After a devastating DNF at the 2016 Games in Rio, True made the move to half- and full-Ironman racing in spring 2017, a move which has so far reaped big rewards. Let’s find out more about this popular US athlete\u2026<\/p>
Who is Sarah True?<\/strong><\/h2>Born in Hanover, New Hampshire, and raised in Cooperstown, New York, Sarah True (n\u00e9e Groff) competed in cross country, track and swimming in high school before making the swim team in college.<\/p>
After graduating, and having competed in a few amateur triathlon races during her college years, she made a move into the sport full-time.<\/p>
Racing in World Cups \u2013 the precursors to World Championship Series races \u2013 from 2005 to 2008, she slowly but surely started to move from a top-20 athlete, into the top 10, before climbing onto the podium in 2008.<\/p>
From 2010, and with the Series now working to more of an F1-style format with increased global TV coverage, she joined Darren Smith’s all-star coaching outfit. Again, she bided her time but by 2011 she was regularly visiting the podium and finished third overall in the Series.<\/p>
True finished a devastatingly-close fourth in London at the 2012 Olympic Games, on what would be her best day on the biggest short-course stage (she would DNF in Rio having been lapped). A couple of solid Series followed, before she took her first WTS win in Stockholm in 2014, and finished second overall in the Series \u2013 again, it would be her best result.<\/p>
The Rio DNF became a turning point in True’s life. Suffering with deep depression, troubled sleep and suicidal thoughts, she eventually turned to therapy to help her through. She’s now a vocal supporter of mental health.<\/p>
The move to middle- and long-distance racing since 2017 has been transformative for True, not only professionally but also personally, finding a peace that somehow evaded her in Olympic-distance racing.<\/p>
To date, and now under the supervision of superstar coach Dan Lorang, out of 14 70.3 starts she’s been on the podium nine times.<\/p>
How old is <\/strong>Sarah True?<\/strong><\/h2>Sarah True (n\u00e9e Groff) was born on 27 November 1981, making her 41 years old.<\/p>
Sarah True<\/strong>\u2019s career highlights<\/strong><\/h2>Sarah Groff (her maiden name) winning her first-ever World Triathlon event, in Stockholm, Sweden, 2014. (Credit: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno\/Getty Images for Threadneedle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>May 2007: First major win<\/strong><\/h3>True’s first major win comes at the 2007 Aquathlon World Championships.<\/p>
October 2008: The first World Cup podium<\/strong><\/h3>A year later, True achieves her first World Cup podium with silver in Huatulco, Mexico, before finishing seventh at the then one-day ITU World Championship in Vancouver.<\/p>
June 2011: The first World Championship Series podium<\/strong><\/h3>![\"Canada\u00b4s](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/08\/helen-jenkins-paula-findlay-sarah-true-kitzbuhel-2011-afb0947.jpg\" "\\"Canada\u00b4s")
Paula Findlay (C) celebrates her win, flanked by Helen Jenkins (L) in second and Sarah Groff (R) in third, at the 2011 ITU World Championship Series Kitzb\u00fchel race. (Credit: Dieter Nagl\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>A year out from the London Games and True was showing real podium form, taking bronze in Kitzb\u00fchel behind Helen Jenkins in second and Paula Findlay<\/strong> <\/a>in first, to become the first US woman to finish on a WCS podium.<\/p>August 2011: Olympic bound<\/strong><\/h3>At the Olympic test event in August, True places seventh which secures her Olympic spot on the US team alongside second-place finisher Gwen Jorgensen. Three other top-10 finishes see her finish third overall in the World Championships Series.<\/p>
August 2012: Best of the rest at the London Olympics <\/strong><\/h3>![\"Londen](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/08\/sarah-true-olympics-2012-766ac62.jpg\" "\\"Londen")
Sarah Groff runs through for fourth at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Credit: Tim de Waele\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>At the main event<\/strong><\/a>, True finishes in every athlete’s most feared position \u2013 fourth, 10secs off bronze. But it’s still the top-finishing position for any American athlete at an Olympic Games triathlon event (until 2016, see below).<\/p>August 2014: Wins her first World Triathlon series race <\/strong><\/h3>After two top-10 Series finishes in 2012 and 2013, she scores her first World Series (now simply called World Triathlon) victory in Stockholm<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>At the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Finale in Edmonton, Canada, she finishes fourth \u2013 again \u2013 to end the year runner-up behind Jorgensen.<\/p>
September 2015: All-American podium <\/strong><\/h3>![\"CHICAGO,](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/08\/gwen-jorgensen-katie-zaferes-sarah-true-chicago-2015-fbafe87.jpg\" "\\"2015")
