CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — Ben True, the North Yarmouth native who has qualified for the 2015 World Track and Field Championships in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs, has withdrawn this week from Saturday’s 18th annual TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race.
A former standout distance runner at Greely High School in Cumberland Center and Dartmouth College, True cited fatigue from a rigorous early summer schedule that included competing in both events at the U.S. Championships and then traveling to Belgium where he achieved the world-championships qualifying standard in the 5,000.
According to TD Beach to Beacon officials, the 29-year-old True has opted to rest in preparation for the world championships, which will be held Aug. 22-30 in Beijing, China.
True has indicated that he will run just the 5,000 at the world championships.
Despite True’s absence, Saturday’s race won’t be lacking in Maine natives competing for the title of top American professional at the TD Beach to Beacon — as well as part of the new $23,000 prize purse for U.S. men and women that will be divided evenly among the top five men and women with $5,000 for the winners and $3,000, $2,000, $1,000 and $500 to the next fastest finishers.
That Maine contingent includes Riley Masters of Veazie, Will Geoghegan of Brunswick and Ethan Shaw of Falmouth.
Masters, 25, who won the 2013 TD Beach to Beacon Maine race in 30:19, is a former Bangor High School standout and All-American at the University of Maine and University of Oklahoma, where he holds the school record in the 1,500.
Now living and training with the Brooks Track Club in Seattle, Washington, Masters ran a 13:17.97 for 5,000 meters at this year’s Payton Jordan Invitational, then placed ninth in the 5,000 at the U.S. Championships in June. Masters, like True just back from Europe, also recently recorded a personal-best time of 3:36.49 in the 1,500.
Geoghegan, 23, the 2014 Maine TD Beach to Beacon winner in 29:53, is a former Dartmouth All-American who finished his collegiate career at Oregon this spring. He placed eighth in the 1,500 at the U.S. Championships and clocked a personal-best time of 13:17.85 for 5,000 meters in Belgium last Friday.
Shaw, a 25-year-old Falmouth High School and Dartmouth product, won the 2012 Maine race in 30:37. Now living in Allston, Massachusetts, and a member of the B.A.A.’s High Performance Team, he recorded a personal-best 1:03.41 at the 2015 USA Half Marathon Championships in January.
In addition to True withdrawing, several top Kenyan runners, including 2013 TD Beach to Beacon women’s champion Joyce Chepkirui, have dropped out of Saturday’s race in the aftermath of the death of well-known Kenyan athletic manager Zane Branson last weekend because of a heart attack. That group includes Patrick Makau, Nikolas Bor, Emily Chebet and Ethiopian Tadelech Bekele.
Favorites in the men’s field are 2012 and 2014 runner-up Stephen Kosegi-Kibet, 2011 and 2013 champion Micah Kogo and 2012 winner Stanley Biwott, all of Kenya; and recent entry Moses Kipsino of Uganda.
Gemma Steel of Great Britain will be back to defend her 2014 women’s championship.
More than 6,400 runners are expected to take part in the race.
