ATLANTA - Ben True (Hanover, N.H.) outkicked defending U.S. champion Ed Moran (Williamsburg, Va.) to take the 2011 USA Men's 10 km title Monday at the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Ga. True ran 28:28 to power his way to a fifth-place finish in a top international field, winning his first U.S. title in the process.

The early miles saw Matthew Kisori and Sammy Kitwara of Kenya open a gap on the field, while True, Moran and U.S. contenders Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.) and Brian Olinger (Westerville, Ohio) and were slightly more conservative in the oppressive heat and humidity. 

Shortly after two miles, Kisori surged to a five-meter lead on Kitwara and Peter Kamais of Kenya and Ridoune Harroufi emerged from the chase pack in a race for third with the chase pack about 50 meters behind.

As the course began to climb towards four miles, Kitwara, maintained contact with Kisori to stay within striking distance and Kisori made one more effort to break the 2009 champion.  Meanwhile, Olinger took control of the chase pack, steadily closing the gap on Kamais and Harroufi.

Making the final turn towards the finish at Piedmont Park, Kitwara had one more gear, pulling away for his second AJC Peachtree victory, running 28:05, two seconds ahead of Kisori.

As Kamais and Harroufi battled for third, they managed to hold off the hard charging pack of Americans, with Harroufi claiming third in 28:27 and Kamais taking fourth in 28:28.  True finished a step behind in the same time to claim fifth overall and the U.S. title.

Moran claimed second in the U.S. race, running 28:29 while Abdirahman took the third U.S. spot in 28:32 and Olinger was fourth American in 28:35. Christo Landry (Ann Arbor, Mich.) rounded out the championships top-five running 28:52.   

Video highlights

On demand of the USA Men’s 10 km Championship is available in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com atwww.USARunningCircuit.com. 

About the USARC

The USA Men’s 10 km Championship was the seventh stop for the men on the 2011 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and features $30,000 in prize money with the True earning $10,000 for the title.

The 2011 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The circuit features ten events for men and nine for women. Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) currently leads the men’s standings with 35 points, while True moves into second with 33.  
 
The 2011 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA long distance running championships and for the first time will include the USA Cross Country Championships. The USARC attracts the best U.S. distance runners and has ten events for men and nine for women.
 
The 2011 USARC features more than $450,000 in circuit prize money with U.S. athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA in various international competitions.
 
The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6,000, $4,000, and $2,500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. 
 
The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote U.S. runners.  Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.
 
For more information on the 2011 USA Men’s 10 km Championship visit www.USARunningCircuit.com.