L-R: Katie Zaferes, Gwen Jorgensen and Sarah True, who finished second, first and third, respectively, in the 2015 World Triathlon Series. (Credit: Tasos Katopodis\/Getty Images for Threadneedle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>A silver on the Gold Coast, a bronze in London and a repeat win in Sweden<\/strong><\/a>\u2026 and a fourth place in the Rio Olympic test event. She ends the year in third place overall behind team-mates Jorgensen in first and Katie Zaferes<\/a><\/strong> in second.<\/p>August 2016: Career low point<\/strong><\/h3>A pretty dismal 2016 follows, the ultimate low point coming at the Rio Olympics where she suffers leg cramps on the bike, is then lapped and therefore forced to DNF. Jorgensen wins the title<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>May 2017: Finds her calling on the 70.3 circuit<\/strong><\/h3>After a DNF and a 25th place at the first two ITU races of 2017, True calls it a day on her short-course career. But she wastes no time on moving up to middle distance, racing her first one in May and winning silver. Another silver, a bronze and a fourth (no, really) at her first 70.3 Worlds follows. By September, she takes her first win at 70.3 Augusta.<\/p>
October 2018: A top-five debut in Hawaii <\/strong><\/h3>![\"FRANKFURT](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/08\/sarah-true-daniela-ryf-ironman-germany-2018-ec7e830.jpg\" "\\"Mainova")
L-R: Sarah True, who finished second, Daniela Ryf, first, and Sarah Crowley, third, celebrate on the podium at the 2018 Ironman European Championship. (Credit: Joern Pollex\/Getty Images for Ironman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Sarah True (n\u00e9e Groff) was born on 27 November 1981, making her 41 years old.<\/p>
Sarah True<\/strong>\u2019s career highlights<\/strong><\/h2>Sarah Groff (her maiden name) winning her first-ever World Triathlon event, in Stockholm, Sweden, 2014. (Credit: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno\/Getty Images for Threadneedle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>May 2007: First major win<\/strong><\/h3>True’s first major win comes at the 2007 Aquathlon World Championships.<\/p>
October 2008: The first World Cup podium<\/strong><\/h3>A year later, True achieves her first World Cup podium with silver in Huatulco, Mexico, before finishing seventh at the then one-day ITU World Championship in Vancouver.<\/p>
June 2011: The first World Championship Series podium<\/strong><\/h3>Paula Findlay (C) celebrates her win, flanked by Helen Jenkins (L) in second and Sarah Groff (R) in third, at the 2011 ITU World Championship Series Kitzb\u00fchel race. (Credit: Dieter Nagl\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>A year out from the London Games and True was showing real podium form, taking bronze in Kitzb\u00fchel behind Helen Jenkins in second and Paula Findlay<\/strong> <\/a>in first, to become the first US woman to finish on a WCS podium.<\/p>August 2011: Olympic bound<\/strong><\/h3>At the Olympic test event in August, True places seventh which secures her Olympic spot on the US team alongside second-place finisher Gwen Jorgensen. Three other top-10 finishes see her finish third overall in the World Championships Series.<\/p>
August 2012: Best of the rest at the London Olympics <\/strong><\/h3>Sarah Groff runs through for fourth at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Credit: Tim de Waele\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>At the main event<\/strong><\/a>, True finishes in every athlete’s most feared position \u2013 fourth, 10secs off bronze. But it’s still the top-finishing position for any American athlete at an Olympic Games triathlon event (until 2016, see below).<\/p>August 2014: Wins her first World Triathlon series race <\/strong><\/h3>After two top-10 Series finishes in 2012 and 2013, she scores her first World Series (now simply called World Triathlon) victory in Stockholm<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>At the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Finale in Edmonton, Canada, she finishes fourth \u2013 again \u2013 to end the year runner-up behind Jorgensen.<\/p>
September 2015: All-American podium <\/strong><\/h3>L-R: Katie Zaferes, Gwen Jorgensen and Sarah True, who finished second, first and third, respectively, in the 2015 World Triathlon Series. (Credit: Tasos Katopodis\/Getty Images for Threadneedle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>A silver on the Gold Coast, a bronze in London and a repeat win in Sweden<\/strong><\/a>\u2026 and a fourth place in the Rio Olympic test event. She ends the year in third place overall behind team-mates Jorgensen in first and Katie Zaferes<\/a><\/strong> in second.<\/p>August 2016: Career low point<\/strong><\/h3>A pretty dismal 2016 follows, the ultimate low point coming at the Rio Olympics where she suffers leg cramps on the bike, is then lapped and therefore forced to DNF. Jorgensen wins the title<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>May 2017: Finds her calling on the 70.3 circuit<\/strong><\/h3>After a DNF and a 25th place at the first two ITU races of 2017, True calls it a day on her short-course career. But she wastes no time on moving up to middle distance, racing her first one in May and winning silver. Another silver, a bronze and a fourth (no, really) at her first 70.3 Worlds follows. By September, she takes her first win at 70.3 Augusta.<\/p>
