BYU’s Conner Mantz and the Making of an NCAA Cross Country Champion

Conner Mantz is a junior at BYU and just won the NCAA Cross Country Championships last month. Right from the start of the race, he went with the hot pace established early by Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo and eventually pulled away to win by 22 seconds. Mantz is the first American man to win the NCAA individual title since 2008. He was BYU’s first champion since 2006.

Just two weeks or so after that race, he went on to run 13:24.78 for 5,000 meters in the men’s 5000m at the Hayward Premiere – the first meet held at the newly renovated Hayward Field. The time is a school record and a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier.

Hear more about his development at BYU (and way before that since he ran his first half marathon at 12 years old), his plans for the rest of the season, thoughts on turning pro and much more.

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THANK YOU MOMENTOUS

💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I’ve been able to try Momentous’ ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That’s CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more.

THANK YOU EUGENE MARATHON

🥇 Support for this episode also comes from the Eugene Marathon! Here’s your chance to earn and own a piece of history! The 2021 virtual Eugene Marathon medals are crafted from the salvaged east grandstand steps at historic Hayward Field. Register for the 5k, Half Marathon, or Marathon today and use code CITIUS25 to save 25% on your race entry!


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Chris Chavez

Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.