Decades from now, the date of Jan. 31, 2026 will still be seared in the mind of Colin Peattie.
That’s the day the Los Gatos native joined the “sub 4” club—in running vernacular that’s running a mile in under four minutes.
By finishing in 3:59.53 in the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic, the 23-year-old Peattie accomplished a goal he’d set in his freshman year of high school.
When Peattie crossed the finish line, reality turned out to be better than a dream.
“It was the most incredible feeling in the world to finally accomplish that,” said Peattie, a Boston College graduate student who spent the previous three years at Santa Clara University (and before that a year at the University of Virginia). “It’s been eight years I’ve been thinking about this, so for it to finally happen is indescribable.”
In the leadup to the race, Peattie had never felt more prepared to accomplish his goal of going sub 4.
Yet perhaps paradoxically, he’d never felt as nervous toeing the starting line as he did Jan. 31.
“It was really nerve-wracking, because I ran 4:02 at Santa Clara last year,” he said. “I knew based on the last eight months I’ve been at Boston College, I am a lot fitter than I was a year ago. So, I knew breaking four was realistic. Knowing I was capable of it and that it would come down to execution, that’s what made me really nervous. Everything was in my control and it was pretty scary, because I knew I wouldn’t have something to point to if I didn’t accomplish this dream I’ve had since I was a 14-year-old starting the sport.”
Competing on one of the fastest indoor tracks in the nation, Peattie’s race plan was rather straightforward: sit on the third or fourth runner until someone surged and made a move.
“And that pretty much ended up happening,” he said.
The field of fleet-footed runners went through the first 800 meters in 2:08—slightly above 4-minute mile pace—but that quickened in the last couple of laps.
“Things really got going in the second half of the race,” he said. “It turned out to be bumper cars: physical, elbows thrown, people really getting aggressive the last three, four laps. I kept on trying to cover moves for the rest of the way.”
Once Peattie got within a few feet of the line, he leaned in—because he saw the clock getting close to four minutes.
“It started freaking me out,” he said. “I finished, and all my teammates started screaming and going crazy. I was kind of in shock and didn’t want to celebrate until I saw my name on the results screen.”
Bent over, hands on his knees, head facing upward, Peattie saw his name appear, with the time: 3:59.53.
At long last, mission accomplished.
“In a way, I felt mostly relief that it finally happened and I had done it,” he said. “And right after that, I got tackled by a bunch of my teammates.”
Running sub 4—even just once—can never be considered a fluke, because of all the factors it takes to produce a performance of that magnitude. However, if a runner does it multiple times, it speaks volumes of their talent and work ethic.
So it is for Peattie, who went sub 4 again a mere three weeks after the first. On Feb. 22 in the Saucony Battle for Boston Last Chance Meet, Peattie established another personal record, running a 3:58.76.
“It felt good to know there was more progress to be made, and 3:59 wasn’t the ceiling,” he said. “So it’s definitely a confidence-boost going into the outdoor season, knowing I can still get better.”
Peattie’s string of all-time bests didn’t come in a straightforward manner—they rarely do.
Carving his own path
Raised in Los Gatos, Peattie seemed destined to make a name for himself as a Wildcat. After all, his entire immediate family—parents Mark and Michelle, and older brother Clayton—all graduated from Los Gatos High School. Peattie even attended Fisher Middle School, where he joined running competitions for the first time.
“Up until the seventh grade at Fisher, I wasn’t doing running just to run,” he said. “I played a lot of sports, like soccer and basketball. It wasn’t until middle school PE where I kind of realized, ‘Oh, I could be a pretty good runner.’”
That’s because the Fisher Middle School P.E. staff saw in Fisher what he didn’t see in himself at the time: an athlete whose running talent was undeniable.
“We did the mile (run) in PE and the teachers at Fisher kept on encouraging me to go out for the cross-country team,” he said. “At first I said no, because I wanted to play soccer and basketball. They got me eventually, and I’m thankful for them guiding me that way.”
It didn’t take long for Peattie’s immense talent to translate into spectacular results. At Fisher, he established school records and won the USTA national title in the boys U14 cross-country race. So, everything was set up for him to attend LGHS, right?
Wrong.
Peattie ran for the Los Gatos Track Club during his middle school years. Some of his friends on the team were headed to Bellarmine, and Peattie decided the private Jesuit school was his best option, as well.
“I knew Bellarmine was really good at track and cross country,” he said. “Some of my track club teammates were really good runners—and ones I looked up to and admired. I had my head set on Bellarmine, and needed to go there to run with these guys more.”
Peattie joked that for a short time he became an outcast in the family.
“I’m definitely the black sheep for not going to Los Gatos, but things worked out,” he said. “At the time, my parents and Clay definitely would’ve liked for me to go to Los Gatos from the perspective that we would’ve all graduated from there. But, once I gave them my reasons for wanting to attend Bellarmine, they got behind it, eventually.”
