Conner Mantz said he was speechless after a disappointing performance at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, where he finished 11th with a time of 2:07:27.
It was the first time since the 2023 Boston Marathon that Mantz did not finish in the top eight in a major marathon, including the Olympics, Boston, New York, Chicago and the Olympic Trials. It was also the last time he wasn’t the best American. Zouhair Talbi and Ahmed Muhumed, two naturalized American citizens born in Africa, and Ryan Ford, finished sixth, seventh and 10th, respectively.
The race was won by Swede Andreas Almgren with a time of 2:06:01.
Mantz, a two-time NCAA champion at BYU who grew up in Smithfield, was a dominant figure on the road running circuit until injuries sidelined him for a year. Sunday’s race in New York was his first marathon since Oct. 12, 2025, when he set the American record of 2:04:43 and finished fourth in Chicago. Since then, he has been sidelined by injuries – two sacral stress fractures as well as associated stress reactions in his pelvis.
“I don’t know what it was,” Mantz told Let’s Run after the race. “I just felt like my legs weren’t there today…I don’t know. Some days you definitely get it and other days…I’m a little speechless right now. My workouts went so well. I don’t know. I need to get a little fitter. I have work to do.”
Asked if injuries played a role, he said: “I think a lot mentally, probably physically too.”
Mantz had hung with the lead pack until about 21 miles into Sunday’s race, but then lost pace and never recovered.
“I felt like I was doing my moves well,” he said. “Then I had to make a few stops at the water stations and there were a lot of people. When people cut in front of you and stop, you have to stop. So at 35 km, by the time I got my (water) bottle, I was behind the peloton by a good 15 meters. After that, I couldn’t continue.”
Aiden Troutner, who was Mantz’s teammate at BYU, placed 14th Sunday in New York, finishing with a time of 2:08:54.
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