October 2018: A top-five debut in Hawaii <\/strong><\/h3>L-R: Sarah True, who finished second, Daniela Ryf, first, and Sarah Crowley, third, celebrate on the podium at the 2018 Ironman European Championship. (Credit: Joern Pollex\/Getty Images for Ironman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
May 2007: First major win<\/strong><\/h3>True’s first major win comes at the 2007 Aquathlon World Championships.<\/p>
October 2008: The first World Cup podium<\/strong><\/h3>A year later, True achieves her first World Cup podium with silver in Huatulco, Mexico, before finishing seventh at the then one-day ITU World Championship in Vancouver.<\/p>
June 2011: The first World Championship Series podium<\/strong><\/h3>Paula Findlay (C) celebrates her win, flanked by Helen Jenkins (L) in second and Sarah Groff (R) in third, at the 2011 ITU World Championship Series Kitzb\u00fchel race. (Credit: Dieter Nagl\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>A year out from the London Games and True was showing real podium form, taking bronze in Kitzb\u00fchel behind Helen Jenkins in second and Paula Findlay<\/strong> <\/a>in first, to become the first US woman to finish on a WCS podium.<\/p>August 2011: Olympic bound<\/strong><\/h3>At the Olympic test event in August, True places seventh which secures her Olympic spot on the US team alongside second-place finisher Gwen Jorgensen. Three other top-10 finishes see her finish third overall in the World Championships Series.<\/p>
August 2012: Best of the rest at the London Olympics <\/strong><\/h3>Sarah Groff runs through for fourth at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Credit: Tim de Waele\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>At the main event<\/strong><\/a>, True finishes in every athlete’s most feared position \u2013 fourth, 10secs off bronze. But it’s still the top-finishing position for any American athlete at an Olympic Games triathlon event (until 2016, see below).<\/p>August 2014: Wins her first World Triathlon series race <\/strong><\/h3>After two top-10 Series finishes in 2012 and 2013, she scores her first World Series (now simply called World Triathlon) victory in Stockholm<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>At the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Finale in Edmonton, Canada, she finishes fourth \u2013 again \u2013 to end the year runner-up behind Jorgensen.<\/p>
September 2015: All-American podium <\/strong><\/h3>L-R: Katie Zaferes, Gwen Jorgensen and Sarah True, who finished second, first and third, respectively, in the 2015 World Triathlon Series. (Credit: Tasos Katopodis\/Getty Images for Threadneedle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>A silver on the Gold Coast, a bronze in London and a repeat win in Sweden<\/strong><\/a>\u2026 and a fourth place in the Rio Olympic test event. She ends the year in third place overall behind team-mates Jorgensen in first and Katie Zaferes<\/a><\/strong> in second.<\/p>August 2016: Career low point<\/strong><\/h3>A pretty dismal 2016 follows, the ultimate low point coming at the Rio Olympics where she suffers leg cramps on the bike, is then lapped and therefore forced to DNF. Jorgensen wins the title<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>May 2017: Finds her calling on the 70.3 circuit<\/strong><\/h3>After a DNF and a 25th place at the first two ITU races of 2017, True calls it a day on her short-course career. But she wastes no time on moving up to middle distance, racing her first one in May and winning silver. Another silver, a bronze and a fourth (no, really) at her first 70.3 Worlds follows. By September, she takes her first win at 70.3 Augusta.<\/p>
October 2018: A top-five debut in Hawaii <\/strong><\/h3>L-R: Sarah True, who finished second, Daniela Ryf, first, and Sarah Crowley, third, celebrate on the podium at the 2018 Ironman European Championship. (Credit: Joern Pollex\/Getty Images for Ironman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
A year later, True achieves her first World Cup podium with silver in Huatulco, Mexico, before finishing seventh at the then one-day ITU World Championship in Vancouver.<\/p>
June 2011: The first World Championship Series podium<\/strong><\/h3>Paula Findlay (C) celebrates her win, flanked by Helen Jenkins (L) in second and Sarah Groff (R) in third, at the 2011 ITU World Championship Series Kitzb\u00fchel race. (Credit: Dieter Nagl\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>A year out from the London Games and True was showing real podium form, taking bronze in Kitzb\u00fchel behind Helen Jenkins in second and Paula Findlay<\/strong> <\/a>in first, to become the first US woman to finish on a WCS podium.<\/p>August 2011: Olympic bound<\/strong><\/h3>At the Olympic test event in August, True places seventh which secures her Olympic spot on the US team alongside second-place finisher Gwen Jorgensen. Three other top-10 finishes see her finish third overall in the World Championships Series.<\/p>
