Perry Hall graduate Vincent Ciattei feeling confident after beating star-studded field in mile road race

Heading into his first road race of the season, former Baltimore resident and Perry Hall graduate Vincent Ciattei did not concern himself with setting a personal-record time or hitting certain benchmarks. He had one simple objective.

Win.

“This year, I’ve had a couple solid races before that, and this was the first race that I really wanted to just go solely for the purpose of competing, not worrying about the time and just worrying about trying to win,” he said. “I think having the mindset of not only wanting to go and compete for the win, but also believing that I could definitely paid off with how I executed the race.”

The 27-year-old Ciattei (pronounced “see-AH-tee”) turned his goal into reality when he captured first place in the USA Track and Field’s Grand Blue Mile at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 26. He crossed the finish line in a time of 4 minutes, 3.2 seconds ahead of a star-studded field that included one Olympian medalist and several other Olympians.

Ciattei’s participation wasn’t ensured until several days before the race because the field had already been filled. But after being contacted by Ciattei’s agent, Blake Boldon, director of the Drake Relays, changed his mind after considering Ciattei’s credentials, which include a 10th-place showing in the 1,500-meter event at last summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials.

“Vincent is one of the top five 1,500-meter runners in the U.S. from last year and really an upstart in the sport,” Boldon, who is also a senior associate athletic director and the director of the Bulldogs’ cross country and track and field programs, said in a postrace interview. “Really exciting to see him and the tactics play out where it was back-and-forth, back-and-forth, and he didn’t lead until he took that lead to the finish. So a really impressive performance from him tonight.”

Ciattei, a Virginia Tech graduate, took some time off after that performance at the trials. But he rebounded with a winning time of 3:59 at the USATF’s Liberty Mile road race in Pittsburgh on July 23 and then added another first-place outing in the 1,600 (3:54.31) of the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic on Jan. 30. Those efforts helped him overcome the memories of the trials.

“Getting 10th last year was a disappointment, but it was my first Olympic trials final,” he said. “Now going into U.S. outdoors this year, just winning an important race — even though it was on the road and wasn’t a track race — I think that gives me the confidence to move that same success from the road to the track in a couple months’ time.”

After registering a pair of fourth-place finishes in the 1,500 (3:36.79) at the Azusa Pacific Bryan Clay Outdoor Invitational in Azusa, California, on April 15 and the 800 (1:48.63) at the Oregon Relays in Eugene, Oregon, on April 23, Ciattei said he looked forward to the Grand Blue Mile, a road race that differs from track racing with more room to maneuver and fewer turns. He said his race strategy involved staying close to the leaders.

“I knew that with how slow the first half had been, I had to be right at the front ready to respond to anyone,” he said. “And I wanted to try to be the last one to make that big move because often in a road mile, if you move too early and you misjudge how far away the finish line is, you can play your hand a little too early and get caught by people. I wanted to make a definitive move and be able to hold it all the way to the finish, and thankfully, I was able to do that.”

With the leaders making their move with about 400 meters to go, Ciattei kept pace and then separated himself from that group with about 200 meters remaining.

“With about 100 meters or left to go, you can see on the race video that I was kind of looking around me a little bit, and I was a little surprised by the separation I had created,” he said. “But I think I just made a really strong move that I could sustain. I am proud of how I timed that. I didn’t wait too long, I didn’t move too early. I think I made the move at a point where I knew I could sustain that pace until the finish.”

Ciattei defeated a field that included two-time Olympian and six-time U.S. champion Paul Ryan (second place in 4:03.74), indoor 1,000-meter American record holder Shane Streich (third in 4:04.12), and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Clayton Murphy (fourth in 4:04.53). Ciattei said he knew he had to be decisive against that competition.

“In that sense, I didn’t want it to come to the very end,” he said. “I think the way the race played out, it was a sustained move from about 400 meters out. To come away with a U.S. title against some really quality guys, I think it certainly justifies the trip out there, and I think it has set me up mentally and confidence-wise very well for the next couple of months, which are really important.”

Ciattei, a member of the Nike Oregon Track Club Elite based in Eugene, Oregon, is eyeing a pair of events in Eugene. He will compete in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 23-26 for a chance to represent the country at the World Athletics Championships on July 15-24.

Ciattei said he knows he will have to adjust his mindset to the track running required for both competitions. But he said last week’s victory is an encouraging sign of his growth.

“I think it’s been since college when I won races semi-consistently,” he said. “Knowing that you can do it — even if the race is slightly different — for me at least, that pays big dividends. I started my indoor season this year with a win and competed pretty well in the rest of my races. So to be up and contending, if I can just bring that mindset into the U.S. championships, I know that I’ve been there before, and that’s a huge component moving forward.”