All I wanted for 2026 as a running fan was a respectable showing by team USA at OUR world XC champs on OUR turf. Now our 2x ncaa champ, 26.2/13.1 record holder is in the pool for a week straight after skipping another sort of down time. Our 5k world champ isn’t going to show up. Our 10k record holder isn’t going to show up.
what the heck is this sport? Why are our top athletes so incentivized to not show up to a world championship? This year they don’t even have a “OG/WC” excuse.
This is why XC needs to be in the Winter Olympics!! Making XC an Olympic sport raises its prestige so that athletes see it as a real discipline even outside of the Olympics. World XCs becomes almost as prestigious as World Track Champs. And at the very least, XC outside of the Olympics becomes an opportunity for athletes to get experience before the Olympics. Such a shame that the Winter Olympic Committee is so stuck up about allowing in a non-snow sport. Look at how flexible the Summer Olympics is, allowing in wacky sports like freestyle dancing. People need to make the Winter Committee understand how much this is truly wanted—need to make a petition or something.
Auf keinen Fall! Why don't ja add it to the summer Olympics? Ninkompoop.
All I wanted for 2026 as a running fan was a respectable showing by team USA at OUR world XC champs on OUR turf. Now our 2x ncaa champ, 26.2/13.1 record holder is in the pool for a week straight after skipping another sort of down time. Our 5k world champ isn’t going to show up. Our 10k record holder isn’t going to show up.
what the heck is this sport? Why are our top athletes so incentivized to not show up to a world championship? This year they don’t even have a “OG/WC” excuse.
I mean it would be cool but acting like this is gonna ruin your whole year if it doesn’t happen screams parasocial relationship.
Per a comment response from him on his Strava elliptical activity, he is facing a little injury and waiting on a diagnosis, but hoping to be back for US Cross in a few weeks Afternoon Elliptical | Elliptical | Strava
I love Mantz and I love Eyestone. Far be it from me to tell these guys how to train. But I’ve said for forever and a day that I do not think he recovers well enough and for long enough after hard marathon efforts. I wish they would take yet another week down and no hard workouts AFTER they think he’s fully recovered. Just build in the margin. It’s also a way to extend a career.
I get that he’s trying to do world cross and the turnaround time is short, but, at this point, I think I’d probably start to focus on Boston. My $0.02 which isn’t worth much. Marathons really do take a toll.
he's already run boston alot of times. my 2 cents is he can't really do any better than he already did. but maybe he gets lucky he would need ALOT of luck. but connor got to interview the winning girl on nxn regionals now that's what you call an honor. that girl was just as serious about winning as he is.
If he is injured, it won't be a surprise. Running two marathons in three weeks was crazy.
A 2:43 with his wife is just an over distance training run. It wouldn't be a big deal at all for him. I've run faster marathons in training. CJ Albertson has run a 2:11 marathon in training.
Since Mantz was able to improve his time in Chicago just last month, I think he still has a lot of potential to improve his time in Boston.
His Boston performance telegraphed his Chicago performance. People love to criticize Boston as not being a legit course, and some years that is true when there’s a monster tailwind. But, in 2025, with the slight headwind and those late hills, it ran very, very fair, even a little slow. To me, that was the clearest indication yet, along with his New Haven 20k performance that he was in 2:04 shape on a flat course.
Mantz is free now to chase wins, even if he blows up. Or to podium. Especially at Boston as the time doesn’t really matter.
Since Mantz was able to improve his time in Chicago just last month, I think he still has a lot of potential to improve his time in Boston.
His Boston performance telegraphed his Chicago performance. People love to criticize Boston as not being a legit course, and some years that is true when there’s a monster tailwind. But, in 2025, with the slight headwind and those late hills, it ran very, very fair, even a little slow. To me, that was the clearest indication yet, along with his New Haven 20k performance that he was in 2:04 shape on a flat course.
Mantz is free now to chase wins, even if he blows up. Or to podium. Especially at Boston as the time doesn’t really matter.
But I also agree that he can go faster still, especially if he catches a light tailwind day at Boston.
I think he should give up his fast miles at the end of his Saturday long runs. He is already going fast twice a week before that (when not injured). I think that is flirting too much with injury.
If he is injured, it won't be a surprise. Running two marathons in three weeks was crazy.
A 2:43 with his wife is just an over distance training run. It wouldn't be a big deal at all for him. I've run faster marathons in training. CJ Albertson has run a 2:11 marathon in training.
Did you run a faster training marathon 3 weeks after breaking the American record?
If it weren't a big deal for Mantz, then he wouldn't be injured. The proof is in the injury.