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Former BYU runner Conner Mantz, of the United States, crosses the finish line in fourth place during the Boston Marathon, Monday, April 21, 2025, in Boston. Mantz was the top American finisher. | Charles Krupa, Associated Press
Conner Mantz, the former BYU collegiate cross-country champion, placed fourth in the legendary Boston Marathon on Monday morning — the highest finish by an American since 2017. In the process, he became the second-fastest American marathoner in history.
He also was one of three BYU alums to finish among the top seven in the race.
Mantz was in a six-man pack running for the win at about 22 miles, but then Kenya’s John Korir made a decisive break. Eventually, Mantz found himself in a three-man race for second with Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu and Kenya’s Cyprian Kotut. It wasn’t until the last 100 yards that Simbu and Kotut were able to shake Mantz. Four seconds separated Mantz from his first podium.
Korir finished with a time of 2:04:45, followed by Simbu in 2:05:04, Kotut in 2:05:04, and Mantz in 2:05:08. Mantz averaged 4 minutes, 47 seconds per mile.
It was his highest finish in a major marathon and marked the fifth straight top-eight finish in a major. Korir, who won last fall’s Chicago Marathon, is the brother of Wesley Korir, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion. African-born runners have won 32 of the last 34 Boston Marathons counting Monday’s race, 25 of them from Kenya.
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Conner Mantz, left, and Clayton Young, right, pose with coach Ed Eyestone after the Boston Marathon Monday, April 21, 2025. | Courtesy Ed Eyestone
The unofficial American record is 2:04:58 set by Ryan Hall in 2011. It does not count as the official record because it was not run on a loop course. The official American record is 2:05:38 set by Khalid Khannouchi in 2007 (he was born and raised in Morocco but became a naturalized U.S. citizen). The fastest official marathon by a native-born American is 2:06:07 set by Galen Rupp in 2018.
Mantz’s time in Monday’s marathon is the second fastest performed by an American regardless of the course type, and he produced it on a course that is widely considered to be the most difficult in the world. Mantz’s previous best was 2:07:47 set in the 2023 Chicago Marathon, which is loop course.
It was another banner day for BYU, which has supplanted Oregon as the distance-running capital among universities. Rory Linkletter, who represents Canada, finished sixth with a personal-best time of 2:07:02, one place ahead of Mantz’s training partner, Clayton Young, who also finished with a personal-best time of 2:07:04 to become the seventh fastest American ever.
Mantz, Young and Linkletter were teammates at BYU and all three graduated from Utah high schools. While competing for BYU, Mantz was the 2020 and 2021 NCAA cross-country champion, and Young was the 2019 NCAA 10,000-meter champion.
Monday’s race marked the first time in five marathons that Mantz and Young did not finish a marathon together. The two finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 2023 Chicago Marathon, 13 seconds apart. They finished first and second in the 2024 Olympic marathon trials, one second apart. They placed eighth and ninth in the 2024 Olympic marathon, 32 seconds apart. They placed sixth and seventh in the 2024 New York Marathon, 21 seconds apart. They were the top American finishers in each race.
“It was difficult today,” Mantz told ESPN. “It was tough for sure. I was happy to be there fighting for second with a quarter mile to go. The harder I tried, the slower I ran at the end. The other two guys are just really strong.”
Mantz’s performance was dramatically different than the last time he competed in Boston. In 2023, he was running with the leaders at 15 miles, clipping off 4:50 miles, but a short time later he began to unravel.
He nearly blacked out in the final mile, which he covered in a pedestrian 6:11. He finished 11th with a time of 2:10:25. It was only the second marathon of his professional career.
He told the Deseret News last week, “I’ve been haunted ever since by that race. It’s something I’ve had to deal with in every marathon since then. I’ve really worried about blowing up again.”
More specifically, it caused him to be overly cautious at times and he believes he let some opportunities escape him because of it. After each race he regretted not pushing harder.
He has gained considerable experience and fitness since that race, and it showed on Monday. In the 2023 race, he reached the halfway point in 1:02:20 and then began to fade a few miles later. On Monday he reached the halfway point in 1:01:53 and continued to rip off mile splits of 4:51, 4:48, 4:36, 4:50, 4:49. He finished the race strong.
Despite his previous experience in Boston, Mantz ran boldly and confidently from the start, as did his former college teammates. Mantz, Young and Linkletter ran with the lead pack through the 5K, 10K and 15K. It was a war of attrition, as usual, and runners began to fall out the back.
By 20K it was a pack of seven, including the BYU trio. At 13.1 miles, they were running among the top five, but more than a dozen runners were still in the hunt. Mantz moved into the lead shorty after 15 miles and was running at 2:04:14 pace, with Young in tow and Linkletter hanging onto the back of the pack.
Up ahead, they faced the famed hills of Newton, where the real racing begins. It includes a series of four climbs. Mantz charged on, covering the next mile in 4:51, running in his bouncy, pigeon-toed gait. At about 20-21 miles, Korir surged and pulled away from the field.
“I tried to go with him, but he was a little too strong,” Mantz said later. “I let him go and tried to compete for second.”
It was a four-man race for second place at 23 miles and a three-man race for second at 24 miles. That’s the way it remained until the homestretch.
Asked if he thought he could win this race in the future, Mantz told ESPN, “I think so … I made some big progress from two years ago. I improved a lot. Two years ago, Korir was ninth (two places in front of Mantz) and we ran a lot of it together. Seeing him win it this year gives me some confidence.”
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Conner Mantz, of the United States, top right, chases Alphonce Felix Simbu, left, and Cybrian Kotut towards the finish line during the Boston Marathon, Monday, April 21, 2025, in Boston. | Charles Krupa, Associated Press
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