Conner Mantz says 4:46 pace at altitude feels "comfortable" - Indicates he will go out in 1:03 at Chicago Marathon

Hobby joggers who blew up in their first thon think it's going to happen to Conner

The American road of marathoning is littered with 2:06 wannabes who should have been gunning for 2:09.

What are you talking about? How many Americans have even gone out in 63 minutes through halfway before? We literally have the exact opposite problem in the US

I'm just saying - Connor can go out easy at 4:46 pace but those last 5 miles wil kill him.

No way he actually goes out at 4:46, he's saying 2:06-2:07 not 2:04

Besides Mantz' running history up to this point, it's going to be fascinating watching his marathon attempt. His mental prowess is amazing. The marathon is a grind and we all know Mantz is quite capable of that. He has that "X" quality.

Chicago has the worst coverage of any marathon in the world. God help me that I don't smash my computer. We'll have lots of interviews with people dancing at water tables and weather updates every 10 minutes from the cutesy weather girlie.

I'll never forgive them for when Bekele ran there years ago. He dropped off the lead pack and they never showed it or mentioned it. Complete morans,

Haven't seen any coverage on the front page about Chicago yet.

Maybe, maybe not. I would prefer he went out in 1:04, not 1:03. There is a difference.

If you look at his Insta, I think sub-2:08 is the goal. Still very challenging for a first one but doable for him.

It's very easy to trick yourself on what "marathon pace" actually is. He's run these paces for 8 mile tempos but that doesn't really tell you you can run that pace for a full marathon. That's part of why so many people blow up in marathons - it's really hard to measure your actual marathon pace in practice.

That said he's run ~28:20 for 10K in a 6 mile tempo at altitude, which is crazy!

strava.com

“Relax” - Conner M.'s 12.4 mi run

6 mile tempo at ~4:34 pace. Coach rode the bike with me, which was super nice. He kept telling me to stay relaxed, and I felt like I would speed up when I ran more relaxed.

Open link

Name a few of the 2:06 wannabees littering the roadway.

I'm waiting.

4:46 is not fast for (good) pros.

Not sure what the weather is going to be in Chicago, but if they get winds in their face, no way Mantz running 2:06-07.

Shooting for sub 2:08 would be a balsy move.

I would like to see that. Dream big, aim high.

the keyword here is "marathon" we don't any reason or have an indication that Fisher will move to the roads any time soon unless you have some insider info.

Mantz got beat by Cheserker in that half he ran 60:55. Cheserek ran 60:37 and also has faster 5k/10k track PRs.

So does that mean Ches would debut in 2:05/2:06? Probably not no?

I really don't understand where these expectations are coming from. None of the data supports it and it his DEBUT. The marathon is hard man.

Also, Ed Eyestone is some marathon genius? Yes he ran 2:10:59 himself and Jared Ward is his best athlete (?) with a PB 2:09:25. But his athlete is gonna debut in 2:06!?!?!

I just don't see the hype. Debut in 2:10, give him 5 years maybe he runs 2:08

Watching him grind Teare and other fast guys into dust in cross country is what I saw and very convincing. He did that two times. He's a faster version of Ryan Hall, who only got second at NCAA XC behind Ritz, with the addition of super shoes.

Well at age 25 Ryan Hall had run 59:43 while Mantz has run 60:55. So "faster" is an interesting word to use. Ryan didn't have the shoes either.

Ignore the hype, look at the data. Sub 2:10 would be a splendid day.