It’s yet to be certified, but 11-year-old Leo Mendoza may have just entered the record books!<\/p>\n
HOUSTON \u2014 Tens of thousands of people are celebrating and resting those legs after running the Chevron Houston Marathon and half marathon Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the runners reportedly set a world record in the half marathon for his age group — 11-year-old Leo Mendoza.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leo is a fifth-grader at Kolter Elementary in Meyerland and a member of the Heart of Houston Track Club. He ran the half marathon — 13.2 miles \u00a0— in a blazing 1:23:23. That is a 6.22-minute-per-mile pace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We talked with Leo Sunday. He told us this was not easy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“By mile 8 is when it starts to hurt,” he said. “But near mile 11, I could really feel it, and I almost wanted to quit, but I didn’t quit because I just knew I could get through and get to the end and I would regret it if I stopped.”<\/p>\n
“What do you say to your friends at school tomorrow?” we asked him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I got a world record and I was on the news,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leo said he likes running because it makes him calm, especially when he’s in a bad mood. His time is yet to be certified by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leo started running at age 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n