Transforming goals to reality, with your lifestyle in mind.
Ben is a former professional athlete who saw one of the most successful and consistent running careers as a versatile distance runner. He ran for Asics, Oregon Track Club, Adidas and HOKA NAZ Elite. Ben represented the United States on three World Championship teams (track, cross country, and the half marathon). In 2014, Ben won five Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathons, a feat that garnered him attention throughout the running world, crossing over into the masses. He qualified for, and competed in, an astounding 17 straight USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships from 2003 through 2019. In 2022 he completed the famous Boston to Big Sur challenge running 2:27 in Boston and 2:41 6 days later in Big Sur. He then went on the following year to win the Big Sur Marathon in 2:36. He has PBS of 4:00.4 road mile, 8:19 3k steeplechase, 13:30 5k, 28:09 10k, 62:28 half marathon, 2:21 marathon.
Ben ran collegiately at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in his home state of California. There he was a two-time NCAA All American in the steeplechase with a personal best of 8:33.70.
In the last few years, Ben transitioned from a full time athlete to a role as the team’s official pacer and part-time assistant coach at NAZ Elite. Beginning in 2024 he took on a full-time position as the team’s second assistant coach and its operations coordinator. As the OC of NAZ he manages all the team logistics, invoices, and reimbursements. Ben also coordinates with races, agents, with sponsors, manages an 18 + pro athlete roster, as well as timing workouts, measuring courses, and planning race schedules and plans.
Through the last 10 years Ben has coached an athlete roster of over 100 athletes ranging from men and women trying to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials to Boston qualifiers, women returning post partum and so many more. Ben has numerous coaching relationships that have spanned for over 5 years.
Athlete Testimonials
“Ben is an extraordinarily generous person that has coached me for almost 10 years. I have trusted him thoroughly to coach me through my 40’s and now my 50s. Ben has supported me with challenging workouts that were tailored for me as a masters athlete. Inspired to continue trusting him and I am looking forward for to my next season!”
~Donna Mills Honarvar
“The best athletes don’t always make great coaches. And great coaches don’t always have superlative athletic résumés. But Ben Bruce has both: a lifetime of experience as a competitive runner and more than a decade of work as a successful coach to boot. Ben’s knowledge and understanding of the sport is unmatched and he has a particular talent for translating his hard-won wisdom into highly-effective training programs for his athletes. For the past five years Ben has written a program for me that has allowed me to step up to the start line of my races with full confidence in my preparation. I’ve run my fastest marathons ever under his guidance; but more importantly, I’ve learned volumes about how to train, how to race and how to get the very most out of myself day in and day out."
-Amory Rowe Salem
“Ben has always been a great person to work with from pacing lots of my workouts, managing training to being our coach this past year. I learned patience & not stressing if paces didn’t click right away in a race specific workout, he encouraged consistency in putting in the work & small gains that eventually came together at the end of a segment. He was always a calming presence during those long marathon specific workouts.”
-Aliphine Tuliamuk 2020 Olympic Trials Champion
