BOSTON – Three former BYU standouts—Conner Mantz, Rory Linkletter, and Clayton Young—left their mark on the 129th Boston Marathon this morning, each finishing in the top seven of a world-class field.
Mantz had the best finish at fourth, Linkletter came in sixth, and Young closely followed in seventh.
What a run from the 2018 @BYUTFXC team in Boston this morning
🇺🇸 Conner Mantz, 4th (2:05:08)
🇨🇦 Rory Linkletter, 6th (2:07:02)
🇺🇸 Clayton Young, 7th (2:07:04)— Owen Corbett (@slowencorbett02) April 21, 2025
Kenyan long-distance runner John Korir took the men’s title at 2:04:45. Mantz came in less than 30 seconds after.
BYU Well-Represented In The Marathon Community
For Mantz, Linkletter, and Young, the last year has been a big one.
All three athletes competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Mantz and Young were the top performers for Team USA, finishing in eighth and ninth, respectively.
The top ten finishes in that race were even more impressive considering the difficulty of the route and the fact that it was both of their Olympic debuts.
Follow along the map of the ENTIRE 26.2 mile marathon through Paris! 👀
📺 #ParisOlympics USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/aZTuYWDfq8
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
The successes didnt stop there, though.
The BYU trio also all laced up their running shoes for the New York City marathon in November. Mantz and Young came in sixth and seventh in that race. Linkletter took 15th.
Mantz and Young competed in the Houston Half Marathon in January as well. Both set personal best times, and Mantz set a new American record with his time of 59:17.
Most recently, Linkletter won the Mesa Half Marathon in February in preparation for the Boston Marathon today.