The 2023 Chicago Marathon took place last Sunday, and the results of the race will have people talking for a long time. Competitors in the elite field put down historic performances in both the women’s and men’s fields.
Kelvin Kiptum broke the world record in the men’s marathon with his incredible time of 2:00.35. While Kiptum’s performance was and is not to be overlooked, there was another incredible milestone set by the American runners at the Chicago Marathon, specifically by training partners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young.
They both secured the Olympic qualifying standards for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which in all likelihood locks them in for the Olympic marathon team.
Mantz finished as the top American and 6th overall in the men’s field with his new personal best time 2:07:47, which ties him with Dathan Ritzenhein for the fourth fastest marathon time in American history.
“I was very convinced I could run under 2:07 today but my last 4k was a little brutal,” Mantz said in the post-race press conference. “Eventually Sam Chelanga caught up to me but sadly it was like a bouncy ball where he caught up to me and he bounced right off. I was hoping to run with him some more. But it was really a good run. I’m really excited about my race.”
Clayton Young had a monster day at the Chicago Marathon as well. He finished as the second fastest American behind Mantz and 7th overall with his time of 2:08.00, which is a three-minute personal best.
“To close on (Mantz) the last little bit and to be able to finish right behind him, like I usually do in practice, was a really big step for me,” Young said in the post-race press conference. “I’m really grateful to have him as a training partner.”
Galen Rupp finished as the third fastest American in the field and 8th overall with his time of 2:08.48, while Sam Chelanga finished as the fourth fastest American in the field and 9th overall with his time of 2:08.50. Both Rupp and Chelanga barely missed the Olympic qualifying standard time of 2:08.10.
For a deeper dive as to the importance of Mantz and Young’s performance at the Chicago Marathon, check out the latest episode of Track Talk.
