Athlete of the Week: Dheeraj Gurusamy

Dheeraj+Gurusamy+during+the+CIF+State+Meet+

Gordon Lau

Dheeraj Gurusamy during the CIF State Meet

Tati Strickland, Reporter

This week our athlete is part of the sixth highest ranked cross country team in the nation. Dheeraj Gurusamy is a senior and has been part of Granada’s cross country team for four years.

Cross country is known to be a very competitive sports amongst its runners. When starting at Granada, Gurusamy wanted to try something new.  “At first, I had no intentions of running, but my dad encouraged me to try it. I ended up loving the sport and stuck with it”

In order to stay consistent and perform better each meet, your body has to stay in shape all year round, not just during the season. “By running all year both, in season and offseason. Consistency is super important”, says Gurusamy about what he does to train.

Members of the Granada cross country team run before and after school to improve, and they run long distances during each run. “My longest run was 15 miles. I ran with a small pack and we were jamming to music and cracking jokes the entire time.”

Every year, athletes get a chance to take their skills and improve throughout the season. As a senior Gurusamy has upped his training and is beating his previous times by a landslide. “My weekly mileage is higher and the Matterns have completely switched up our training plan from last year.”

Gurusamy has loved his senior season. “My current season has been the most enjoyable. We have gotten to travel a lot more to go race other fast schools. We are putting in a lot of work to make it to nationals this year.”

Running can be very exhausting and it can be difficult to motivate yourself to continue each and every day. “I remind myself that I have teammates and coaches who depend on me to try my best every day.”

In a sport that causes you to be active daily, injuries have to be prevented. “I stretch before and after runs, roll my muscles, and get a lot of sleep.”

Rain or shine, Gurusamy is always running but it can be difficult when Livermore has high temperatures of 100 degrees or more. “My least favorite part about running is having to run when it is really hot outside.”

Granada has one of the best cross country teams in the nation, they work hard during practice and it pays off during meets. “Both the athletes and coaches are super committed to the program. Most of us run both before and after school.”

Being on a team with so many athletes, you are able to make relationships with so many people, and they will inspire you to be even better. “People like Anthony Guerra and Sam Costello, both alumni, taught me how to be a good team leader.”

Gurusamy’s favorite meet has been the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. “My best running experience was going down to Irvine to race the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic with a bunch of my teammates. We got to race against some of the top schools in the country.”

With Gurusamy’s career just getting started, he is excited to see what is in store for him and to keep succeeding. “I hope to one day become a pro runner and break records.”

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo saw how amazing Gurusamy was and offered him a scholarship for his skills in cross country. “I was super excited about receiving a scholarship. It relieved a lot of stress because I don’t have to worry about college applications. It is nice to know that all of my hard work has paid off. I am excited to continue my running career and I’m ready to train hard to become even better.”