Anyone who has seen 17-year-old John Gutierrez of Santa Maria run would probably say he was born to do it. Although Gutierrez has only been running cross-country and track at Pioneer Valley High School for less than two years, he’s already beat three school records.
“I joined cross-country my junior year with no running experience at all,” Gutierrez, now a senior, told the Sun. “I just wanted to try something new. But I don’t want to make it sound easy. Running isn’t an easy sport. Anyone who says otherwise does not know what pain is.”
Gutierrez admitted he struggled during the first month of cross-country, but by the end of the season he was eager to join the school’s track team as well, he said. At one of his first track meets, in April of 2016, Gutierrez beat the high school’s record for the 800-meter race with a score of almost two minutes flat—2:05 to be exact.
The following month, Gutierrez broke the school’s mile record. He clocked in at 4:36, breaking a longtime record held by Steven Youngblood by two seconds. Gutierrez went on to steal Youngblood’s 3,200-meter title as well.
Youngblood also happens to be Gutierrez’s coach—he coaches both the cross-country and track teams, at Pioneer Valley.
“I would be surprised if he didn’t break all three records one more time before this season is over,” Youngblood told the Sun. “It is rare for someone to start so late in high school with little to no running experience and do so well. But I knew that he would be a good runner after only knowing him for a few short weeks.”
For Gutierrez, the secret to running is simply breathing carefully, he said. Rather than listen to music while running, Gutierrez listens to his own breathing pattern.
“I rarely run with my iPod, but when I do, I only listen to Drake,” Gutierrez said. “But I haven’t had time to listen to his new album, More Life, yet. I’ve been too busy running to sit down and add it to my playlist.”
Gutierrez runs casually throughout the week but has a strict goal of running at least 14 miles every Saturday, a schedule he hopes to retain during college. After high school, Gutierrez plans to continue cross-country and track at Allan Hancock College.
“I believe he has the potential to become an even better runner than he already is at Hancock,” Youngblood said. “He’s already made it clear that he wants to be the best on their team, and he’s willing to work toward that.”
This article appears in Apr 6-13, 2017.