Conner Mantz, Clayton Young go after US record in half marathon – Deseret News

A former BYU Cougar will chase history Sunday when he takes on the Houston Half Marathon alongside some of the best distance runners in the country.

Conner Mantz will attempt to break the American record for the half marathon, but he will have to beat more than just Ryan Hall’s time of 59:43 from 2007 to do it.

Mantz will also need to stay ahead of the 10K specialist Joe Kleckerwho has been training with the goal of beating Hall’s record.

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Despite the fact that Sunday will be Klecker’s first-ever official half marathon, Mantz credited the Boulder-based runner with motivating him to enter the race.

“When I heard Joe was running it pretty much, I was like okay, I want to be in this race. If he’s going to go out and run 59:30, I’ll be there to try to beat him so I can be the one to take the record, Mantz said during a Friday press conference.

In recognition of their star power and budding rivalry, Citius Mag released a mini-documentary series on Mantz and Klecker this week that traces how they prepared for the Houston Half.

“I don’t know how fit I am right now. I don’t know if I’ll get fit enough to even get close to the American record in the half, but I’m going to go for it either way. If I blow up, that’s fine. What do I have to lose?,” Mantz said in the first of the series’ two episodes.

The Mantz segments include his friend, training partner and fellow BYU Cougar Clayton Young, who also has a shot at the American record Sunday.

Mantz’s personal best time in the half marathon is 1:00:55, while Young’s is 1:01:18, per FloTrack.

While at BYU, Mantz claimed two national cross country titles in 2020 and 2021, and Young was the 10K champion at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The pair are now best known for their marathon careers.

They raced together in the Olympic marathon in August, with Mantz finishing 8th in 2:08:12 and Young finishing 9th in 2:08:44, the Deseret News reported at the time.

Although the Houston Half Marathon is typically a fast race, and Sunday’s event will feature more runners looking to push the pace, Mantz noted during Thursday’s press conference that factors such as the weather could interfere with efforts to set a new American record.

Texas, like much of the country, has been hit by an arctic blast this weekend. It’s supposed to be in the 30s in Houston on Sunday, as of local news station KIAH.

More than 37,000 runners in total will compete in the Houston Half Marathon, the article states.

Futsum Zienasellassie, Hilary Bor, Morgan Pearson, Frank Lara and Diego Estrada are the other top American men competing along with Mantz, Young and Klecker, FloTrack reported.

“With a field like this you can definitely get some really fast times. … I want to be in that race whether I’m ready or not,” Mantz said Thursday.