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SALT LAKE CITY — It was one for the record books.
Brigham Young University alum and Olympian Conner Mantz smashed the American marathon record Sunday in Chicago.
In an interview later that day with KSL-TV, Mantz said his emotions were "pretty gone."
"I'm feeling happy, feeling excited, pumped," Mantz said, while adding, "it's been very tough. It's been a long day."
The day started on the streets of Chicago with a 26.2-mile race.
"With a couple miles to go, I was pretty confident I was going to break the record," Mantz said.
That was the goal that Mantz and his coach, Ed Eyestone, had been working toward for months.
"I knew I had broken the record when I crossed the finish line," said Mantz. "I was pretty happy."
Mantz ran the Chicago Marathon in 2:04:43, coming in fourth but obliterating the longstanding American record by a whopping 55 seconds.
"In marathon running, you only get two to three really good marathons a year at the professional level," Mantz said. "To come away with the record, it feels great because now I don't have to wait four to six months to try again."
I knew I had broken the record when I crossed the finish line. I was pretty happy.
–Conner Mantz
Mantz ran for BYU. In 2024, he competed in the Paris Olympics, finishing in the top 10 in the men's marathon. He lives in Mapleton and trains in Utah. Mantz had a lot of family back home cheering him on as he ran Sunday morning.
"It's cool to be from such a great state and to have some of the best places to run in the world in my own backyard," said Mantz.
Now it's time to recover and look ahead to the next milestone while also savoring this moment.
"It feels great," said Mantz.