August 2012: Best of the rest at the London Olympics <\/strong><\/h3>Sarah Groff runs through for fourth at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Credit: Tim de Waele\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>At the main event<\/strong><\/a>, True finishes in every athlete’s most feared position \u2013 fourth, 10secs off bronze. But it’s still the top-finishing position for any American athlete at an Olympic Games triathlon event (until 2016, see below).<\/p>August 2014: Wins her first World Triathlon series race <\/strong><\/h3>After two top-10 Series finishes in 2012 and 2013, she scores her first World Series (now simply called World Triathlon) victory in Stockholm<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>At the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Finale in Edmonton, Canada, she finishes fourth \u2013 again \u2013 to end the year runner-up behind Jorgensen.<\/p>
September 2015: All-American podium <\/strong><\/h3>L-R: Katie Zaferes, Gwen Jorgensen and Sarah True, who finished second, first and third, respectively, in the 2015 World Triathlon Series. (Credit: Tasos Katopodis\/Getty Images for Threadneedle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>A silver on the Gold Coast, a bronze in London and a repeat win in Sweden<\/strong><\/a>\u2026 and a fourth place in the Rio Olympic test event. She ends the year in third place overall behind team-mates Jorgensen in first and Katie Zaferes<\/a><\/strong> in second.<\/p>August 2016: Career low point<\/strong><\/h3>A pretty dismal 2016 follows, the ultimate low point coming at the Rio Olympics where she suffers leg cramps on the bike, is then lapped and therefore forced to DNF. Jorgensen wins the title<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>May 2017: Finds her calling on the 70.3 circuit<\/strong><\/h3>After a DNF and a 25th place at the first two ITU races of 2017, True calls it a day on her short-course career. But she wastes no time on moving up to middle distance, racing her first one in May and winning silver. Another silver, a bronze and a fourth (no, really) at her first 70.3 Worlds follows. By September, she takes her first win at 70.3 Augusta.<\/p>
October 2018: A top-five debut in Hawaii <\/strong><\/h3>L-R: Sarah True, who finished second, Daniela Ryf, first, and Sarah Crowley, third, celebrate on the podium at the 2018 Ironman European Championship. (Credit: Joern Pollex\/Getty Images for Ironman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
A year out from the London Games and True was showing real podium form, taking bronze in Kitzb\u00fchel behind Helen Jenkins in second and Paula Findlay<\/strong> <\/a>in first, to become the first US woman to finish on a WCS podium.<\/p> At the Olympic test event in August, True places seventh which secures her Olympic spot on the US team alongside second-place finisher Gwen Jorgensen. Three other top-10 finishes see her finish third overall in the World Championships Series.<\/p> At the main event<\/strong><\/a>, True finishes in every athlete’s most feared position \u2013 fourth, 10secs off bronze. But it’s still the top-finishing position for any American athlete at an Olympic Games triathlon event (until 2016, see below).<\/p> After two top-10 Series finishes in 2012 and 2013, she scores her first World Series (now simply called World Triathlon) victory in Stockholm<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p> At the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Finale in Edmonton, Canada, she finishes fourth \u2013 again \u2013 to end the year runner-up behind Jorgensen.<\/p> A silver on the Gold Coast, a bronze in London and a repeat win in Sweden<\/strong><\/a>\u2026 and a fourth place in the Rio Olympic test event. She ends the year in third place overall behind team-mates Jorgensen in first and Katie Zaferes<\/a><\/strong> in second.<\/p> A pretty dismal 2016 follows, the ultimate low point coming at the Rio Olympics where she suffers leg cramps on the bike, is then lapped and therefore forced to DNF. Jorgensen wins the title<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p> After a DNF and a 25th place at the first two ITU races of 2017, True calls it a day on her short-course career. But she wastes no time on moving up to middle distance, racing her first one in May and winning silver. Another silver, a bronze and a fourth (no, really) at her first 70.3 Worlds follows. By September, she takes her first win at 70.3 Augusta.<\/p>August 2011: Olympic bound<\/strong><\/h3>
August 2012: Best of the rest at the London Olympics <\/strong><\/h3>
August 2014: Wins her first World Triathlon series race <\/strong><\/h3>
September 2015: All-American podium <\/strong><\/h3>
August 2016: Career low point<\/strong><\/h3>
May 2017: Finds her calling on the 70.3 circuit<\/strong><\/h3>
October 2018: A top-five debut in Hawaii <\/strong><\/h3>
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