The purpose of this web site is to assist promising young distance runners in making the transition from collegiate to professional running. The intent is to provide athletes with a comprehensive overview of what it takes and what is involved in becoming a professional distance runner - competing on the track, the roads and in cross country. By increasing the number of talented runners training at a high level - from the 800 meters up through the marathon - the U.S. will continue its re-emergence towards competitive excellence in long distance running both nationally and internationally.
Minneapolis/St. Paul – April 22, 2013 – Team USA Minnesota has added Ben Sathre – a six-time All American in track and cross country from the University of St. Thomas – to its roster of distance runners. Sathre won the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship in 2011 and was the runner-up in the event in 2010.
Sathre grew up in the Twin Cities and is a 2008 graduate of Chaska High School where he started competing in cross country and track in his junior year, along with being on the school’s Nordic ski team. During his collegiate career, in addition to his accomplishments at the DIII Cross Country Championships, in his senior year he won the MIAC Cross Country Championship and the NCAA DIII Regional Cross Country Championship.
He was also named a scholar athlete at St. Thomas and was a mention on the 2012 Bowerman Watch List of outstanding distance runners. Sathre completed his collegiate career last spring and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in Entrepreneurship.
“Ben has the ability and drive necessary to be a successful professional distance runner,” said Dennis Barker, Team USA Minnesota coach. “He is a good addition to the team and I look forward to working with him.”
Sathre won the City of Lakes 25k in Minneapolis last September and then competed in the USA 15k Championships in Jacksonville in March. He was second at the Irish Run 8k in St. Paul with a time of 23:35 on March 24 and followed that up with a personal best in the distance of 23:19 on April 7 at the Shamrock Shuffle 8k in Chicago, where he finished fifth.
His upcoming races include the Bloomsday 7.46 Mile race in Spokane on May 5, the USA 25k Championships in Grand Rapids on May 11, and the USA Half Marathon Championships in Duluth on June 22.
About Team USA Minnesota Team USA Minnesota is based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Formed in 2001, the purpose of the training center is to improve the competitiveness of post-collegiate American distance running and to develop Olympians. The athletes are coached by Dennis Barker, head cross country and track coach at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Team USA Minnesota’s major sponsor is Life Time Run http://www.lifetimerun.com and its silver sponsor is Twin Cities In Motion http://www.tcmevents.org. It is also supported by the New York Road Runners and the USA Distance Project. For more information, visit the team’s web site at http://www.teamusaminnesota.org.
On March 24, 2013, Ben True put together one of those dream races in a distance runner's life, and took sixth in the World Cross Country Championships. On a tough course, with cold, snow, a tough hill and terrible footing, True, along with Chris Derrick, finished in the top ten and lead the US team to the silver medal, and a huge upset of the Kenyan WC team, which finished third.
Ben True is a distance coach's dream, with a background in cross country skiing, cross country running and track and field. Last year, in 2012, Ben ran Personal bests at 3,000m (7:44.1), 5,000m (13:20), and 10,000m (27:41).
The RunPro Camp is designed for distance runners who are interested in pursuing a professional running career. The next RunPro Camp will be held July 19-21, 2013 in Arlington, VA. For information about the camp – including application informatin, deadline to apply, the schedule, and topics covered - click here
