Through the mud, autumn leaves and roars of the crowd at Hooker Oak Park, runner Mario Giannini powered across the finish line of his hometown course, again in first place, to claim back-to-back California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference titles.
With a growing list of accolades and prominent performances, the junior at Chico State has developed an impressive career as a part of the men’s cross country and track & field teams.
Sports have always played a major role in Giannini’s life. Although he explored other interests, running has always been his true passion. He delved into soccer, baseball, and basketball in elementary and early high school, but watching his older brother compete sparked his decision to begin running competitively.
“I’ve always liked running as a kid,” Giannini said. “I was pretty decent, but then I really got into it when my older brother joined the high school cross country team. I was still in elementary when I started going to his meets in Washington, so he was most of my inspiration.”
Giannini’s rise started before his days at Chico State. In his senior year at Chico High School, he captured his second career Northern Section Cross Country Championship, completing the three-mile course in 15:29, the third-fastest time in the course’s history.
“By that time, I was already super into it and knew I was going to run in college no matter what. I was excited about it,” Giannini said.
He also broke two long-standing school records, running 4:12 in the 1600m and 9 minutes in the 3200m. He consistently delivered strong performances that set the stage for a smooth transition to the collegiate level.
“It was a great transition,” Giannini said. “Part of the reason I came to Chico was because I wanted to run with my brother again. A bunch of my brother’s friends were on the team as well, so I felt very comfortable and very welcomed here.”
Head Coach Gary Towne recognized Giannini’s potential before he arrived at Chico State. “I’d watched him enough in high school to know that he was incredibly talented and really tough,” Towne said. “I was hoping that we would have a chance at keeping him home. Thankfully, his older brother was here already at the time, so that really helped get him here.”
Giannini made an immediate impact in his Chico State debut with a first-place finish, clocking 17:27 in the 6k at the Ash Creek Collegiate Invite. He followed that with a second-place finish in the San Francisco State Invitational, posting 24:49 in the 8k.
He continued to shine in his freshman year with the cross country team, earning NCAA All-West Region honors and being named the CCAA Newcomer of the Year.
“After freshman year, I was sure this is really what I want to do,” Giannini said. “I had a bunch of really close friends running with me and my brother on the team, thinking, man this is super fun.”
Although he competed in only two meets during the track and field season, he still made his presence known. He made his debut in the mile at the Chico Invitational, finishing second in 4:15, and placed second in the 5k with a time of 14:40 at the CCAA Championships.
As a sophomore, Giannini carried his momentum into another strong cross country season, delivering in conference competition. He placed ninth at the Alabama Huntsville Charger Invitational, competing against over 300 runners. He also ran a personal-best time of 23:28 in the 8k at the Kim Duyst Invitational.
His season-long commitment resulted in victory at the CCAA Championships, where he claimed the individual title in 24:06.
Giannini has also faced his share of adversity along the way. Injury concerns have persisted over the last couple of years, reducing the training mileage he has been able to run each week and putting him at a disadvantage against his competition.
“I’ve had a chronic Achilles tendonitis injury that has been really painful, and it’s never really been the same,” Giannini said. “Generally, guys like me are running 80-85 miles a week, and I’m kind of stuck at 55-60. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, but when it’s stacked over the course of years, it really takes a blow to your confidence.”
To compensate for the low mileage, Giannini relies on cross-training to maintain his elite conditioning.
Alongside the sport’s physical demand, Giannini has also faced mental obstacles that required strengthening his self-confidence.
“Not thinking about my training helps me gain confidence,” Giannini said. “I just forget about all my training and enjoy myself, being as happy as possible, to put myself in a headspace that won’t drag me down.”
While fighting through the mental and physical adversity, he capped off the 2024 season with a 28th finish at the NCAA Championships, setting a personal best of 30:15 in the 10k and earning All-American recognition. He was also selected as both the CCAA Runner of the Year and U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) West Region Athlete of the Year.
Coming off an outstanding 2024 cross country campaign, Giannini shared his preparation and mindset for this season. “I had a much better summer training block than I was expecting,” Giannini said. “I’ve been a little bit healthier this season. I haven’t missed many workouts, so I have all the motivation in the world right now.”
Giannini started strong, finishing second overall out of 214 runners in the 8k race at the Kim Duyst Invitational, the opening race of the 2025 cross country season. His time of 23:31 was just three seconds shy of his career best and earned him the CCAA Runner of the Week and the USTFCCCA Division II Men’s National Runner of the Week awards.
Giannini obtained his second CCAA Runner of the Week honor after another exceptional performance in the Lewis Crossover, where he clocked 23:51 in the 8k to finish third overall.
Giannini then had the opportunity to race on his home course for the 2025 CCAA Championship with Chico State as the host for the first time in 12 years. He took the lead halfway into the final lap and cruised to a first-place finish in 24:20, reclaiming the individual title and being named Runner of the Year.
Giannini’s older brother, Charlie, shared his admiration for his sibling’s career and perseverance through injury.
“I’m just super proud of him because he works through a lot of injuries,” Charlie said. “He worked really, really hard all summer and then put together another awesome cross season. It’s just incredible to watch.”
With relentless determination and unwavering motivation, Giannini is poised to reach even greater success this season, while also providing support and leadership for his teammates.
“I would love to take a whack at repeating all those achievements from the previous year, especially as a team,” Giannini said. “I really want to contribute to team wins, conference, regionals and nationals. I think we have a really good team this year, and we have a shot at doing something really good at nationals.”
Giannini’s talent and resilience have allowed him to overcome the hardships in his path as he continues to produce top-notch performances. Though he may not be the most vocal person on the field, his actions speak for themselves.
“You know with Mario it’s just expect the unexpected,” Towne said. “He’s going to put everything out there.”
Next up for Giannini and the men’s cross country team is the NCAA West Regionals on Nov. 8.
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Rebecca Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
