A 10-year-old San Jose boy broke a world record for his age group on Sunday while running a half marathon in the Oakland Running Festival, following the footsteps of an uncle and cousin who also broke records decades ago.
Elliot Daniels, a fifth grader at Discovery Charter School in West San Jose, finished the 13.1-mile in 1 hour, 29 minutes and 14 seconds -- nearly two minutes faster than the old record.
"First 10 miles felt good," Elliot said. "Last three, my legs got tired. But I still broke the record, and I felt good at the end."
His secret? "There's no trick," he said. "Just train hard."
The Oakland race is just one of of nearly 30 that Elliot has run in his short 18-month career. It's a tradition in his family not only to run - but to win championships. His father, Brian Daniels, said Elliot's uncle was a state champion in New York and his cousin, Jerome "Dino" Daniels, who was named after a Ferrari, broke a running record in Morgan Hill at age 10 - 31 years ago.
"I can't push him because I can't catch him," Brian Daniels said. "So I don't push him because he loves running. He would cry if he didn't train and didn't run."
Elliot's first race was Campbell's Octoberfest 2013, a 5K. He came in third place at 8 years old. His dad said he's been training for seven months, often for two and a half hours a day.
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"That's really what got me into running was after my first race," Elliot said. "It felt really good and I was happy."
Elliot keeps the medals he has won in a shoe box for now. He's going to need a bigger box soon. His training regimen is very strict right down to his diet.
"It's very strict -- I eat sweet potatoes. I drink beet juice," he said. "I don't eat bad food. I don't eat processed sugar. Just vegetables -- some meat."
Elliot said his goal is to run the 10K in the Olympics and "hopefully break the world record."
NBC Bay Area's Lisa Fernandez contributed to this report.
