Where should Conner Mantz sign?

cramister wrote:

If Conner Mantz becomes just another 2:14 guy I will cry myself to sleep

What has he really done that indicate he could be any faster than 2:14?

I’m not convinced at this point.

Champion.

Lenny Leonard wrote:

cramister wrote:

If Conner Mantz becomes just another 2:14 guy I will cry myself to sleep

What has he really done that indicate he could be any faster than 2:14?

I’m not convinced at this point.

Running 27:40 and winning NCAA XC twice.

I believe he has less upside than what some others may believe. How much more can he really improve? Seems like he has already been putting in lots of miles and training hard for a while, and at altitude too. He is also almost 25.

Not sure if he has the speed to make big improvements on the track.

He is great at XC, but the big deals are for the track. More potential exposure to make US team for track Worlds and then Olympics. He could go to the roads but its super competitive and he is less valuable to any sponsor there. No one is going to sponsor him for xc and he can't run anymore in the xc race that gets the most attention in the US.

People are talking marathons- has he ever raced anything longer than a 10k?

I believe there may not be any great offers out there for him right now.

I wish him well.

He could sign with Altra, Keep it local in the Beehive State. Continue to train with Eyestone. Is he married yet?

Lenny Leonard wrote:

cramister wrote:

If Conner Mantz becomes just another 2:14 guy I will cry myself to sleep

What has he really done that indicate he could be any faster than 2:14?

I’m not convinced at this point.

Well, he ran 27:41 for 10,000, which is pretty fast. I think he is probably closer to 27:30 this year, which could ultimately translate to a 2:07 marathon.

I keep hoping for an American who can mix it up both in world cross and in the marathon. Perhaps he is that runner.

shinsplintz21 wrote:

If he leaves Provo and joins a professional team, who should he train with? Should he go for the 10k first and team up with Joe Klecker at On Running? Is he good enough to link up with Rupp and run with our best marathoner?

If Mantz spent a few years learning from King Rupp it would be over for the rest of the world.

arodd wrote:

Lenny Leonard wrote:

What has he really done that indicate he could be any faster than 2:14?

I’m not convinced at this point.

Running 27:40 and winning NCAA XC twice.

Probably repeating what others have said but 20 years ago when I was coming out of college guys that were 2840 runners would run 2.13/14 marathons.

Not hard to imagine a 27.40 10k meaning at low 60 half for him and then hopefully a 2.06-2.08 marathon. Agree with someone else above I hope he finishes out track this year and is running in a marathon spring of 2023

Pete’s Dragons…as the training partner for Suguru Osako

I'd love to see him with Bowerman. I think he needs to spread those wings and get with a new group, and Bowerman is clearly the most talented group in the country.

But unfortunately no matter what company he signs with, I think he'll stay in Provo. He's got Ward, Young, Eyestone, altitude, all the BYU facilities plus the Mormon culture. It will take a huge chunk of cash to get him out of Provo.

He's the most dominant American athlete since Rupp(men, of course). That doesn't mean he'll win a couple olympic medals and win a marathon major. But he's the best hope we've had in 13 years.

Is this the future of college running? No more 18 to 22yr olds winning anymore. I mean sure we get the 30yr old Kenyan/Ethiopia college kids every year but now we got mid to late 20s dudes from the homeland winning National Championships on the reg. LMFAO!

This the guy who pretended to be struggling at the end of a 10k when the going got tough and you really think he can survive the tough end of a marathon ? 🤣🤣

I think efficiency can be difficult to judge by looks. Obviously there can be cases where someone is clearly fighting against themselves, but there have been a few of studies showing most coaches can't judge what stride is more efficient than the other reliably. Also, arm swing has been found to be a smaller issue as you'd think.

Birkoboy wrote:

This the guy who pretended to be struggling at the end of a 10k when the going got tough and you really think he can survive the tough end of a marathon ? 🤣🤣

What?? Are you confusing Cooper Teare and Conner Mantz? Lol

Dylan Gearinger just went 2:14 at Philadelphia.

Mantz can go 2:10.

xcrunner22765 wrote:

Mantz seems like the type of guy to thrive the worse the conditions get, so wouldnt shock me if he was in the mix in unpaced hilly courses like NYC. He definitely wont run 2:02 in one of those Berlin drag races

I think it would be great to see his mustache in drag. But I agree 2:02 in those heels would be hard to achieve even if he thrives in tough conditions.

Lenny Leonard wrote:

cramister wrote:

If Conner Mantz becomes just another 2:14 guy I will cry myself to sleep

What has he really done that indicate he could be any faster than 2:14?

I’m not convinced at this point.

I dunno, fellow BYUer Connor McMillan run 2:12 at NYC, so faster than that seems logical.

my two pennies wrote:

I would love to see him get coached by Smith and train with Rupp, but I would also really like to see him get coached by Chris Fox. Hehir and Bennie may not be his caliber, but they’re experienced marathoners and maybe a better starting point than a world-class guy like Rupp. No matter what, I hope he goes straight to the marathon rather than spending another 5 years on the track to run, at best, 27:10 and still be uncompetitive on the world stage. I think if he goes straight to the marathon he’ll run 2:06 in 5 years, and be much more competitive.

I don't agree with this. If he moves to the marathon I'd hope he occasionally breaks to run shorter distances. Just because a kid likes to lead races a lot doesn't mean he's a marathoner. Most elite marathoners have faster 10k PRs than him. He's good on the track. I could see him focusing on all distances on the roads and going after the USATF road championships.

I believe he will break 60 in the half. Like Ritz, that might be his perfect event. In fact, that wouldn't be a bad group to join. (Assuming the can copy a legitimate Nike supershoe ((Mantz has been in Nike all through college)).

On a fast course he can break the American record. In Boston or New York he will always be in the mix.

Go ahead and criticize these bold predictions. Criticize his form and his age.

However, there are a few things in his favor.

1. He has delivered in big races.

2. He doesn't limit himself. Like Ryan Hall in the half and then the full, he isn't afraid to run truly world class paces.

3. He is tough. Tough like another NCAA champ with not world beating track times who hit it out of the park in debut marathon and followed with 3 more excellent efforts.