Conner Blair Mantz (born December 8, 1996) is an American

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

, who specializes in the marathon. He ran collegiately for

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

and won the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Mantz was the winner of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. At the 2025 Houston Half Marathon, Mantz set a new American record time of 59:17, besting the previous record of 59:43 set by Ryan Hall in 2007. He has competed professionally for

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

since 2021.

Background and youth sports

Mantz completed his first half marathon at age 12, which motivated him to participate in other races. At age 14, he finished a half marathon in 1:11:24, averaging a pace of 5:26.8 minutes per mile. He attended Sky View High School in

Smithfield, Utah Smithfield is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 13,571 at the 2020 United States Census, It is included in the Logan, Utah–Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the second largest city in the area after L ...

, where he was a three-time

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n at the

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships The Eastbay-Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the ...

. Mantz also represented the United States in the junior race at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in

Guiyang Guiyang; Mandarin pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively as Kweiyang is the capital of Guizhou, Guizhou province in China. It is centrally located within the province, on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, eastern part of the Yun ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. He placed 29th over the 8 km race, leading Team USA to a sixth place finish. Mantz committed to

(BYU), among offers from several other institutions, including

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

and Furman. After high school, Mantz took a two-year hiatus from running to serve as a missionary for

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. Upon returning in 2017, Mantz redshirted his first year at BYU. His great grandfather,

Paul Mantz Albert Paul Mantz (August 2, 1903 – July 8, 1965) was an American air racing and movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races. Early years Ma ...

, was a noted air racing pilot and flight instructor.

Collegiate competition

Mantz ran for

(BYU). He won a national title at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He won by over 20 seconds with a final time of 29:26.1. Mantz's victory broke a streak of wins by international athletes and made him the first American to win the event since Galen Rupp in 2008. The 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships saw Mantz repeat as the winner. He covered the first 5k of the race in 14:16.4 and the second 5k in 14:16.7 to finish in a course record of 28:33.1. The win concluded an undefeated season of cross country for Mantz. Performances by Mantz on the track included a world-leading performance of 13:34.46 over 5000 m at the UW Invitational in February 2021. His time also broke the BYU school record for the indoor 5000 m. Later that year, Mantz finished runner up in the

10000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...

at the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Senior competition

2021

Mantz competed in the 2020 United States Olympic trials in June 2021, which were delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic. He placed fifth in the 5000 m and eighth in the 10000 m. ln December 2021, Mantz won the USA Half Marathon Championships in

Hardeeville, South Carolina Hardeeville is a city in Jasper County, South Carolina, Jasper and Beaufort County, South Carolina, Beaufort counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 7,473 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase of o ...

with a time of 1:00:55. He next took fifth at the NYC half marathon in 1:01.40.

2022

In September 2022, Mantz won a national title at the USATF 20 Km Road Championships. The following month, he debuted in the marathon at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, placing seventh in 2:08:16. He was the top American finisher in the race. His performance was the second fastest marathon debut by an American, trailing Leonard Korir's debut record of 2:07:56.

2023

At the

2023 Boston Marathon The 2023 Boston Marathon was a marathon race held in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 17, 2023. It was the 127th official running of the race, and 125th time it was run on course (excluding the virtual event of 2020, and the ekiden of 1918). It a ...

, Mantz stayed in the lead pack for most of the race. Running with a large group of leaders, including

Eliud Kipchoge Eliud Kipchoge (born 5 November 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized in the 5000 metres. Kipchoge is the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon, 2016 and Athletics at th ...

Evans Chebet Evans Kiplagat Chebet (born 10 November 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road races. In 2022, he became the third man this century to win both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon. Chebet successfully defended h ...

, CJ Albertson, Mantz reached halfway in 1:02:20. By the 20-mile mark, he was 45 seconds off the five leaders (which included Chebet and Benson Kipruto). He nearly blacked out at mile 24, but stayed upright to finish as the third American (11th overall) in 2:10:25. At the

2023 Chicago Marathon The 2023 Chicago Marathon was the 45th edition of the annual marathon race in Chicago, held on Sunday, . A Platinum Label marathon, it was the fifth of six World Marathon Majors events that were held in 2023. The race also hosted the age gro ...

, Mantz was the sixth place finisher and top American, lowering his personal best by 29 seconds to 2:07:47. His time met the qualifying standard for the

2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

2024

Mantz won the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, qualifying for the

, where he placed 8th. He ran much of the race in Paris with his training partner, Clayton Young, who finished ninth. Although Mantz's personal best was the 56th fastest in the field, he produced an eighth place finish in the marathon at the

. In the lead up to the Olympics, Mantz suffered a two inch tear in one of his quad muscles. While recovering from the injury, he swam up to 10,000 yards in one day and worked on the hills he would face in Paris by running uphill and getting driven downhill in repetition. In his first marathon since the Olympic Games, Mantz placed sixth at the 2024 New York City Marathon. His time of 2:09:00 was the fastest for an American man since

Alberto Salazar Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, where ...

in 1981.

2025

Mantz set the American record in the half-marathon in January, running 59:17. His record broke the previous best mark set by Ryan Hall in 2007. He set another personal best at the New York City Half-Marathon on March 16, running 59:15; however, the course was not eligible for an American record. He finished second behind Abel Kipchumba of Kenya. At the 2025 Boston Marathon Mantz stayed with the lead pack until John Korir broke off in the final 10k, leaving Mantz with Tanzanian Simbu and Kenyan Kotut to battle for the final two podium places. Simbu and Kotut had a photo finish for 2nd and 3rd and Mantz finished 4 seconds behind them in 4th place and a personal best of 2:05:08.

Achievements

National championships

BYU

Sky View High School

Conner Mantz bio
Sky View High School in

Athletic.net

References

External links

*
Conner Mantz 2021 Training blog

Conner Mantz
at Mormon Wiki *

at Wanda Diamond League
Conner Mantz Profile
at

Strava Strava is an American internet service for tracking physical exercise which incorporates social network features. It started out tracking mostly outdoor cycling and running activities using Global Positioning System (GPS) data, but now incorpor ...

Conner Mantz Cross Country profile
at

BYU Cougars The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the Big 12 C ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mantz, Conner 1996 births Living people American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners BYU Cougars men's track and field athletes BYU Cougars men's cross country runners Sportspeople from Provo, Utah Sportspeople from Logan, Utah American Mormon missionaries in Ghana Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Olympic male marathon runners 21st-century American sportsmen