There are advantages to being a pre-teen. An incredible lightness of being, the bliss of unbridled enthusiasm and potential physical literacy to leverage a body uninhibited in its neuromuscular function.
But, is it a good idea to have pre-teen children racing more than a few kilometres? The case of Sophia Davies racing 2.6 kms and 5 kms sounds reasonable. However, Ben Dick racing the half-marathon may be a little long. Maybe not.
Ben Dick and Sophia Davies
Case in point, 11-year-old Ben Dick, who ran the half-marathon in Indianapolis in the time of 1:20:14. As Marathon Handbook wrote, he “may have just run himself into the record books—and he did it by dropping his own dad mid-race.”
“Dick clocked 1:20:14 at the IU Health 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, a time that not only left his dad trailing behind after the 7-mile mark, but also put him within striking distance of the reported world best for his age group.”
He ran an average of 3:48 per km or 6:08 per mile. Dick can probably run a 36:00 – 36:30 10K. See Dick run!
Meanwhile, 11-year-old Sophia Davies ran 17:23 in Hyde Park’s Serpentine race, surpassing Sawyer Nicholson’s performance. This is up on the UK Power of 10 profile and the Serpentine club results page.
Davies also won the London Mini-Marathon London Boroughs trophy for U14 girls. She was fourth female overall and first U14 in the time of 8:29. The race is 2.6 kms (aka, 26.2-mile marathon) or 1.6 miles. She averages approximately 3:16 per km or 5:20 per mile.
These are not the first times that 11-year-old children have run outstanding performances. Many from the past are undocumented.
Sawyer Nicholson of Canada set a world single-age record with a time of 17:28 at the 2023 Niagara Falls 5K.5K (Unofficial).
An 11-year-old athlete in New Zealand reportedly ran a 17:20 5K at the Roar Runway event in 2025. An Australian 11-year-old, Tilly Williams, broke a world distance record with a time of 17 minutes and 22.7 seconds in a 5000m.
Finally, James Hall of Melbourne, Australia, ran the 1,500m U12 world record with a time of 4:11.81 at the 2025 Australian Junior Championships.
One step too far
Budhia Singh (born 2002) is an Indian long-distance runner who gained international attention for extraordinary endurance achievements at a remarkably young age. Widely recognized as the world’s youngest marathon runner, Budhia completed a 65-kilometre run from Puri to Bhubaneswar at just five years old, finishing in seven hours and two minutes. His accomplishment earned him a place in the 2006 edition of the Limca Book of Records. In recognition of his athletic excellence and national impact, he was also presented with the Rajiv Gandhi Award in 2006.
As of February 2026, Budhia, now in his twenties, lives in Bhubaneswar with his family and has largely stepped away from professional, high-profile running. Despite his early, intense training, he did not pursue a professional marathon career
World Athletics position on the matter is that the organization does not officially track or ratify world records for children (generally U16 or U18) to prevent premature specialization. This is an attempt to protect young athletes from undue pressure and address difficulties in verifying accurate age documentation. They only recognize records for U20 (World Junior Records) to prevent early burnout, as early success rarely guarantees senior-level success.
In the Province of British Columbia, Canada, BC Athletics’ stance on the subject is that the organization focuses on long-term athlete development (LTAD) rather than tracking world records for children. BCA emphasizes personal achievement, participation, and skill development over early specialization. This approach aims to reduce pressure, avoid burnout, and recognize that pre-teen performance rarely predicts adult success, focusing instead on holistic athlete growth.
Child development starts with participation in the physical literacy program Run Jump Throw (RJT).
RJT for 6-12-year-olds focuses on teaching fundamental movement skills and physical literacy through track and field-inspired activities, including running, jumping, throwing, and wheeling (for children in wheelchairs).