Peattie’s best performances at Bellarmine came in his sophomore 2019-2020 school year. In the fall cross-country season, he won the Central Coast Section Division I race, before placing fourth in the CIF State Championships. The following spring in the track and field season, Peattie won the 1600-meter run in the CCS Championships, before landing second in the CIF State Championships with a PR of 4:09.99.
Critical decision
Similar to when he chose Bellarmine out of middle school, Peattie had another critical choice to make, when it came to where he would compete in college. He chose the University of Virginia, in large part because of its academics—but also because of legendary running coach Vin Lananna.
“As a high school senior, I really had big goals for what I would want to accomplish in college, and I felt going to Virginia was the best possible way to achieve them,” Peattie said. “I wanted to be a part of their championship tradition. I had a great support staff at Bellarmine telling me it would be a great decision to go to a program like that.”
However, things didn’t go as planned at UVA. In the fall cross-country season, Peattie was disappointed with his results and lack of improvement. To make matters worse, Peattie suffered a fractured patella in his left knee and needed surgery in late November. That sidelined him for five months.
“That was really hard,” he said, “because I was out for a long time, and coming back from the injury wasn’t a smooth process.”
In the months after the surgery, Peattie started to second-guess his decision to attend UVA.
“Once doubt came in, I knew I needed to make a change,” he said.
Thus began the most trying period in Peattie’s life.
“There were so many unknowns after that injury,” he said. “My expectations and confidence obviously weren’t there anymore, and I was kind of questioning whether or not the sport was really for me anymore. That was really tough to deal with. I considered quitting pretty seriously.”
Peattie finished out the school year at UVA, enabling him to transfer to another college as a sophomore. The question was, where would he end up? And would he continue to run?
The answers came at a place a stone’s throw away from Bellarmine. In June 2022, Peattie committed to Santa Clara University, igniting a three-year run in which Peattie made dramatic strides on the track.
He got his groove back.
Peattie developed a stronger connection with running, which manifested itself in key ways.
“The coaches and my teammates at Santa Clara—some of my best friends—helped breathe new life into how I look at the sport,” Peattie said. “Now, I think about not so much that I have to run really fast, but simply enjoying the experience. Over time, I went from being someone who put huge expectations on myself to having a mindset of, ‘I love doing this; I love the sport; I love the process.’ That definitely made doing it everyday so much easier—and more fun. I’m so thankful to have had teammates and coaches who shifted my mindset that way. It was the perfect situation for me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to transfer to.”
Renewed and invigorated, Peattie had a solid three-year run at Santa Clara, culminating in the 2025 outdoor track season in which he established personal-bests in the 800 and 1500. His results proved to be a sneak preview for what happened this past indoor season and now as he transitions into his final collegiate outdoor season.
Stronger out of adversity
At UVA, Peattie faced the biggest bout of adversity in his running career. The circumstances nearly led him to quit the sport. Yet his time there proved to be a crucible, testing Peattie’s resolve and character.
“While it was challenging at the time, in hindsight, I’m thankful I went through that process of going to and transferring from UVA,” he said. “To realize going there wasn’t the best decision, and then to follow through and make a change is something that wasn’t easy. I’ve definitely thought about that year a lot. It was really formative for me because it was super challenging.”
Peattie credited his family for supporting him throughout, especially in the difficult months following his surgery.
“My family would have my back in whatever decision I made,” he said. “I decided to come home to be closer to them, and having that support system really close by was the best decision I’ve made in college. Without having family right there, it would’ve been much harder to come back and impossible to build the momentum I have now. I’m really thankful for their support in the whole process.”
Strong bonds have always been a source of strength of the Peattie family. Clayton, a 2012 LGHS graduate, is largely responsible for Colin’s determination and tenacity.
“He’s the person that made me as competitive and driven in sports as I am today,” Colin said. “He played basketball at Los Gatos, and at one point I think held the state record (for) steals in a game. We’d play hoops in the backyard, and he would hide a yellow Gatorade bottle—but beat me in the first half of the game. Then, he’d pull out the Gatorade bottle, and after I drank it, he’d let me win. So, it was like a power-up kind of thing. We’d always be playing games and competing. Him being nine years older, he definitely became the person I was chasing and trying to be like.”
After all these years, Clayton and Colin remain close.
“Clay continues to inspire and push me to this day,” Colin said. “He always talks to me before races and knows the right things to say to motivate me. I’m really thankful I had him to look up to when I was little, and now I have him to guide and push me.”
With a couple of months left in his college career, Peattie is cherishing each moment. His identity is no longer tied to his results and times; rather, he values being able to compete—period.
“In terms of goals this year, I just want to continue to improve,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking, I need to run this time or it’s not a success. I just want to compete against myself and keep getting better, and go out and leave the track as the best version of myself, athletically. Of course, I’ll try to get a few PRs, but either way, I can walk away with a smile on my face.”
