It’s not in the water… but it’s likely the altitude igniting super-fast runners from Utah at the Boston Marathon
This year’s Boston Marathon (April 21) put Utah on the world’s stage…from broken records to banana costumes. While we’re stoked about Banana Man Jordan Maddocks (of Draper) reclaiming his Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon run by someone dressed as fruit (he ran in a banana costume with a very fast time of 2:33:19), we’re even more excited about three Utah runners who made history.
Smithfield, Utah native Conner Mantz became the top American finisher in the world’s oldest annual marathon with a time of 2:05:04—that’s the second-fastest time run by an American man on the course. Mantz averaged 4 minutes, 47 seconds per mile and came in fourth overall.
Closely behind Mantz were fellow Brigham Young University (BYU) alums Rory Linkletter, (6th place) of Herriman and Clayton Young (7th place), from American Fork, who clocked in at less than two minutes behind Mantz. All three competed last summer in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
African-born runners have won 32 of the past 34 Boston Marathons, and it’s highly unusual to see an American running within the elite, front-running pack, let alone three. While it was ultimately John Korir of Kenya crossing the finish first with a time of 2:04:45, the world is paying attention to little ol’ Utah. Is there something in the water? Probably not, but at 4,500 feet above sea level, our altitude, climate, and gorgeous peaks and valleys are gaining traction in the running world as a perfect training ground. BYU seems to have supplanted Oregon as the distance-running capital among universities and Utah’s recently created and state-funded Run Elite Program, (REP) is helping attract and retain high-level runners.
“With its towering mountains and supportive communities, Utah has been an integral part of my life,” Conner Mantz wrote for Olympic Team USA. “From my high school days at Sky View to my time at Brigham Young University, the cheers from the sidelines and the genuine excitement for our races were a constant source of motivation.”
Utah sent 377 runners to the storied Boston Marathon this year, which features a celebrated course, huge, high-energy crowds from start to finish, and, lest we forget, the iconic blue-and-yellow unicorn finisher’s medal.
“Boston is my victory,” a tagline for the annual Patriots Day event, (held the third Monday in April) really holds true. Most of this year’s 32,000 runners from around the globe worked tirelessly to achieve a qualifying time, and with demand ever increasing, those qualifying standards keep dropping lower and lower and runners hoping for a spot are required to beat that standard by an ever-increasing margin. Those selected to run Boston in 2025, for instance, averaged 6 minutes, 51 seconds faster than the minimum qualifying standard for their age group.
That means even Banana Man is no joke. How many folks do you know that can run a sub-six minute mile for over 26 miles? And in a banana costume? The chaffing alone deserves a medal. So here’s to you Conner, Rory, Clayton and…Banana Man.
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