11-year-old boy ran half marathon in all 50 states, may be youngest person in world to complete feat

MONTGOMERY, Ill. - An 11-year-old boy ran a half marathon in every state in the country and he may have broken a record as the youngest person to do so.

Aiden Jaquez, of Montgomery, Illinois, made it his mission to run 13.1 miles in every state when he was only 6 years old. He wanted to earn medals like his grandmother, Kathleen Taylor.

“I love running half marathons because not many kids in my age do it, and it’s kind of fun to run,” he said. “You just get a lot of energy and I outrun my grandma.”

Aiden completed his journey four and a half years later, finishing his final run in Des Moines, Iowa.

“He’s never wavered, never once asked to quit,” Taylor said.

Two years ago, Aiden started the process to become verified with the Guinness Book of World Records for his feat. But Guinness said the feat is not a record title that it currently monitors.

The current record holder, recognized by the 50 States Half Marathon Club, is Syrafina Mohammed in Miami, Florida. She was 12 years old when she ran half-marathons across the country in 2016, according to CNN.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.