Ruben Sança
Ruben Pascal Sança (born December 13, 1986) is a Cape Verdean long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. He attended and ran for the University of Massachusetts Lowell, after which he began training under Gary Gardner as a member of the Whirlaway Racing Team. Sança is the current Cape Verdean record-holder at 3,000 m indoors at 8:07.50, the 5000 m indoors at 13:56.46, the 5000 m outdoors at 14:05.39, road 5 km at 14:11 and the marathon at 2:18:47. He was one of three members of the 2012 Cape Verdean Olympic team.[4]
 Sança in 2014 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ruben Sança | |||||||||||||
| Nationality | Cape Verdean | |||||||||||||
| Born | December 13, 1986[1][2] Santa Maria, Cape Verde | |||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) [2] | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 154 lb (70 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track, Long-distance running | |||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 1500 meters, 5000 meters, Marathon | |||||||||||||
| College team | Umass Lowell | |||||||||||||
| Club | Whirlaway Racing Team | |||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 1500 meters: 3:49.17[3] 10,000 meters: 29:49.48[3] Half Marathon: 1:05:24[3] Marathon: 2:18:47[3] | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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Running career
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the men's 5000 metres, finishing 40th overall in Round 1, failing to qualify for the final.[5] Soon after the London Olympics, he underwent knee surgery to remove a benign tumor in his right knee, which had affected him throughout the Olympics. He returned to the marathon on April 21, 2014, finishing in 21st place with a time of 2:19:05 at the 2014 Boston Marathon.
Major competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Cape Verde | ||||||
| 2009 | Lusophony Games | Lisbon, Portugal | 6th | 1500 m | 3:55.10 | |
| 2011 | New Bedford Half Marathon | New Bedford, United States | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:05:24 | |
| 2011 | Rotterdam Marathon | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 17th | Marathon | 2:18:47 | |
| 2011 | World Championship | Daegu, South Korea | 48th | Marathon | 2:34:40 | |
| 2011 | Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon | Las Vegas, United States | 16th | Half Marathon | 1:07:14 | |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, England | 40th | 5000 m | 14:35.19 | |
| 2014 | Lusophony Games | Goa, India | 1st | 5000 m | 14:28.48 | |
| 2014 | New Bedford Half Marathon | New Bedford, United States | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:05:52 | |
| 2014 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 20th | Marathon | 2:19:05 | |
| 2014 | Twin Cities Marathon | Minneapolis, United States | DNF | Marathon | Injury at 25 km | |
| 2014 | Macau Half Marathon | Macau, China | 2nd | Half Marathon | 1:08:19 | |
| 2015 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 24th | Marathon | 2:21:58 | |
| 2015 | BAA Half Marathon | Boston, United States | 8th | Half Marathon | 1:09:51 | |
| 2015 | Valencia Marathon | Valencia, Spain | DNF | Marathon | Injury at 30 km | |
| 2016 | Jacksonville Half Marathon | Jacksonville, United States | 37th | Half Marathon | 1:06:25 | |
| 2016 | London Marathon | London, England | 32nd | Marathon | 2:21:35 | |
| 2016 | Great North Run | South Shields, England | 12th | Half Marathon | 1:05:53 | |
| 2016 | Macau Half Marathon | Macau, China | 3rd | Half Marathon | 1:08:42 | |
| 2017 | New Bedford Half Marathon | New Bedford, United States | 2nd | Half Marathon | 1:06:54 | |
| 2017 | Bangkok Midnight Marathon | Bangkok, Thailand | 3rd | Marathon | 2:53:17 | |
| 2017 | Baystate Marathon | Lowell, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:24:15 | |
| 2018 | New Bedford Half Marathon | New Bedford, United States | 4th | Half Marathon | 1:07:43 | |
| 2018 | O'Djo D'Agua Half Marathon | Santa Maria, Cape Verde | 1st | Half Marathon | 1:10:52 | |
| 2018 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | DNF | Marathon | Hypothermia at 30 km | |
| 2018 | Berlin Marathon | Berlin, Germany | 29th | Marathon | 2:21:01 | |
Personal bests
| Distance | Time (min) | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 m | 3:49.17 | 5 May 2012 | Waltham |
| Mile run (indoors) | 4:07.37 | 12 February 2009 | Boston |
| 3000 m (indoors) | 8:07.50 (NR) | 29 January 2011 | Boston |
| 5000 m | 14:05.39 (NR) | 16 April 2012 | Walnut |
| 5000 m (indoors) | 13:56.46 (NR) | 30 January 2010 | Boston |
| 5 km (road) | 14:11 (NR) | 25 February 2010 | Armagh |
| 10 km (road) | 29:54 | 25 August 2013 | Brockton |
| Half Marathon | 1:05:24 | 20 March 2011 | New Bedford |
| Marathon | 2:18:47 (NR) | 10 April 2011 | Rotterdam |
External links
Video
- Interview: Ruben Sanca: UMass Lowell - World Class Runner
- Training: Emily Maye // Tracksmith: Ruben Sanca
- Hall of Fame: UMass Lowell: Hall of Fame Speech
References
- "Profile of Ruben Sança". IAAF. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- "Ruben Sança Birthday and Facts". Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- All-Athletics. "Profile of Ruben Sança".
- "Cape Verde at the 2012 London Summer Games | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- "Ruben Sanca". London 2012. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.