Runner Conner Mantz Crushes American Half Marathon Record Set in 2007

While competing in the Houston Marathon on Sunday, Jan. 19, long-distance runner Conner Mantz stamped his name into history books.

For 17 long years, Ryan Hall has held onto the American half marathon record. Hall, now retired, held the record with an astonishing time of 59:43.

While runners have attempted to claim this title in years past, their efforts were unsuccessful until now.

28-year-old Conner Mantz clocked in a time of 59:17, shaving seconds off Hall's record.

The weather conditions at Sunday's race were rather uncomfortable due to heavy winds, but Mantz's determination to push through has paid off.

"It's a special one to me because the half marathon is how I got into running," Mantz told ABC13. "How I got into running was trying to finish a half marathon when I was 12-years-old. My dad inspired me to try and finish a half marathon."

Mantz added, "this is a record that I really wanted. I want to lower it down the road, but I'm grateful to be here and to hit a time that I've been wanting to hit for a long time."

Previously, Mantz's personal record was 1:00:55 from 2021.

According to Runner's World, Addiu Gobena from Ethiopia and Conner Mantz both finished with a time of 59:17, just one second before Tazmania's Gabriel Geay crossed the line at 59:18.

Throughout the race, Gobena, Mantz, Geay, Amon Kemboi, and Jemal Yimer led the race, although Kemboi withdrew at the 15K mark.

Mantz's impressive race performance was quite the sight to see, particularly considering the frigid temperatures and intensity of the wind that he was running directly into throughout the competition.

Mantz, a former BYU student who has won two NCAA Cross Country Championships for the college, can now add his new record to his exhaustive list of accomplishments.