Conner Mantz Wins the Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials.
In January, she walked-on to the school’s track and cross-country team, two months after the program won its sixth NCAA cross-country title. The BYU women at the Stanford Invitational Conner Mantz, never competed in high school. In fact, she didn’t start running consistently until 2023. But after taking an unexpected path to the sport, largely inspired by watching her husband run, Mantz earned a spot on one of the best teams in the country, and is surprising herself along the way.
Half Marathon Training Runner’s World over the phone, Mantz ran a personal best in the mile (5:03) at the beginning of a brutal workout famously known as “The Michigan,” a mix of tempo running with faster repetitions on the track. How’d she feel about clocking her fastest mile ever in the first interval? “I didn’t have time to think about it, and there wasn’t enough time to catch my breath,” Mantz said, while explaining how she fell off the pack afterwards, not fully realizing what the workout entailed.
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Though it was a “freshman moment,” Mantz is embracing every new experience as an opportunity to learn and chase her goals, even if it’s at a rapid pace. “I’m not where everyone else is on the team, but I have to remind myself that my personal growth has been exponential, and that’s super cool,” she said.
Growing up in Clovis, California, Mantz would occasionally run for stress relief. After a long day at school, she’d take off at a fast pace on the same loop around her house, but there was no consistency or structure to the runs. Though she had a brief stint on her middle-school track team, Mantz didn’t like the pressure of competition and quit before high school. She was more interested in other pursuits outside of sports, like student council. She also plays the piano and organ.
In 2019, Mantz started her freshman year at BYU in Provo, Utah. That fall, she met Conner in a Book of Mormon class. The Des Linden Places 17th in Final Boston was wearing a BYU track backpack, and she asked him if he was on the team. “I just thought he was a guy who liked to run, like me,” Mantz said. They started dating shortly after.
When the pandemic forced in-person classes to shut down six months later, Mantz went back home to determine her next steps. That summer, she decided to pursue a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Vancouver, Washington.
During her 18-month mission, Mantz was only allowed to communicate with people outside of her family through email and letters once a week. Knowing the challenges of a long-distance relationship, especially for those on mission, Mantz encouraged Conner to move on and date other people. Instead, he wrote to her every week while she was away.
While she was serving, Conner’s running career took off. He won two NCAA cross-country titles and turned professional, signing a four-year deal with Nike in 2021. Two months after she returned to campus in April 2022, Conner proposed during a scavenger hunt that ended in front of the church temple. They got married in October that year.
Like most newlyweds, there was much to figure out at the beginning of their marriage. For Mantz, a self-described “busy body,” she didn’t understand why Conner was so exhausted from marathon training on a daily basis. “He would get back from runs and need to sit down, and I was like, there’s laundry to do, dishes in the sink, and life to do, and you just want to sit there and not do anything?” Mantz said. At first, she was frustrated but soon realized she wanted to have a better understanding of his experience.
“I remember having a clear thought, like you have no idea what he’s feeling and what kind of training he’s doing. Do it yourself and figure it out.”
About six months into their marriage, Mantz started going on runs by herself, still at top speed. After a few weeks, Conner suggested she incorporate more structure to her runs by varying the pace and distance each day. In April 2023, Mantz joined the BYU club track team, but it took time to adjust to her first training program.
American record-holder in the half marathon recovery days and proper fueling. By the summer of 2023, she was healthy again and able to train on a consistent basis. Her first major college meet took place in Azusa, California, at the 2024 Bryan Clay Invitational. There, she ran her first 5,000 meters on the track in 17:19.
After the meet, Mantz ran into Diljeet Taylor, the BYU women’s head coach, on campus. Feeling confident and excited after her race at Bryan Clay, she asked Taylor if it would be possible to try out for the team. Taylor was encouraging from the start. “Especially as someone who is a support system to someone following a really big dream, I think it was really important for her to also have a dream, whatever that looks like,” Taylor said.
That summer, Conner represented the U.S. in the marathon at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he finished eighth in 2:08:12. That fall, Mantz was student-teaching for her major in elementary education and dove headfirst into training. Though it was tough balancing 5 a.m. workouts before a full day of teaching kindergarteners, Mantz was determined to give collegiate running a shot. Conner also supported her in the process by making lunch for her everyday and getting up early to encourage her during treadmill sessions at their house.
In January, Mantz participated in two weeks of training with the BYU team—a standard tryout for the women’s program. Coming into the 14 days with higher base mileage and long runs helped Mantz rise to a higher fitness level compared to others who’ve tried to walk on, Taylor said. Though the coaches modified elements of certain workouts, Mantz was still able to keep up with the team, a necessity in joining the program.
More than anything, Taylor was impressed by Mantz’s determination to prove herself. “Every time we had a hard workout, she was giving every single thing she had,” Taylor said, while explaining how the timing also lined up well with the team’s current roster numbers, and with Mantz having one season of eligibility before she graduates this spring.
Unlike her middle school self, Mantz now enjoys being competitive and draws inspiration from Conner and the community of elite athletes in her life. Noting she’s always been a “grinder” in different areas that interest her, Mantz is now embracing that side of herself on the track. “I like shooting for big things,” she said. “There’s something about pushing yourself to a limit that you didn’t think was possible and then doing it, that is inspiring to yourself.”
During the indoor track season, Mantz competed unattached in the 3,000 meters at a meet in Boston while she continued to build fitness. Her first race in a BYU uniform was the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational on April 4. A few days before she received her singlet, Conner shared some advice with his wife ahead of the race. “There’s power when you’re privileged enough to represent something that means so much to you. Remember that when you get your own uniform,” he told her.
The night before she flew to Palo Alto, California, Mantz wore her uniform while packing, savoring the opportunity to race for the Cougars. In her first 10,000 meters, Mantz ran 34:57, averaging 5:37 per mile for 25 laps around the track.
“I wasn’t the fastest person in my heat, but I had a sense of confidence and I truly felt like the goal I had worked so hard for was finally coming to pass,” she said.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
