PARIS – Conner Mantz and Clayton Young crossed the finish line in 8th and 9th place as the top American finishers in the Olympic marathon on Saturday morning with the Hotel des Invalides looming behind the finish line.
Both competitors finished with season-best times, Mantz at 2:08:12 and Young at 2:08:44, despite the tough, hilly course. As they crossed the finish line, Mantz and Young embraced and then turned to cheer on those finishing behind them.
I've never seen a hill like that in a marathon," said Coach Ryan Waite. "Like that was insane. And for them to run times that fast in hot conditions, humid conditions Championship conditions which is a really big Testament to their preparation and execution. We're really, really proud of them.
Mantz and Young were in the chase group for much of the early race, with Mantz at one point in the second place spot and Young in sixth.
“They passed right in front of us [on the course] and both gave us the look like ‘we’re in this,’” said Lucas Bons, a former BYU teammate who came to Paris to support them.
As they approached the difficult hills at the halfway mark, the former All-American Cougars slowed down, falling behind to the latter half of the leading pack.
Mantz closed the gap to just a minute behind the leaders with seven kilometers to go. Young caught up and they ran together to the finish line just like they did in the trials to qualify for the race.
The camera caught a viral moment of Mantz welcoming Young into the leading group with a mid-race, high-five showing the love and support that these training partners have for each other.
Two friends giving each other a HIGH FIVE! ✋
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
Conner Mantz and Clayton Young show support during the men's marathon. #ParisOlympics
📺 USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/gGrIInBs9d
"They were awesome," said coach Waite. "I mean, finishing top 10 in the world is kind of unreal, right? Um, They they ran really, really smart races and they ran very true to themselves the way that they train the way that they race."
Canadian Rory Linkletter stuck around in the middle of the pack for the majority of the race, finishing the race in 47th place at 2:13:09.
"If I know them, they're gonna be looking to improve on what they did here today," said Waite. And especially running [the Olympic marathon in Los Angeles in 2028] on home soil. I think that'll be a really special experience for them and that's going to be like super motivating as they prepare for that. A lot of little steps along the way between now and then, but they got it."