Lakewood Ranch 11-year-old doesn't kid around with running competition

Lakewood Ranch resident Mark Leatt’s favorite view during running races has nothing to do with palm trees, blue skies or sparkling waters.

It’s his son's back.

Eleven-year-old Jonathan Leatt, known to his family and close friends as “Jono,” isn’t a competitive person on non-race days, according to his mother, Lisa. But when a running event begins, look out.

An example was the 2018 Take Stock 5K in Lakewood Ranch on March 4, when Jonathan won the open division in 18:28, beating competitive adults twice his age (or more) along the way.

Mark knew Jonathan and Tamlyn Leatt, Jonathan’s 13-year-old sister, would be athletic shortly after they were born. They were so full of energy, Lisa told Mark he would need to “get fit” so he could keep up with them. Mark and Lisa, originally from South Africa, moved to Lakewood Ranch in 2005. They both enjoy running as a form of exercise and instilled that "get moving” attitude in their kids from birth.

But while Mark and Lisa are fit, they can't keep up with their 11-year-old. The 2016 Boo Run 5K was the first time Jonathan (19:45) beat Mark (20.05).

“I thought I had another six months to a year left of winning,” Mark said, laughing. “I was wrong.”

The 2018 Take Stock win was no big deal to Jonathan, who said he was “happy and exhausted” after the race. It was his 31st 5K medal. They all hang outside of Jonathan's bedroom, alongside a few soccer and "American Ninja Warrior" medals, and below his favorite Bible verse, Hebrews 12:1: "Keep running the race that is set before you with endurance." 

It all started, ironically, with the 2014 Take Stock Kid's Run, when Jonathan, then 7, finished third in the 7-9 age group (7:59). It has been downhill since.

Jonathan said his key to victory now is going as fast as he can starting at the race’s midpoint, then using whatever he has left when approaching the finish line. It works, and often leaves older kids flabbergasted.

“After the (2018 Take Stock) race, I overheard an older teenager,” Jonathan said. “He said, ‘Aw man, I can’t believe a kid beat me. That really lowers my self-esteem!’”

Another way to think about it would be Leatt’s time at the 2017 Jingle Run 5K (18:30), in which he finished 17th overall, was only two minutes and two seconds slower than the time of Lakewood Ranch High junior track star Johnny Reid’s (16:28), who won the event. Reaching Reid’s level in a few years is a goal well within Jonathan’s grasp.

His achievements are more impressive when considering how much, or rather how little, he trains. He runs a few miles every Friday before class at Gilbert McNeal Elementary as part of the school’s running club, but other than that, he only runs purposefully at races. Mark said he believes in moderation when it comes to running. Do too much, too soon, he said, and you risk injury and burnout. He wants Jonathan and Tamlyn to still be running into their 20s and 30s, he said.

That’s not to say Jonathan doesn’t stay active. The outdoors is his happy place. He and Tamlyn, who runs cross country at Nolan Middle, explore the Braden River’s waters together behind the Leatt residence, and race home if it starts to rain. Once, two years ago, Jonathan wasn’t inclined to start his homework, instead wanting to climb a tree, so Mark made a suggestion: Why not do your homework in the tree? Jonathan shimmied his way up, bringing his work and a lapboard with him.

Jonathan will attend Nolan Middle in the fall, and run cross country with Tamlyn. The adult Leatts are thrilled to see both their children compete for the same team, they said. Jonathan said he’s looking forward to being on a team, period, as he’s only competed solo previously. He also wants to run in high school, but beyond that, he’s making no guarantees.

“I don’t see running as career,” Jonathan said. “It’s a fun thing that I want to do for quite a while. I want to run when I’m older, like my dad.”

Mark said he’s done his job if that turns out to be true.