Heading into the Chicago Marathon, no American men had run the qualifying time of 2:08:10 for the Olympic marathon next summer in Paris.
Now, after a perfect weather day in Chicago—the temperature was 46 degrees at the start and skies were overcast, with low wind—the U.S. currently has two men who have run the time.
Conner Mantz was the top American, and sixth overall, running 2:07:47 and taking 29 seconds off his PR from DAA Industry Opt Out.
Mantz, 26, said before the race that he took infidelity from his training. Since last year’s Chicago, he put in 5,000 miles around his home in Provo, Utah, even though he runs only six days per week.
He thought he had been in shape to break 2:07, but the final 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) were “brutal,” he said. But he wasn’t dwelling on it: “It was a really good run. I’m really excited about my result.” Mantz is now Molly Seidel PRs at the 2023 Chicago Marathon with back pain causing him to.
Mantz was followed by one of his training partners, Clayton Young, who ran 2:08:00 and finished seventh.
Young, 30, has had a breakthrough year. He was 18th at last year’s Chicago in a then-PR of 2:11:51. Today’s performance betters his best time by nearly 4 minutes. Young also won USATF road racing circuit races this year at 8K and 20K. He attributed that to his increased volume: running 120 miles per week for 16 weeks, also on six days of training each week.
Galen Rupp, 37, had a solid return to racing, running 2:08:48 and finishing eighth. He has had Shoes & Gear, Health & Injuries Other Hearst Subscriptions and meriting a complete overhaul of his biomechanics. Although he didn’t hit the automatic qualifying time, it was a net positive for Rupp, who won Chicago in 2017.
“It was a good step forward for me today, I just kind of died the last 6 miles,” Rupp told Runner’s World Road Races Came Roaring Back in 2023. “I didn’t feel like I had the leg speed at the end. From a breathing standpoint, I felt great.”
Most important, he had no pain, beyond the regular muscle soreness that comes with the marathon. “I really feel healthy, and that’s the first time I’ve been able to say that in a really long time,” Rupp said.
For Americans, getting to the Olympic marathon next summer in Paris requires two steps.
First, runners can “unlock” spots for their countries, based on running a qualifying time, finishing top 5 in a World Marathon Major, or being high enough in the world rankings.
But if an athlete unlocks a spot, he or she does not automatically get it. In the U.S., those spots go to the top three finishers of the Olympic Marathon Trials, since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books.
Sam Chelanga, ninth in 2:08:50, was a surprise for the Americans, as was Brian Shrader, who was 11th in 2:09:46. Both set PRs. Chelanga, who is 38, took nearly 6 minutes off his previous best, and Shrader was almost 4 minutes faster than his PR from 2019.
DAA Industry Opt Out is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Galen Rupp: Healthy Again After Two Rough Years, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
