescent Beach State Park entrance on Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth and ends 6.2 miles later in Fort Williams Park at the Portland Head Light.
Elite Athlete Fields for the 2016 TD Beach to Beacon 10K
MEN
Micah Kogo, Kenya
Patrick Makau, Kenya
William Malel Sitonik, Kenya
James Mwangi Macharia, Kenya
Daniel Salel, Kenya
Tariku Bekele, Ethiopia
Markos Geneti, Ethiopia
Eric Jenkins, USA
Ben True, USA
Dathan Ritzenhein, USA
Abdi Abdirahman, USA
Sam Chelanga, USA
Riley Masters, USA
Maverick Darling, USA
Joe Bosshard, USA
Brendan Gregg, USA
Morgan Pearson, USA
WOMEN
Wude Ayalew, Ethiopia
Joyce Chepkirui, Kenya
Mary Keitany, Kenya
Gladys Yator, Kenya
Caroline Chepoech, Kenya
Lily Partridge, United Kingdom
Emily Sisson, USA
Jordan Hasay, USA
Sara Hall, USA
Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton, USA
Emma Bates, USA
Ashley Higginson, USA
Kaitlin Gregg Goodman, USA
Elaine Balouis, USA
Maddie McClellan, USA
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