It wasn’t just the record that defined Conner Mantz’s 2025 Chicago Marathon, it was a simple act of sportsmanship that captured the heart of the running world.
Midway through the race, as the men’s lead pack rolled smoothly through an aid station, Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi reached for his bottle and missed. Just steps behind, Mantz noticed, reached out, and offered his own. The two shared the bottle briefly before returning to rhythm, stride for stride, at 2:04 pace.
The moment, caught on video and shared by coach Norman Simon, has gone viral under the caption: “Talbi dropped his drink. Mantz shared his. The moment sportsmanship spoke louder than pace.”
For Mantz, it was a fleeting, instinctive gesture, but one that perfectly encapsulated the spirit of marathon running: competitors pushing each other to their limits while never losing sight of mutual respect.
Minutes later, Mantz went on to run the race of his life, finishing 4th overall in 2:04:43, breaking both the American and North American marathon records and becoming the fastest U.S. marathoner in history. It was a performance that balanced humility and grit, the same qualities that made his mid-race gesture resonate so deeply.
Mantz didn’t just rewrite record books, he reminded the world why the marathon remains one of the most human sports of all, where courage, compassion, and competition can all coexist on the same stretch of road.
Thank you for the excellent coverage of the Chicago Marathon.
I can’t (as a long-time runner and huge T & F fan) resist wondering about what Frank Shorter might have run with the advances in foot gear and other training/preparation developments…not far from 2 hours, I surmise.