CAPE ELIZABETH — In true grass-is-greener fashion, North Yarmouth native Ben True packed up and followed his dream.

A West Coast mecca for running, Eugene, Oregon beckoned. True hooked up with the prestigious Oregon Track Club's elite team, and began his professional racing career. In one of his final races as a Maine-based runner, True blew away the Maine field at the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10k last summer, finishing in a Maine course record time of 29:10, just 1:05 off the overall winning time.

It appeared the time had come to stretch his legs at a higher level.

Apparently, though, Oregon wasn't the place to do it.

Still officially running out of the Oregon club, True is back to run this year's edition of the Beach to Beacon. He no longer qualifies as a Maine resident, but he won't be "from" Oregon for much longer, either.

"I was actually pretty lost when I went out there," True admitted Friday at the Beach to Beacon's annual media day. "This past year, I've been struggling. I never really settled down in Eugene. It was a training environment I didn't really enjoy, and so I've decided to move back east."

True won't be back in Maine, officially, but he'll be close, joining an outfit out of New Hampshire.