Global Run Challenge Profile: 13-year-old Elliot Daniels set a world record in the half at age 10 but his goals are much bigger

RUN THE WORLD:  Elliot Daniels started running when he was nine years old.  "I went to a parent participatory school starting in 4th grade. My dad participated by helping out with my school's running club. I decided to join the club just for fun and for something to do after school. For most kids, it was a way to pass time. For me, it became something I took seriously," says Elliot.  Running is not the most important thing in his life, "but with long term olympic goals and short term high school state champion goals, running is very important to me," he says. Two things really stand out for Elliot.  When he was 10-years-old he set the world record for that age-group in the half marathon (1:29:14). Secondly was when his high school cross country season started.  He has had a lot of sucess already and he shares this advice.  " Enjoy running, begin running with low mileage and very slowly build the intensity of your running and mileage. Do not be discouraged by others or by a lousy performance and most importantly, remember to consistently train hard and smart."  Is there a secret to Elliot's sucess? "I do not believe there is any trick or secret to succeeding in running. You must simply train hard and smart and never give up," Elliot says.  Why did he join the Run The World Challenge Team?  "I think this challenge is an opportunity for people to learn from each other from their training and an opportunity for people to look back at their training to figure out what worked for them and what didn't."  Elliot has big goals.  Not only does he want to make the US Olympic Team he wants to become a medalist in either the 5,000m or 10,000m.         

posted Monday July 16th
by Bob Anderson