Conner Mantz was a two-time NCAA cross nation champion for BYU. Since turning skilled he has had good success within the marathon, operating 2:08:16 in his debut for seventh place in Chicago in 2022. He adopted that up with a 2:07:47 for sixth place in Chicago in 2023, which earned him the quickest seed time in subsequent Saturday’s Olympic Marathon Trials. In between his two Chicago runs, Mantz ran the 2023 Boston Marathon, the place he ran with the leaders earlier than dealing with to eleventh place.
Mantz joined LetsRun.com this week for a video chat which yow will discover embedded beneath. Now we have additionally written up highlights. For the primary time publicly, Mantz revealed that he handled a stress response in his femur in late November, however is now wholesome and coaching has been going effectively.
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Mantz’s Ideas Heading Into the Trials
LetsRun.com (LRC): We’re about what, 9 days out from the Trials. What are your ideas heading in?
Conner Mantz: I’m simply excited. The Olympics is [only] each 4 years… I used to be fifth within the 10k in 2021, and I’ve been itching to have one other likelihood at it, however primarily simply excited to run one other marathon.
LRC: Your three marathons have gone effectively, particularly your two on flat programs. You ran 2:08:16 in your debut two years in the past in Chicago. Adopted that up with 2:07:47 in Chicago this 12 months. On flat, quick programs, you’ve carried out very effectively. That units you up for the Trials very effectively.
Do you agree with that evaluation?
Mantz: I believe I may run effectively on a hilly course, however I simply want to ensure I hold my feelings in test and never exit with the leaders. However I believe that’s a very good evaluation. I’ve carried out effectively on flat programs.
LRC: You’ve bought the quickest seed time coming in. Do you view your self as the favourite? How do you assess the sector?
I don’t know. I believe I undoubtedly see myself as a favourite to make the workforce and take a kind of high two spots possibly. We don’t learn about third place. The probabilities of us getting third, I don’t know what they’re or of getting [all] three spots. However I see myself as one of many favorites.
I believe I’ve been fairly constant. Each time I’ve raced, like, my performances I really feel are all fairly shut collectively for essentially the most half. I’ll have an occasional unhealthy race, however most of my races are pretty constant.
LRC: Whenever you say us, do you imply Clayton Younger?
Yeah, Clayton and myself.
LRC: How a lot of your coaching have you ever carried out with Clayton? I do know Jon’s gonna ask you some questions right here. He’s been stalking your Strava, however a exercise simply bought posted right this moment on YouTube. We’ll put a hyperlink to it. You guys did 4 by three mile, however it looks like you and Clayton have been joined by the hip for what the final 12 months in coaching. How a lot of your coaching have you ever carried out for this buildup [with Clayton]?
Most of our coaching this buildup. It’s type of been humorous, ’trigger Coach [Ed] Eyestone, he appreciated how Chicago went. So he’s having us do precisely what we did for Chicago. And it’s like, okay, such as you guys each did this at Chicago. Let’s simply replicate that. So, yeah, each exercise, nearly each straightforward run, not nearly each straightforward run, however at the very least half of them are collectively.
Mantz Reveals He Had Stress Response in Femur in November
LRC: And Jon, do you wanna leap in and grill him about his Strava exercise? That is one thing that occurs on the message board is everybody, they attempt to do the Strava evaluation of precisely who’s in form and who’s not and that type of factor. Your Strava account is public. And there are two notable issues I believe that might leap out to anybody who appears at it.
And one is there’s a two-week hole after your run on the Manchester Street Race [on November 23] the place you don’t have any actions logged in any respect. So what’s the reason for that? Have been you operating, have been you damage? What was the deal?
Conner Mantz wins the 2022 Manchester Street Race in a course file 21:04 (photograph by Jane Monti for Race Outcomes Weekly) (Mantz’s damage was in 2023)
I haven’t actually informed too many individuals about it, however now that I’m in form, I really feel like I can present my playing cards a bit of bit. I had a stress response in my femur that type of popped out proper earlier than the Manchester Street Race. Didn’t know what it was, simply type of dropped my mileage significantly heading into that race and was like, oh, effectively you realize what I’ll be capable of drop my mileage and taper. After which it began bugging me about two days earlier than and the day beforehand, fairly a bit. And so I modified my flights residence and I wasn’t really gonna begin the race. However then I mentioned, okay, like if it hurts in any respect on the warmup, I gained’t begin. If it hurts in any respect in the course of the race, I’ll drop out. It felt nice in the course of the race. (Editor’s notice: Mantz completed 2nd in a dash end)
In my thoughts it was like, whoa I’ve had a couple of stress reactions there earlier than. It doesn’t actually really feel prefer it, however it is perhaps one. So it was just like the day earlier than the race, I modified my flight. So I might fly again earlier after which I arrange a physician’s appointment and an MRI, so I may get these in as quickly as doable. Sadly it was a stress response. Took me out for 2 weeks. However I type of simply privatized loads of my runs since then. At first it was identical to, I’ll make ’em public proper earlier than the Trials. Nevertheless it, it was simply variety as a manner of like, all proper, I won’t be operating however I’m gonna get sneaky good. Or at the very least sneaky as, be as sneaky as I can. I don’t wanna fully make my Strava non-public, however I’ll make some runs non-public.
