Story Links In the middle of December, elite middle distance runner Alejandro Civetta completed exams in brain and behaviour, organic chemistry, cell biology and biochemistry. That alone would be enough to exhaust the average person. But not only did the sophomore standout thrive, he also found time to shatter the U20 Canadian record in the […]
In the middle of December, elite middle distance runner Alejandro Civetta completed exams in brain and behaviour, organic chemistry, cell biology and biochemistry. That alone would be enough to exhaust the average person. But not only did the sophomore standout thrive, he also found time to shatter the U20 Canadian record in the 600-metre, finishing in a ridiculous time of 1:18.39.
That result – achieved at home during the Athletics Manitoba Last Chance Meet – also auto-qualified Civetta for U SPORTS nationals in Windsor, Ontario from March 6-8.
Civetta will be joined by teammate Dawson Mann, who ran 1:17.97 in the same race, becoming just the third Bison in school history to run sub-1:18 in the event. The dynamic duo are currently ranked second, and fifth in the 600 in the country, while the Herd’s men’s and women’s track and field teams already have a combined 13 U SPORTS auto qualifying results in different events.
“It still doesn’t feel real. It’s crazy to think back and see how far I’ve come. From a kid who just liked to run around the playground and couldn’t keep still, to a national record holder, I never imagined how far this sport could take me,” said Civetta.
“If you would have told me back in 2019 back when I first started training seriously that I’d break a national record in five years, I would not have believed you.”
An active child, Civetta joked that his parents thought he had “ants in his pants” because he could never keep still. That energy led to a passion for cross country and track that eventually led him to Andy Tough’s Tough Track program, where he honed his skills.
Still training with Tough to this day, the Vincent Massey grad debuted with the Herd having already proven himself to be one of the province’s most promising middle-distance runners.
In his senior year of high school, Civetta – whose favourite race is the 800 – finished first in the distance, as well as the 1500 at outdoor provincials, along with a second-place result in the 400.
“Running in high school really prepared me [for U SPORTS],” he said.
“High school provincials, doing the 400, 800 and 1500 metre in three days is a lot. I don’t know who made the schedule, but they have the 400-metre final and the 800-metre final an hour apart on the Saturday. It was probably the hardest double I’ve ever done. Just doing that, it really does help you prepare to be able to run multiple events.”
As a rookie, Civetta made an immediate difference for the Bisons.
He was part of the team’s 4×800 metre gold-medal squad at the Canada West Championships, and earned points in the 600 while also running in the 1000.
Civetta then ran the lead leg for the Herd in the 4×800 at nationals at home, a life-long dream.
“Coming into the season I had some very big goals. A goal of mine was to try and run on the 4×800. I remember watching the 4×800 relays in high school. I remember the 2022 race in St. John’s, New Brunswick where they out-dipped Western at the line to win bronze. I remember how ecstatic those guys were. I also remember watching in 2023 in Saskatoon when they fell back and came back to win silver,” he reflected.
“I remember watching that race and thinking, when I’m running in university, I want to run the 4×800. Coming into the year, that was a big goal of mine.”
In a crowded field of 12, Civetta put Manitoba in a great place after the first leg, passing the baton off in third place. The Bisons ended up just off the podium, but did finish with the second-fastest time in school history.
“My goal was just to put the team in a good spot. I knew I could go out there and run with the top teams. With 12 guys at the start line you can easily get boxed in and pushed to the back. I ended up getting out really well at the line and got a good position at the front and was able to pass the baton off in third place. I remember passing the corner where our entire team was cheering as loud as they could. That definitely gave me a boost every single time,” added Civetta.
“It was one of if not the coolest moments in my running career. Unfortunately I didn’t get to watch any of the other guys run. I was busy throwing up in the garbage can. At least I can say I went all out on the track.”He had a goal of auto-qualifying for U SPORTS this season, and that mission was accomplished in a major way. One week after setting a U20 provincial record in the 1000-metre, Civetta broke the U20 Canadian record in the 600.
His incredible time was accomplished with the help of fifth-year veteran Dawson Mann, a well-established nationals medalist who’s already auto qualified for U SPORTS in the 300 and 600 and as part of the school’s 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams.
“This year I’ve been running right behind Dawson in practice. My plan coming into the race was to just try and hang onto him. I was in lane four and Dawson was to my inside, so I was running blind. I couldn’t really rely on him for the first 150 metres. I got out fast, and we moved really quick down the back straight,” recalled Civetta.
“As we moved to the corner, I could hear and see Dawson in my eye starting to pass me. I was expecting this. It put me in perfect position where I was able to slot right behind him after the cut in. [Head coach] Claude [Berube] was there calling splits for us and after the first lap I heard 24 [seconds]. It was quick, but it didn’t really click in my mind that we were going that fast.”
Lap two “still felt good.” Civetta continued to stick behind the wily veteran Mann coming into the final lap. At 400 metres, he was at 49 seconds, and from there it was all hands on deck.
“I’d never gone under 50 seconds in an open 400-metre before. It was a 400-metre PB in a 600,” he chuckled.
“I knew as long as I didn’t blow up in the final lap, I’d have a super impressive time. The legs definitely became fatigued in the last lap. In the last 100 metres the legs really started to hurt. Coming into the home stretch all I could think was just get to the finish line. It felt like an eternity.”
When Mann’s time of 1:17.97 popped up, Civetta “was in shock.” Before he could process the result, his time of 1:18.39 appeared, and bedlam followed.
Amongst the chaos, Civetta was sure to thank his training partner.
‘He definitely pushes me to run as fast as I do’
Civetta was a finalist for Bisons Male Rookie of the Year last season, and he’s picked up right where he left off.
“I immediately knew it was a provincial record and a U SPORTS auto q. I made sure to go over to Dawson and tell him the times. I want to give him a big shout out for setting the record setting pace and dragging me along. If he’s not in that race, I may not have broken the record,” he said.
“I train with him, it’s honestly an honour. He’s someone who works just as hard. He’s one of the nicest, most humble guys I know. I think I have good form, but every single time I see him run, he’s just so smooth. He definitely pushes me to run as fast as I do.”
Civetta had a goal of getting a nationals auto qualifying time coming into the year, and now, he’s got bigger goals. But the mature runner and his team haven’t lost sight of the big vision.
“Now I’m changing my goal to try and score some points for the team this year and potentially medal [at nationals]. The main goal for the season hasn’t changed though. If you ask anybody on our team, they’ll have the same answer. The goal is to win the team title.”
