Evans Chebet upset a fellow Kenyan favored to win the Boston Marathon on Monday, crossing the famous Boylston Street finish line with a time of 2:05:54.
Although Chebet won the race in 2022, expectations had been high that Eliud Kipchoge would win in his Boston debut. Kipchoge has set the world record for the marathon multiple times, and is the only man to have completed the distance in less than two hours. He came in sixth in Monday’s race, finishing in 2:09:23.
A Kenyan also won the women’s race. Hellen Obiri, a two-time Olympic medalist, crossed the finish line in 2:21:38. It was only her second time competing in the marathon distance.
Scott Fauble was the first American runner to finish, with a time of 2:09:44. (He finished seventh overall, the same as last year.)
But it was Conner Mantz, the former BYU standout, who generated the most excitement in Utah — and, at times, along the course.
While Brigham Young University isn’t a legacy powerhouse of Boston racing like Kenya is, alumni of its track and field program performed impressively, with three runners, including Mantz, among the top 11 American finishers.
Mantz had a time of 2:10:25 and finished third among American men, 11th overall, according to the Boston Athletic Association website.
BYU alumn Nico Montanez finished in 2:10:52 and was 13th overall in the men’s race. Connor Weaver finished in 2:16:25, 24th place overall.
Both Mantz and Montanez were highlighted last year in a Deseret News article about why Utah is home to so many elite runners.
In the article, Doug Robinson noted that, “In the last decade, distance running has taken off again in the state, largely because of the BYU program and the success of (Ed) Eyestone and Diljeet Taylor — the men’s and women’s coaches at the school.
While Mantz, Montanez and Weaver were among the first runners with Utah ties to cross the finish line in a chilly rain, there were dozens of Utah runners behind them, both professional and amateur.