Who is Conner Mantz? Long-Distance Runner Breaks National Record at 2025 Chicago Marathon

Conner Mantz, a distinguished American long-distance runner, etched his name in the record books after setting a new national marathon record at the 47th edition of the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 12, 2025.

The 23-year-old athlete recorded an extraordinary time of 2:04:43, eclipsing the previous American record of 2:05:38 established by Khalid Khannouchi in 2002. Mantz’s performance earned him a fourth-place finish in the elite field.

Earlier this year, Mantz had unofficially broken Khannouchi’s mark by clocking 2:05:08 at the Boston Marathon; however, the achievement did not qualify as a record due to Boston’s downhill and point-to-point course layout. Opting to withdraw from the 2025 World Athletics Championships, Mantz dedicated his focus toward this record-breaking pursuit. The runner’s feat in Chicago marked a significant improvement over his sixth-place finish at the 2023 edition, where he completed the course in 2:07:47.

Education and Collegiate Career

Conner Mantz attended Sky View High School before pursuing higher education at Brigham Young University (BYU). While representing BYU, he emerged as a two-time winner of the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in 2020 and 2021, solidifying his reputation as one of the nation’s premier collegiate runners.

Other Athletic Achievements

In addition to his recent triumph, Mantz claimed victory at the 2024 Marathon Team Trials, finishing with a time of 2:09:05. Beyond the marathon, he has also competed in the 5000m and 10000m disciplines. Mantz captured the U.S. Half Marathon Championships title in 2021, and in the following year, secured both a win in the 20km event and a runner-up finish in another. Although he withdrew from participating in the Tokyo World Championships, he has previously gained global competition experience—most notably finishing 29th in the Men’s Individual Cross Country Long Distance event in 2015.

Mantz Reflects on His Record-Breaking Race

After achieving the historic milestone, Mantz shared his thoughts on the grueling but rewarding race. “That was a great feeling,” he remarked. “Those last few miles were really tough. Even with ten miles to go, I started doing the math, thinking about the pace I needed to stay under the American record. Fortunately, I got to work with Alex Masai for those last ten miles, and though I couldn’t beat him, I’m very happy for him.”

He added, “It was a great feeling to get the American record, but also to do it with someone I’ve known and competed against for a long time.”

Mantz also represented the United States at the 2024 Paris Games, where he finished eighth in the marathon event.

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