Coppell ISD Lakeside Elementary student Krish Manjunath became the youngest person in the history of the Irving Marathon to complete the race at 10 years old.
Coppell ISD Lakeside Elementary student Krish Manjunath became the youngest person in the history of the Irving Marathon to complete the race at 10 years old.
Coppell ISD Lakeside Elementary student Krish Manjunath became the youngest person in the history of the Irving Marathon to complete the race at 10 years old.
Courtesy of Mike Manjunath
Coppell ISD Lakeside Elementary student Krish Manjunath became the youngest person in the history of the Irving Marathon to complete the race at 10 years old.
Coppell ISD Lakeside Elementary student Krish Manjunath became the youngest person in the history of the Irving Marathon to complete the race at 10 years old.
Krish’s journey in running began three years earlier when he discovered a passion for running at the age of 7. He began running short distances around the neighborhood and gradually built up his endurance and distance over time. As his love for running grew, he began to set his sights on bigger challenges, completing 10K and half marathon distances in practice before ultimately tackling the full, 26.2 mile marathon.
“I had run the Irving Marathon before, so it was kind of like, ‘OK, let's give it a try. If you can do it, great. If not, it's just us that are going to learn something from it. And if anything, it's going to be fun,’” said Krish’s father, Mike Manjunath. “And that's kind of how this happened organically. We weren't even planning for this and we didn't even know that he was the youngest until we finished the race. So, it wasn't really about getting any milestone or a particular time, it was really about completing it.”
When it came to completing a marathon, Krish’s interest began during the COVID-19 pandemic when Manjunath would run around the neighborhood and encourage his children to join him. It was then that Manjunath saw that Krish had the promise of completing a marathon.
“We were looking at local events and Irving is kind of close by and this is kind of where he practices, so it was kind of low risk and the right comfort level,” Manjunath said.
Krish's achievement is being celebrated not only by his family and friends, but by the entire running community.
“We celebrated as a family and for us, it was like, you know, if you have passion for something, we encourage you,” Manjunath said. “And that's really what we wanted to do. We felt proud of the fact that, you know, he wanted to try something like this, and we didn't hold him back and we supported him.”
With one marathon already completed, Krish has already begun preparing for the Irving Frost Marathon in mid-December. Manjunath said that there are very few marathons in the area that allow people who are less than 12 years old to compete, so having Krish be able to compete in the Irving Marathon is a great opportunity.
When it comes to preparing, Manjunath said that consistency is key. Krish is involved with extracurriculars at the school that allow him to run and he goes on long runs during the weekend.
“He has shown that age is no barrier to achieving greatness and that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible,” Manjunath said. “The name Krish Manjunath will forever be etched in the history books as the youngest person ever to complete the Irving Marathon, a testament to his determination and perseverance.”
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Arianna Morrison is a reporter for Star Local Media, covering the communities of The Colony, Little Elm, Carrollton, Lewisville, Flower Mound and Coppell. Email her with story ideas and more at amorrison@starlocalmedia.com.
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