Kenmore’s Gabriel Fendel, a sixth grader at Moorlands Elementary, recently placed third out of a huge field of 277 runners at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Fendel came in with a personal best time of 9 minutes, 59 seconds for the 3,000-meter race, and also broke the school record for the mile, posting a time of 5:15.09.

Fendel is the son of Brazilian 1996 Olympic marathoner Solange Cordeiro Fendel, and 1991 Indiana State cross country runner-up John Fendel.

The 12-year-old has been running since first grade in the Northshore School District’s cross country program.