enlarge Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Ben True made his latest appearance in the Beach to Beacon 10K a memorable one, topping the field of Maine men in the prestigious race.

TOP FIVE MAINE MEN

1. Ben True, North Yarmouth, 31:02

2. Judson Cake, Bar Harbor, 31:49

3. Jon Wilson, Falmouth, 31:51

4. Ethan Hemphill, Freeport, 31:56

5. Donny Drake, Portland, 31:59

CAPE ELIZABETH — At the starting line near Crescent Beach, Ben True had a look about him that said it all.

Thirty-one minutes, 2 seconds later, True topped the Maine men's field at the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K road race, his first title in what has become one of the race's most intriguing divisions.

True also was the first American male finisher, at 11th overall.

"I've never taken this seriously before," said True, his hair spiked with sweat. "Today felt good."

True, a former Greely High School standout in distance running and Nordic skiing, will be a senior at Dartmouth College in the fall. He has run Beach to Beacon several times, but because the August race falls during his build-up period for cross country, he has never competed to his full potential.

Saturday, he unleashed what his competitors knew he had in him.

"You could tell he had his game face on," said race president Dave Weatherbie, who went on a training run with True earlier in the week. "Just looking at him, you knew he was going to run hard."

True started in a pack with Judson Cake, 30, of Bar Harbor and Jon Wilson, 20, of Falmouth. Former winners Ethan Hemphill, 36, and Donny Drake, 23, were behind in a second pack of Maine runners.

True pulled away from the Maine field with college buddy Harry Norton, a Massachusetts resident, somewhere between Mile 2 and Mile 3.

"I just got on his shoulder and went," said True. "I knew he was going a little fast but didn't see anyone else from Maine from that point on in my peripheral vision."

Cake said he could see True ahead for most of the race and quickly knew he was out of reach.

Cake said he has been trying to break records in smaller races in northern Maine for most of the summer. He worked his shift as a gourmet cook in Bar Harbor on Friday night and woke up at 3 a.m. Saturday to make the trip to Cape Elizabeth.

Cake slept in the backseat of his friend's small car on the ride down, brushed the sleep from his eyes and finished second behind True in 31:49.

Cake won the $1,000 purse that would have gone to True if NCAA rules did not prohibit its athletes from taking prize money.

Wilson, who will be a junior at the University of Richmond in the fall, finished third in 31:51. He got sick after he crossed the finish line, but said it was nothing more than a hard day's work.

"It just tells me I went all out," said Wilson. "I had a breakout year in college this year and I wanted to put myself in contention here."

Hemphill finished fourth in 31:56 received the second-place money of $500. Drake, who finished fifth in 31:59, won the third-place prize of $250.

Both Hemphill and Drake said True appeared focused and intense at the start of the race.

"He went right out after it," said Drake. "He made it clear he wanted to go for it. He's obviously capable of winning it and went right out."

Eric Giddings, a two-time Maine division winner from South Portland, jogged the race with his sister, Andrea, finishing in 43:51.

The Taye brothers, Ayalew and Sintayehu, were entered in the race but did not run.

Staff Writer Jenn Menendez can be contacted at 791-6426 or at:

jmenendez@pressherald.com