For months Conner Mantz boldly stated that he would pursue the long-enduring American marathon record in Chicago, and on Sunday morning he did just that. Mantz, the former BYU collegiate champion from Smithfield, Utah, crushed the American record at the 47th annual Chicago Marathon, finishing fourth with a time of 2:04:43.
That broke the 23-year-old American record by 55 seconds. Mantz’s time also broke the North American record of 2:05:36 set by Canadian Cam Levins, the former Southern Utah University runner.
In 2002, Khalid Khannouchi, a Moroccan-born runner who had become a U.S. citizen two years earlier, set the world and American record of 2:05:38. Somehow that time endured even long after the arrival of the carbon fiber-plated running shoes that have revolutionized running.
“That was a great feeling to get the American record,” Mantz told NBC after the race. “Those last few miles were really tough. With 10 miles to go I started doing the math — what pace do I need to get the American record.”
Mantz was embraced at the finish line by Khannouchi.
“It’s good to be part of history,” he told Mantz. Then, turning to Mantz, he joked, “What took you so long?”
“I’m a happy coach,” said Ed Eyestone, Mantz’s coach for the past eight years. Eyestone, who did color commentary for NBC during the race, then asked Mantz on camera, “How far can we take it from here?”
Sunday’s race was won by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo with a time of 2:02:23. He was on world-record pace until about 22 miles, but then faded from there, falling off pace by about two minutes. That still made him the seventh-fastest marathoner in history.
Kenyans Amos Kipruto and Alex Masai finished second and third, respectively, with times of 2:03:54 and 2:04:37.
Mantz and Eyestone were both confident that they would take down the American record Sunday. Eyestone was prescient last week when he told the Deseret News, “I think he’ll run under 2:05 … it’s not whether he’ll break the American record, it’s how much he breaks it by. I know that’s pretty big talk when I understand very well the fickle nature of the marathon.”
Their confidence was derived by Mantz’s flawless training build and a series of strong races leading up to Sunday’s marathon. He has set three American records this year, at 20 kilometers, the half-marathon and now the marathon.
Last April he placed fourth with a time of 2:05:08 on the hilly, difficult Boston Marathon course. That time didn’t count as an American record because it’s a point-to-point course, not a loop course. The point-to-point American record of 2:04:58 was set by Ryan Hall in 2011. Mantz surpassed that time as well.
Since completing his collegiate eligibility at BYU with two individual NCAA cross-country championships, Mantz has become the top American marathoner. He has been the top American finisher in his last six marathons, including the Olympic trials and Olympic Games (see below).
- 2022 Chicago, 7th, 2:08:16 (1st American)
- 2023 Boston, 11th, 2:10:25 (3rd American)
- 2023 Chicago, 6th, 2:07:47 (1st American)
- 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials (1st, 2:09:05)
- 2024 Olympic Games, 8th, 2:08:12 (1st American)
- 2024 New York City Marathon, 6th, 2:09:00 (1st American)
- 2025 Boston Marathon, 4th, 2:05:08 (1st American)
- 2025 Chicago Marathon, 4th, 2:04:43 (1st American)
“(Mantz) has a bright future,” said Khannouchi. “He has good coaching and a good team around him.”
Eyestone ‘s BYU-based training group put five runners in the top 25, counting Mantz. Aidan Troutner was 18th and Casey Clinger 24th, clocking times of 2:10:23 and 2:16:05. In the women’s race Aubrey Frentheway and McKenna Myler finished 13th and 14th, respectively, with times of 2:28:56 and 2:29:26.