Belen junior Mantecon one of the best cross-country runners in the nation
When Marcelo Mantecon was 3 years old, he dressed up in full Captain America gear — complete with a shield — and accompanied his family on a trip to see the movie of that same name.
These days, Mantecon doesn’t just like super heroes.
He is a super hero.
Just ask the opponents who have eaten his dust as Mantecon — a 16-year-old junior at Miami Belen Jesuit — is the reigning state champ in Class 3A cross-country. He recently broke the state’s high school 5K record with a time of 14:25.25, and he is a three-time state champ in track and field, winning the 3,200 meters last year and twice earning gold as a member of Belen’s 3,200 relay team.
Perhaps even more impressive, Mantecon — according to DyeStat.com — is the second-best cross-country runner in the nation, trailing only Texas prep senior Caden Leonard.
“Marcelo is the most talented distance runner to come out of Miami-Dade County in at least the past 20 years,” Belen coach Frankie Ruiz said. “And the argument could be made that he’s the best Florida scholastic distance runner ever.
“But the greatest thing about Marcelo is that he cares just as much about his teammates as he does about his own performance. And he has a tremendous personality, on and off the course.”
Mantecon gave a glimpse of that personality on Sept. 13 after winning a national race — the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama. After crossing the finish line, he mimicked football star Cam Ward’s touchdown celebration, covering his mouth with his left hand while waving his right hand.
Mantecon did the same routine after winning the Great American XC Festival in Cary, North Carolina, on Oct. 5, 2024; and after winning the Nike Indoor Nationals in New York on March 14, 2024.
“I do it for the big races,” Mantecon said. “[Ward] is somebody I look up to because he has a lot of determination and grit.”
Determination and grit are in abundant supply in the Mantecon family.
Marcelo’s older brother, Marcus, is a freshman rower at Northeastern University. Marcelo’s younger sister, Marisa, is a 14-year-old freshman cross-country runner at Miami Lourdes Academy. Marcelo’s mother, Didi, ran cross-country at FIU, and she has extensive experience in the sport as a coach.
And Marcelo’s father, Alex, was on the 1995 Belen team that won the first cross-country state title in school history. Ruiz, now the coach, was also on that team, and it was the beginning of a dynasty as Belen now leads Florida with 16 state titles in cross-country.
Didi and Alex met at FIU. Even though Alex didn’t run on the FIU team, he hung out at the practices and was eventually introduced to Didi by Panthers runner Erik Montalvo, another former Belen star.
One day, Alex challenged Didi to a race, which was a four-mile loop around FIU’s campus.
“The entire cross-country team came out to see this race,” Didi said. “Alex had eaten six McDonald’s 69-cent cheeseburgers prior to the race, but he was not going to let me win.
“He won, but he lost his lunch.”
It was true love, and they have been together ever since — 29 years and counting.
It’s a family of runners, except for Marcus, who is an engineering student.
“Even as a kid, Marcus — with his love for engineering — would give me a detailed explanation as to why my car was making a certain noise,” Didi said. “Meanwhile, Marcelo and Marisa would be in the back seat racing to see who could put their seatbelts on first.”
Marisa and Marcelo are very close.
“He’s one of my biggest influences as a person and a brother,” Marisa said. “He guides me to run better.”
Marisa, who is battling some growth-spurt-induced knee pain, runs pretty well as it is. As an eighth-grader last year against middle school competition, she went undefeated in cross-country, and she did the same in track (800 and the mile).
Marcelo, meanwhile, has been on Belen’s varsity since the eighth grade, helping the Wolverines win three straight state titles during that span.
At 5-8 and 125 pounds, Marcelo Mantecon might not look tough, but he is a fierce competitor.
In 2023 at the Nike Cross Regionals in North Carolina, Mantecon had a 104-degree fever the night before the race.
“He was shaking and shivering,” Alex said. “We took him to the hospital, where they gave him an IV. I told [Ruiz] that there’s no way he could race tomorrow. He could barely get out of bed.
“Marcelo overheard this and said: ‘Dad, I’m running.’”
Mantecon raced the next day, coming in fifth and then collapsing at the finish line.
“If Marcelo were to ever tell me he can’t run, you better call the Pentagon,” Ruiz joked. “It’s time to worry.
“He won’t back down from anyone. He loves the pressure. As nice as he is, he loves to compete and hates to lose.”
Alex Mantecon said he never has to give his son a 5 a.m. wakeup call to go train. Marcelo is self-motivated.
He’s also a smart race tactician, studying his opponents’ tendencies.
“Before a race, I usually just ask him what his plan is,” Ruiz said. “He’s smart and has great intuition for how to race.
“You don’t need to overcoach him.”
Not surprisingly, Marcelo has numerous college scholarship offers, and he mentioned strong mutual interest from Duke, North Carolina and Florida. He has a 3.9 grade-point average and takes difficult classes, either honors or advanced placement.
As for his racing, Mantecon said he doesn’t look at rankings. It’s the actual races that motivate him.
And, as Ruiz pointed out, Mantecon is a team guy.
“Making memories with my teammates is the best thing ever,” he said. “I actually cry every year when the seniors leave.
“My goal is to not only push myself but to serve as a mentor to the younger guys, helping the team grow.”
Now that’s a real super hero.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 11:21 AM.