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SPRINTING TO THE FINISH — Conner Mantz did something incredible on Memorial Day, but after what he's done the past four years he was just being Conner Mantz.
The former BYU star and U.S. Olympian used an incredible final kick to pin down world silver medalist Daniel Ebenyo and win his third consecutive Boulder Boulder 10,000-meter title Monday in Boulder, Colorado.
Mantz became just the second mens' professional to win the 45-year-old annual Memorial Day race three times, and the first to win three consecutively when he wrapped up the final 50 meters with an incredible kick to edge Ebenyo in 28 minutes, 21 seconds.
The Sky View High alum who runs professionally for Nike and Utah's Run Elite Program (REP) is the first three-time winner of the event since Arturo Barrios, who won four 10K titles in eight years from 1986 to 1993.
But the crowd gathered near the finish line at Folsom Field at the University of Colorado witnessed the best part, when Mantz caught Ebenyo at the final turn and surged past the world championship medalist under cool conditions that saw four athletes lay down top-20 times in race history.
This angle of Conner Mantz hawking down Daniel Ebenyo is thrilling! pic.twitter.com/x02s1fsZjJhttps://t.co/u99sdgSvFB
— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) May 26, 2025
"About a half-mile to go I saw it was me and Biya for second, and if I make a move right now I might be able to beat Biya," Mantz explained to the Boulder Daily Camera after the race. "I saw (Ebenyo) starting to fade. He looked back a couple times, and I thought, 'I've got to strike now.' If he's looking back a lot, it means something's wrong. I know this course better than him.
"I closed most of the gap, and as soon as we got into the stadium he looked back one more time and I was like, 'OK, he's hurting a lot. I need to move.' It was a good day."
Mantz, who set the American half-marathon record in 59:17 in January before topping the mark by two seconds on a non-eligible record at the New York City Half-Marathon in March, collected $12,500 in prize money for the finish.
Fellow BYU alum Aubrey Frentheway Nielsen, who runs professionally for Saucony, finished fourth overall in the Boulder women's 10K.
