Conner Mantz has officially etched his name into history, breaking both the American and North American marathon records at the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon with a stunning time of 2:04:43, surpassing Khalid Khannouchi’s 23-year-old mark of 2:05:38 set on the same course in 2002.
The 28-year-old Utah native executed a perfectly judged race from start to finish, running through halfway in 1:02:19, 30K in 1:28:24, and closing with remarkable composure over the final miles to finish 4th overall, and as the fastest American in history.
His time also makes him the fastest North American ever, eclipsing both Khannouchi and Canadian record holder Cam Levins, who ran 2:05:36 in 2023.
Mantz’s race plan was clear: stay patient, run his own rhythm, and build through the back half.
While the leaders, led by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who won in 2:02:23, tore through the early stages on near–world-record pace (1:00:16 through halfway), Mantz stayed just off the pack, trusting his metronomic pacing.
By mile 23 (1:49:22), he remained locked on record pace, and his controlled stride down the final stretch on Michigan Avenue confirmed what had seemed inevitable all morning, that the record would finally fall.
This performance marks a landmark moment for U.S. distance running.
The record Mantz broke had stood since April 2002, when Khannouchi, then representing the U.S., set a world record on this same course.
For over two decades, no American, not even Olympic medalist Galen Rupp or Boston champion Meb Keflezighi, had managed to eclipse it. Mantz, a two-time NCAA cross-country champion for BYU and coached by Ed Eyestone, has now done so in emphatic fashion.
