Buoyed by shared trained and a linked history in college, Americans Conner Mantz and Clayton Young finished inside the top 10 of the Olympic men's marathon on Saturday in Paris.

The Brigham Young University graduates and Utah residents both clocked season bests at the distance, with Mantz coming through the finish line of the hilly 26.2 mile race in eighth-place in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 12 seconds, while Young was ninth in 2:08.44, despite 10 athletes dropping from the field and a total of 71 finishers coming across the line. 

"I probably should have been a little more conservative, but, you know, I really wanted to put myself in a chance of a medal," Mantz said of his aggressive front-half tactics. "And I think looking back, I could have switched that up and been a little bit better, but I'm pretty proud of my race."

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The 27-year-old Mantz was just a shade away from his career best time of 2:07.47 from Chicago in 2023, while Young, 30, was in similar company, within a minute of his overall best of 2:08.00 from that same race. 

Both, however, were proud of the moment. Young hung near Mantz for much of the distance, keeping himself within an earshot. He welcomed an environment that kept him engaged, and said he tried not to get too overwhelmed by the energy. 

"The crowds were wild," Young said. "It was like deafening the whole course. You know, you just got to, you know, soak in that energy, but almost ignore it, because you can get too high too soon. I kept telling myself to relax, relax, just because the crowds were deafening."

Clayton Young 🇺🇸 made his marathon debut at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:29:46 to finish 136th.

Four years later, he places ninth representing Team USA at the Paris Olympics in 2:08:44.

Young was emotional when reflecting on the entire journey to that moment after… pic.twitter.com/iLTeaOPXQN

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) August 10, 2024

How It Happened

At the halfway mark of the marathon, at 13.1 miles, a group of 16 athletes were separated by just 13 seconds. 

Mantz came through in 1:04.52, just a second back from the leader and eventual winner, Tamirat Tola, while Young was eight seconds back and sitting in sixth. 

The Ethiopian Tola, a substitute for an injured countryman Sisay Lemma, secured the win in a new Olympic record of 2:06.26, while Belgium's Bashir Abdi was second in 2:06.47 and Kenya's Benson Kipruto was third in 2:07.00. 

The 32-year-old Tola had won the New York Marathon in 2023, but he did not finish the London Marathon this year in April. 

"I probably should have been a little more conservative, but, you know, I really wanted to put myself in a chance of a medal. And I think looking back, I could have switched that up and been a little bit better, but I'm pretty proud of my race."

In a surprise, former world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge, representing Kenya, dropped out sometime after the 30 kilometer mark after he had dropped to 71st place. 

"It's tough to execute a marathon perfectly," Mantz said. 

Mantz started to lose ground on the leaders after the halfway point as the course began to throw high-grade hills and an assault on the legs. He battled through moves, however, to keep locked in. Young reiterated that notion.

"I think it comes from the amount of work and sacrifice that has gone into this, not only for myself but for the team," Young said, holding back tears. "You guys understand the amount of work that it takes behind the scenes to get you here. So, yeah ...there's a reason I'm here. There's a reason I get to inspire a nation and a group of people." 

Additional Notes

The surprise finish in the men's marathon? 

How about Sudan's Yaseen Abdalla? 

The inbound University of Arkansas runner -- he's transferring from Tennessee -- had never run a marathon before Saturday, but as part of the global representation act by World Athletics, the North African country selected Abdalla -- who graduated high school in Austin, Texas -- to cover the 26.2 distance. He finished 33rd overall in a debut of 2:11.41.

Abdalla, 22, reached the finals of the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5,000 meters in June, finishing 11th overall 14:01.54 and was a two-time All-American in cross country in 2021 and 2022 while at Texas and Tennessee, respectively. 

• Former NCAA cross country champion Patrick Tiernan, 29, who claimed the national title in 2016 for Villanova, finished 24th for Australia in 2:10.34. He had transitioned to the marathon in 2022.
• Rory Linkletter, 27, a 2017 NCAA runner-up in the 10K for BYU and a former teammate of Mantz and Young, featured for Canada and was 47th overall in 2:13.09.
• The U.S.'s third athlete, Leonard Korir, who needed to secure a spot via world rankings for his entry into the marathon, was 63rd in 2:18.45.
• Eliud Kipchoge, 39, the former world record-holder at the marathon distance and two-time Olympic champion in Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, dropped out shortly after the 30 kilometer mark. 

A valiant effort from Conner Mantz 👏

Mantz navigates the Paris hills with the lead pack for as long as possible and comes way with a huge 2:08:12 performance.

He finishes as the top American in eighth.#Paris2024 | 📸: USA TODAY pic.twitter.com/G3iHnSTz7n

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) August 10, 2024

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