CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — Gabriel B. Abbott is an eighth grader with a big goal in front of him.

“Everyday, somebody is walking up to me and being like, ‘Hey, are you running the 100-miler?’ And I’m like ‘Yeah, that’s me.’”

That 100-miler is a trail run course that is part of the Run Woodstock event this Friday and Saturday in Gregory, Michigan.

Gabriel is on the Clay Middle School cross-country team, and he practices religiously, but running on a flat surface isn’t the same as trail running.

“You really got to watch your step, because there are roots on the ground,” Gabriel said.

The race starts at 2 p.m. Friday. Gabriel will have 30 hours to complete the 100-mile course.

“My dad came up to me one day, and was like, ‘Hey, if you do this when you are 12 years old, you can get a world record.’”

Gabriel J. Abbott, Gabriel’s father, said he did the research and applied to the Guinness Book of World Records.

“There is a process for getting in,” Gabriel Sr. said. “You have to document everything you do. Video documentation. That’s the only reason why I’m doing this race with him, so I can actually do the documentation part of it. And then you have to submit your evidence that you actually did the record.”

Gabriel Sr. also enjoys running, and his son has been his running mate for a few years, but there is more to racing than just being fast.

“He could come out and train with me and run with me a bit, he enjoyed that,” Gabriel Sr. said. “But I think what really got him interested is seeing me set a goal, and then going out, putting in the work, and achieving.”

Gabriel Sr. says it’s a lesson that no goal is too big or too small, no matter how young or old you are.

“Honestly, I think he’ll hold this record for a very short time,” Gabriel Sr. said. “I think some 11-year-old kid will see this news report and say, ‘Wait, that kid is 12? I run pretty good. I want to take a crack at that.’”

It will take the Guinness Book of World Records a few months to certify Gabriel’s record.