Two months after shattering the American half-marathon record in Houston, Conner Mantz once again impressed on Sunday at the 2025 New York City Half.
Mantz was the top American finisher and took second overall.
His 57:15 time was actually two seconds faster than his American record mark, but the New York City course is not record eligible, according to Citius Mag.
Mantz, a former BYU runner who still trains with Ed Eyestone, BYU’s director of track and field, finished six seconds behind Sunday’s winner, Abel Kipchumba of Kenya (59:09).
Kipchumba was the defending champion at the event and improved his 2024 time by more than a minute, per Citius Mag.
Conner Mantz in the half-marathon
Ahead of the race, Mantz told reporters that his focus was on correcting the mistakes he made the last time he competed in the NYC half in 2021 and continuing to prepare for next month’s Boston Marathon, not on proving that he really is the top American in the half-marathon.
But on Sunday, he seemed to take care of all three tasks at once as he showed that his record-setting run in Houston in January was not a fluke.
Before Houston, Mantz was already thought of as one of the best distance runners in the world, but he was known for his performance in the marathon, not the half-marathon.
He took eighth in the men’s marathon at the Paris Olympics in August after winning the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February 2024.
After Sunday, Mantz will refocus on the marathon distance as he makes his final preparations for the Boston Marathon, which is set to take place on Monday, April 21.