Senior Nathaniel Guillory is Los Altos High School’s two-time CCS champion, a State’s third-place finisher, and a school record-holder in the 200-meter dash. But it wasn’t due to sheer talent or a massive growth spurt that brought Nathaniel this far; it was pure hard work. 

“Hard work is in every little small thing that I do,” Nathaniel said. “When I don’t want to get out of bed, I get out of bed. When I don’t want to work out, I go to work out.”

This May, Nathaniel topped off those achievements with a commitment to Division I track and field at San José State University.

But his hard work goes far beyond the track. Nathaniel’s daily routine consists of waking up at 4:30 a.m. to stretch and work out and ensuring that he goes to bed at 9 p.m. promptly. On top of his rigorous schedule, Nathaniel also follows a strict nutrition plan that includes eating no sugar and tracking his hydration. Especially during his workouts, Nathaniel pushes himself to the maximum. 

“It’s quite a grind, and there’s no room for error,” Nathaniel said. “You accept that the workout is going to feel like death. You’re going to throw up. The lactic acid is going to hit your butt. Your hamstrings are going to lock. But you’re still going to have to do the next rep anyway.”

His work ethic comes as no surprise to many of his teammates either.

“Nathan’s most notable quality is his hardworking nature,” senior Hailey Knauss said. “He goes above and beyond in everything he puts his mind to, impressing me every day with the strength of his mind and motivation to always be better.”

 “Whenever I see Nathaniel, he is always in a jolly mood and just happy to be there,” senior Kapil Jakatdar said. “He just overall brings out the best in the people he surrounds himself with.”

On top of that, he also has a difficult commute to school. Unlike most students at LAHS, Nathaniel lives in Scotts Valley, so he spends an hour commuting to school each day with his mom and sister. Although it may sometimes feel like a “wrench in his sleep schedule,” Nathaniel still views it positively.

“A lot of families don’t have time to talk to each other during their day, but I’ve had quality time with my family every morning and every evening,” Nathaniel said.

At the California Interscholastic Federation State Track and Field Finals this month, Nathaniel placed third overall in the 200-meter dash with an astonishing personal record of 21.11 seconds. 

“It’s almost unheard of,” Nathaniel said. “Most of the season I’ve been setting personal records by a tenth of a second or hundredths of a second, but three-tenths of a second was huge. I was just taken aback. It was awesome to see my team, my parents and my best friends all screaming.”

Aside from leaving behind his name on the school record board, as he graduates, Nathaniel also leaves a legacy as a source of inspiration for his teammates.

“I’m going to miss Nathaniel,” sophomore Maxime Morelle said. “He was a great leader to look up to and a great inspiration.”