“For the longest time, I thought sub-2:08 was 4:50/mile pace just because that’s what coach Eyestone said one day but he mistyped it in his text message. It’s 4:53 pace, which actually makes me feel a lot more confident in sub-2:08 because this whole time I’ve been thinking sub-4:50 per mile not even thinking that I should check his math out on my own. I think sub-2:08 is reasonable. I know my strengths are and I know where I’m good.”

Two-time NCAA cross country champion Conner Mantz is getting ready to make his marathon debut this weekend at the Chicago Marathon. In the past 12 months, he earned national titles in the half marathon and 20K. He’s got a 1 :00:55 second personal best for the half marathon, which puts him at No. 9 on the all-time U.S. list so there’s plenty of excitement over his potential in the marathon. We talked all about that, his expectations for the race, how much he wants to focus on track or cross country in the future and much more. Plus, we get some NCAA cross country predictions from him.

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