Leo Mendoza, 11, Reportedly Runs Into the Record Books in Houston
11-year-old Leo Mendoza reportedly set a world record at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know.
On Sunday, runners came out in droves to participate in the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon, and the We Are Houston 5K. Tens of thousands took to the city’s streets, including two—and a potential third—who set records with their speeds. Zouhair Talbi was the Chevron Houston Marathon Men’s Champion after clocking in a new course record of 2:05:45. Habtom Samuel set his own record for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon when he crossed the finish line at 59:01, earning the Men’s Champion title for that race.
The third of those runners, 11-year-old Leo Mendoza, also reportedly set a record for his age group in the half-marathon on Sunday. Mendoza, who is currently in the fifth grade at Meyerland’s Kolter Elementary, ran the 13.1-mile course in 1:23:23. And, according to KHOU 11, that’s likely a new world (!) record. As of writing, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians was still working to certify whether that record was accurate and would hold.
Mendoza is no stranger to competitions—he’s part of the Heart of Houston Track Club, and he previously won a bronze medal at the 2024 AAU XC Junior Olympics. When it came to running his impressive 6.22-minute-per-mile pace at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, though, the 11-year-old said it felt like a struggle at certain points.
Leo Mendoza spoke to KHOU 11 about how tough it was to run the half-marathon
Leo Mendoza chatted with KHOU 11 on Sunday and said that he started running because it helps him stay calm and lifts his spirits when he isn’t in a good mood. When the outlet asked him about what it was like to keep his 6.22-minute-per-mile pace for over an hour, Mendoza said, “By mile 8 is when it starts to hurt. 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.”
That’s a good outlook for anyone to have—to keep going and to pursue your goals so you don’t have to regret giving up on them just because things got tough. Mendoza has been running for three years now, and he looks forward to hopefully setting even more records in the future.
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