October 7, 2023 was a historic day in the world of competitive distance running, notably for BYU alum’s Conner Mantz and Clayton Young who placed sixth and seventh respectively at the Chicago Marathon. Mantz made history, clocking a 2:07:47 over the 26.2-mile course, becoming the fourth fastest American male to run the distance all time. Training partner Clayton Young finished just seconds behind, in seventh-place at 2:08:00, making him the seventh-fastest American all time at the event. Both achieved personal bests in a competition where the victor, Kelvin Kiptum, a 23 year-old from Kenya, ran a 2:00:35, establishing a new world record by 34 seconds.
“We got it done,” said BYU Director of Track and Field Ed Eyestone post-race. Eyestone serves as Mantz's and Young's professional coach. He was also a commentator on the Chicago Marathon broadcast. “That was our mission coming in. That was our No. 1 priority. Let’s get 2:08:10 out of the way. Let’s open up that window for all the Americans, and let’s get some personal bests. It was fun.”