Earlier this year, former Gryphon runner Andrea Seccafien ran a Canadian half-marathon in a record 1:09:38 at the Marugame Half-Marathon in Japan. It was an extraordinary accomplishment, even more so considering her racing career nearly came to an end in 2015 from a mysterious foot injury.
She fought through it, healed and changed her running mechanics. By 2016, she reached the Olympic standard time in the women’s 5,000-metre.
She graduated from U of G in 2013. Her running greatness was featured in Canadian Running magazine in February.
Originally from Guelph, Seccafien became a competitive runner in high school. She came to U of G in 2010, where she won 5,000-metre gold at the 2013 Canadian Championships. She made her Olympic debut at Rio in 2016 and has won the Canadian title in the 5,000-metre four times. She made the 2019 World Championship 5,000-metre final.