My recurring guest is back – Conner Mantz is back before he takes on one of the longest-standing marks in American distance running: Khalid Khannouchi’s 2:05:38 American record in the marathon. It’s been 23 years since anyone has touched that time and if there’s an American ready to rewrite the standard, it’s Mantz. He’s already run faster — 2:05:08 this spring in Boston — but because that course isn’t record-eligible. Chicago will be his chance to make it official. As we’ve unpacked on this show all throughout the year, it’s been a breakthrough year for him. In January, he took down Ryan Hall’s American half marathon record with a 59:17 in Houston. He ran a little faster in another non-record eligible course at the NYC Half in March. In April, he went stride for stride with 2:02 and 2:03 guys in Boston and finished fourth – just shy of the podium. This weekend, he’ll line up in Chicago as America’s top marathoner and someone who continues to take the next steps to becoming one of the best in the world. He’s got a quiet confidence and we’ve grown accustomed to seeing him test his limits in workouts and these races. In this episode, we talk about what it takes to chase a record, how this build compares to others, what’s his race plan and how he’s sizing up his competitors. Take this interview on-the-go in podcast form ⬇️ SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/70eINNmXl67VqorbTsMOaH APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-citius-mag-podcast-a-running-track-and-field-show/id1204506559