11-Year-Old Runs Houston Half Marathon in 82 Minutes

Leo Mendoza crossed the finish line at the Houston Half Marathon on Sunday with a time that left spectators stunned and a world record likely broken.

The Houston ISD fifth grader completed the 13.1-mile race in just 1 hour, 22 minutes and 23 seconds. That's a pace of less than six and a half minutes per mile, faster than most adults could dream of running.

"Mid-race, it hurt so much. I almost wanted to quit," Leo said. "I didn't quit because I knew I'd regret it if I did."

His time awaits official certification from the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, but if confirmed, it beats the 2017 record holder by more than 30 seconds. Leo didn't even know he might have broken the record until after crossing the finish line.

His mom, Amy Swint-Mendoza, a former Junior Olympian herself, first noticed Leo's talent when he was just 18 months old, jogging around the neighborhood. At age 6, she timed him running a mile in flip flops around a track in less than eight minutes.

When Leo was 7, he ran his first 5K race and beat his mom by 30 seconds despite her warning him she'd probably win. "That twerp... the gun went off, and he just took off," Swint-Mendoza said with a laugh.

Sunny's Take

What makes Leo's story even sweeter is the community cheering him on. He trains with the Heart of Houston Track Club, a tight-knit group of young runners who've become close friends while chasing their dreams together.

His teammates have helped him rack up impressive achievements, including three All-American titles and multiple Junior Olympics medals in 2025: gold in the 4x800 relay, silver in the 3,000-meter, and bronze in the 1,500-meter. But his real superpower, according to his mom, is his ability to push through pain better than anyone.

His classmates at Kolter Elementary celebrated his accomplishment too. "They were surprised and they started looking my name up," Leo said. "I felt very good."

Just two days after his record-breaking run, Leo already set his sights on winning the 1,000-meter race at the Joe DeLoach Youth Invitational this weekend. When asked what drives him to keep running, his answer was beautifully simple.

"I just like running," Leo said. "It makes me calmer, and if I'm in a bad mood, it puts me in a good mood."

Sometimes the secret to breaking records isn't complicated—it's just refusing to quit on yourself.