Marcelo Mantecon is Florida’s all-time 5,000m high school record holder, a Nike Indoor National Champion, and an NXN finalist. And he’s only a junior in high school.

Marcelo joins the show after a soaring spring and fall season for Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, Florida, that saw him cap it off with a 4th overall finish at the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) on December 6, 2025, with a time of 15:05.

In September, he etched his name into the Florida High School Boys XC record book, running a 14:35.25 at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama, becoming the fastest boy to do so at the distance in the state. He then took that even lower in October by running a 14:33 in the New World Fall Spectacular.

As a sophomore last year, he was named Florida’s Gatorade 2024-25 Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. He won the 5000m National Title Indoors in March of 2025 as well.

His PRs include 4:15.83 for the mile, 8:16.86 for the 3000m indoor, 8:49.78 for the 2 mile outdoor, 14:14.38 in the 5000m indoors, and 14:33 in the 5000m for XC.

Records show you how fast he is. We’re here to dissect how he thinks; the discipline behind the breakthroughs, the pressure of carrying expectations, and what it takes to chase national greatness while still being a high school junior.

Tap into the Marcelo Mantecon Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs

-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

Trump Lobbies to Free A$AP Rocky & Ronny Chieng Lashes Out at Pricey Auction Items | Jamie Bell