Ben Sathre joins Team USA Minnesota

Hassan Mead, Chris Rombough, and Ben Sathre
at the 2012 Jack Johnson Classic 3K
Photo by Gene Niemi

 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.  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 for 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.   Often outspoken, Sathre has sometimes received as much attention for what he says as what he does on the roads or on the track.

Run 'N Fun helped Sathre in the transition from college to professional running, putting him on their squad last Fall.  Running for the Run 'N Fun team, 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.  

“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's 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.