LRC: My different query is, if you happen to have a look at the mileage totals, weekly mileage, because you’ve returned to operating, none of them are above about 71 miles per week, which is lots decrease than you often do, however I’ve additionally observed you’re solely operating, you realize, there’s solely 4 or 5 entries per week in that span.
Is that the precise mileage you’re operating or are there different runs that you just simply haven’t logged on there and also you’re doing extra?
There’s loads of runs. I hold in all probability half them or so non-public, and I’ll in all probability make ’em all public proper earlier than the Trials. Trigger it was type of like ‘crap I’m injured’, how a lot do I wanna present to different folks I’m damage? Now I’m on the level the place I’m prefer it doesn’t matter.
I’ll in all probability return and make ’em public fairly quickly, however my health is there, at the very least so far as I can inform. You may solely actually inform a lot from a exercise. And I haven’t raced because the Manchester Street Race.
LRC: These two weeks after Manchester, did you not run in any respect or there have been runs in there and so they simply weren’t public?
I used to be on like an Alter-G treadmill or Increase treadmill or biking, swimming, or, I didn’t swim this time, however I did, the Arc coach, if you realize what that’s.
LRC: Parker Valby’s favourite.
Yea, yeah Lots of people like it. Whittni Orton does a ton on the Arc coach. I in all probability shouldn’t say that, however she’s type of been the inspiration for the Arc coach ’trigger it’s identical to, dang, she will get match.
So once I heard the stuff about Parker Valby, who I considered was Whittni.
LRC: Whenever you get again to type of operating on strong floor, is it as a result of your leg is feeling again to regular that the damage is healed? Or is it shoot the Trials are nearly right here, I want to start out, operating, logging actual operating exercises?
It was ’trigger issues have been feeling higher. I undoubtedly needed to be out operating like earlier. Coach Eyestone was very very similar to, ‘Hey [tone it down].’ He informed me this 4 years in the past and I bought damage proper earlier than the final marathon trials. He was identical to, look, half the those that present up on that day who’re gonna be rivals, they’re not wholesome. In the event you’re wholesome, you actually solely must beat half of your rivals to make the workforce.
And he was simply very assured in if you happen to’re wholesome, you’re gonna be nice. It doesn’t matter, like if you happen to’ve run your exercises actually quick or actually gradual, you realize it, it doesn’t matter. Simply be wholesome. So I simply type of took that as type of my mantra as get wholesome after which get some good exercises in and be prepared for the Trials.
LRC: Coach Ed Eyestone, two-time Olympian. What recommendation did he offer you in regards to the Trials, the marathon trials, which is new for you?
We try to bug him lots. He doesn’t actually speak about his day that a lot, however [he does say] a couple of issues. One don’t overdo it. He says the most effective form he was ever in was in ’96, and that’s the 12 months he didn’t make it on the [Olympic] workforce. But in addition like being wholesome. He’s simply very huge on ensure you’re wholesome. However he’s additionally a really hands-off coach. He by no means will get like, I don’t know, by no means actually will get mad about us doing one factor or the opposite. He’s simply very like, determine your self out after which I’ll assist lead and information you, however don’t overdo it.
Conner Mantz in Chicago (Kevin Morris photograph)
Warmth Prep and Sam Chelanga Being in Group
LRC: One factor you guys don’t have in Utah is warmth. What have you ever carried out to organize for the warmth in Orlando?
Executed a bunch of sauna, like end a run, go to the sauna, or I’ll get like some rain jackets or like sauna fits and simply run in that on a treadmill. Haven’t carried out that as a lot, however most of it has been like I end a run after which we, Clayton, Sam Chelanga, who joined us for the final couple months, so me, Clayton, Jared [Ward], and Sam would go to the sauna after our runs.
LRC: Is Ed teaching Sam?
Proper now, yeah.
LRC: Oh, attention-grabbing. I used to be gonna decide Sam in my contest, however he didn’t run very effectively at Houston. Was that type of extra of a coaching run for him?
No, he was fairly sick. After I requested him about it after the race, he was identical to, ‘dude, just like the second the gun went off, I didn’t really feel good and I simply thought I’d heat up into it. However I felt worse and worse because the race went on.’
LRC: And he didn’t do the 4 by three mile exercise with you guys. So, does he simply do a few of them?
He didn’t try this exercise with us trigger that was the identical week as Houston. He was making an attempt to taper for Houston, making an attempt to safe that third spot, however then reveals up and on the beginning line feels terrible. It’s like, effectively I suppose I’ll simply, I don’t know. He simply type of needed to run it ’trigger he was there.
The Olympic dream
LRC: What wouldn’t it imply to make the Olympic workforce?
You already know, it could imply lots. But in addition I must hold my thoughts in test. You already know, it’s, I don’t know, it’s type of been a dream. So a dream, it could be a dream come true, however I additionally must hold in test that like, if it doesn’t occur, it’s not the top of the world. It’s nothing. It’s like there’s all the time extra groups and extra races to make.
LRC: Another query. We began a greater operating shoe web site on LetsRun[.com]. What footwear have you ever been coaching in, and what shoe will you be racing in?
I’ll race in one of many Alphafly iterations. Nonetheless making an attempt to determine which one precisely. After which, I’m coaching lots within the Vomero, however I exploit in all probability 4 or 5 completely different Nike footwear, equivalent to like, I’ll use the Pegasus, the Invincible. The Vomero is my favourite, however I to change issues out fairly usually.
LRC: All proper. We admire it. Hope to see you in Orlando. Good luck.
Thanks.
