Conner Mantz returned to Cape Elizabeth with unfinished business, and left with a course record, a win, and a clear signal that he’s gearing up for something big this fall.
The 28-year-old Olympian stormed to victory at the 2025 TD Beach to Beacon 10K on Saturday morning in 27:26, breaking the long-standing course record by two seconds and becoming just the second American man ever to win the race.
The previous record had stood since 2003, when Kenya’s Gilbert Okari ran 27:27.5.
“I knew Ben True had won it,” Mantz said afterward. “I didn’t know that few Americans had won it.”
This year, there was no stopping him. On a cool morning perfect for racing, Mantz and Patrick Kiprop of Arkansas surged ahead of the field just past the halfway point.
They worked together to break defending champion Tadese Worku before Mantz pulled away on a downhill section near the final mile. Kiprop finished second in 27:36, one of the fastest losing times in race history. But on this day, Mantz was in a league of his own.
That was a stark contrast from two years ago, when he placed second after a contentious final stretch. In 2023, Mantz had been battling for the lead when Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune allegedly chopped his stride and forced him into a crowd barrier.
Yihune went on to win by two seconds. Mantz, frustrated but measured, said he didn’t believe they ever got to “find out who was the fastest athlete” that day.
The win adds to what’s becoming a career-defining season for Mantz. Already in 2025, he’s claimed wins at BOLDERBoulder and now Beach to Beacon, clocked a 27:41 at the BAA 10K, ran an American record in the half in Houston, and continued sharpening the fitness he’ll need for what he’s called the biggest goal of his career.
That target is now official. Mantz will run the 2025 Chicago Marathon, and his aim is clear: to break the American marathon record of 2:04:58, held by Ryan Hall since 2011. Chicago, with its flat, fast course and deep international field, offers perhaps the best shot for an American to do it.
Since finishing eighth in the Olympic marathon in Paris, the best U.S. men’s performance in two decades, Mantz has shifted from solid to sensational. He’s pairing his trademark even pacing and grind-it-out strength with the kind of closing power that makes sub-2:05 no longer seem far-fetched.
Saturday’s performance was a reminder of what he can do when everything clicks. And this time, everything seems to be clicking at the perfect moment. If October in Chicago delivers cool weather and a fast pack, Conner Mantz might not just run fast, he might make American distance running history.
