BYU distance runner Conner Mantz warms up on the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. Mantz made his marathon debut on Sunday, ending seventh general and first amongst People on the Chicago Marathon. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
Utah native Conner Mantz ran a 2:08:16 in his marathon debut on the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, ending first amongst American runners and seventh general within the males’s division.
He additionally had the second-best marathon debut time from an American — Mantz’s 2:08:16 mark trails solely Leonard Korir’s debut time of two:07:56 in 2019, per LetsRun.com’s Mike Knapp.
“The objective was making an attempt to interrupt the American debut report and I didn’t fairly get it. It was a terrific expertise nonetheless,” Mantz stated in a post-race press convention. “I may inform I went out slightly too fast.”
Kenya’s Benson Kipruto gained the lads’s title on the Chicago Marathon in a time of two:04:24, forward of Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura (2:04:49) and Kenya’s John Korir (2:05:01).
It’s a busy time for Mantz, a Smithfield native and former two-time particular person cross nation nationwide champion at BYU, who's getting married subsequent Saturday.
He was on tempo to interrupt the American debut report on the midway level of Sunday’s race — each Mantz and fellow American Frank Lara ran a 1:03:45 within the first half — however Mantz stated some pacing points, notably within the 10-15k vary, caught up with him.
“I feel that (10-15K) type of put me by way of slightly little bit of a wringer and I whereas I didn’t really feel nice once I hit 20 miles, it was extra so at 24 miles and on to the tip,” he stated.
It was a superb day for BYU racers, as two different former Cougars completed among the many high 5 American males.
Nicolas Montanez was thirteenth within the males’s division and fourth amongst People with a time of two:09:55. Clayton Younger’s time of two:11:51 was 18th general and fifth amongst People.
Mantz described a number of the classes he realized from his first marathon expertise.
“I feel a few the unknowns have been simply how beat up your physique feels close to 24, 25, 26 miles,” Mantz stated. “I hit a giant wall with one mile to go. The longest I’d run is 25.2 on the dot, so I used to be kinda shocked that I hit a wall.
“Fueling near the tip of the race (was one other unknown). I don’t suppose I’ve had that a lot liquid in my abdomen in a race earlier than, and so on the finish I didn’t wish to take any liquid. I simply wished to run. These are the 2 largest unknowns.”