A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and former Brigham Young University runner was the top American finisher in the Boston Marathon.
Conner Mantz ran the 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 8 seconds to finish in fourth place — the highest finish by an American since 2017 and the second-fastest time ever by an American, according to RunnersWorld.com — on Monday, April 21.
Mantz was also one of three BYU alums to finish among the top seven in the race. He was joined by fellow BYU alums Rory Linkletter, who finished in sixth place with 2:07:02, and Clayton Young, who was seventh with a time of 2:07:04.
Kenya’s John Korir won the men’s race in 2:04:45.
Sharon Lokedi, also of Kenya, outran two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri to win the women’s race in 2:17:22 — a new course record.
In the men’s race, Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania and Cybrian Kotut of Kenya were shoulder-to-shoulder down the stretch and both crossed in 2:05:04. The photo review revealed Simbu was second and Kotut third.
Mantz, 28, was in contention for a spot on the podium as he sprinted the final mile down Boylston Street flanked by Simbu and Kotut, but the two runners pulled away down the stretch.
“I made my hard move, and they responded as if I wasn’t there making a move. So it was a little bit humbling,” Mantz told ESPN.com. “Missing it and getting outkicked for the last 300 meters is a little bitter. It’s still probably the best race I’ve had.”
Although he came up short of the podium, Mantz told news media his performance gives him confidence for the future.
“I think going forward, this is a race I can win,” he said. “I made some big progress. ... It was a race that I improved a lot. Two years ago, John Korir was ninth, I believe, and we ran a lot of that race together. Seeing him win it this year gives me some confidence for years in the future.”
Mantz and Young, friends and training partners, came in eight and ninth place, respectively, in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Linkletter ran for Team Canada and finished in 47th.
Mantz, a two-time NCAA cross country champion from Smithfield, Utah, served in the Ghana Accra West Mission.
Young, of American Fork, Utah, served in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission, Spanish-speaking.
“There were moments when I felt like I couldn’t make it,” Young told RunnersWorld.com. “At 20, you could say I was pretty broke.” His right calf had started to tighten up. Yet Young was able to move from 10th at 35K (21.7 miles) to seventh at the finish. “It feels nice to cross that line and know I gave it everything I had,” he said.
