Conner Mantz ran one of the great Boston Marathons in U.S. history today, placing fourth in 2:05:08, just 4 seconds behind the second and third finishers. Mantz’s time is the second fastest ever by an American on the storied course, behind only Ryan Hall’s 2:04:58 from 2011.
Mantz’s training partner Clayton Young also ran well, placing seventh after losing touch with the lead pack in the 20th mile. Young finished in 2:07:04, the third fastest U.S. time in Boston history. Ryan Ford, 10th in 2:08:00, rounded a strong day for the American men.
“There were moments when I felt like I couldn’t make it,” Young said. “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.
Mantz runs with his chin tucked, head cocked slightly to the left. His fists punch up toward his shoulders; his bounding, forefoot-strike, slightly knock-kneed stride matches the oil-well pumping of his arms. The result is that he looks like he’s pressing regardless of the pace.
So Mantz’s frequent presence near the front of the lead pack didn’t necessarily mean he was being aggressive. He stayed there until eventual winner John Korir of Kenya broke the race open with a huge surge in the 21st mile. Attrition resulted in a three-man chase pack by the final 5K. Mantz tried to break Alphonce Simbu and CyBrian Kotut with a big move in the final kilometer. They responded, and then dropped Mantz on Boylston Street. “It was a little humbling,” Mantz said.
Pros React to Des Linden’s Final Boston Fast and Flat Boston Qualifying Marathons U.S. record of 59:17 at Houston Runner’s World that a race today consisting of 62:00 for the first half and 63:30 for the second half “is what it would take for me to win.”
He got the first part of his wish, passing halfway in 1:01:53 as part of a 16-man pack. He wound up running his second half in 1:03:15, a little faster than in his hypothetical. But Korir, Simbu, and Kotut were too fast for him today.
Mantz, Young, and Ford now have shiny new personal bests. But because of Boston’s point-to-point course, their performances today didn’t alter Published: Apr 21, 2025 12:54 PM EDT marathons. Mantz is sixth (2:07:47) and Young eighth (2:08:00) on that list.
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back Runner’s World that if today’s race had been on a rabbited, flat course like Chicago, he would have targeted a finish time 2:04:30 to 2:05:00. After today, that pacing, which would shatter Khalid Khannouchi’s U.S. record of 2:05:38, sounds a tad conservative. Two-time Olympic marathoner Ed Eyestone, who coaches Mantz and Young, said that Mantz wants to run a flat, fast fall marathon that will allow him to recover in time to compete well at the 2026 World Cross Country Championships.
That meet will be held on January 10 in Tallahassee, Florida, leaving Berlin (September 21) or Chicago (October 12) as the only viable choices. Can fall marathon season get here soon enough?
