Conner Mantz Breaks American Record At 2025 Houston Half Marathon
Conner Mantz Breaks American Record At 2025 Houston Half Marathon
After 18 years, Ryan Hall's American record in the men's half marathon is no more. Conner Mantz runs 59:17 at the Houston Half for a new U.S. all-time best

It's been nearly two decades since Ryan Hall stormed to a 59:43 win at the 2007 Houston Half Marathon, setting an American record that he would hold for 18 years.
Well, that record is finally no more.
On Sunday, in the streets of Houston yet again, the long-standing American men's half marathon record went down at the hands of Conner Mantz as the 28-year-old put together a gutsy 59:17 race for second at the 2025 Houston Half.
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The race for the record -- and the win -- boiled down to a final sprint as Mantz, who was on pace for the U.S. all-time mark, battled with Ethiopia's Addisu Gobena over the final 200 meters. The win came down to a lean at the tape, with Gobena getting credited with the win just ahead of Mantz, also clocking 59:17.
59:17 marks a 26-second improvement on Hall's previous American record at the distance. It's also an over one-and-a-half-minute personal record for Mantz at the half marathon.
Heading into Sunday's race, the dominant storyline was certainly the chase for sub-59:43, and the caliber of field for the Houston Half made that a deserving pre-race headline. Mantz, along with other pre-race favorites that included teammate Clayton Young, Hillary Bor, Wesley Kiptoo and even Joe Klecker (making his half marathon debut), decided to make the trek to Houston, running on a course that's known for being flat and fast.
And once the elites took off from downtown Houston, it became quickly apparent that Mantz was going to be aggressive in his chase for the record. He stuck right behind leading pacer Amon Kemboi , until Kemboi dropped off between 10k and 15k, and it became a back-and-forth jostle for position from then on between Mantz, Ethiopia's Jemal Yimer, Gabriel Geay of Tanzania and Gobena.
The four kept on at low-59-minute pace for much of the race, slowing some once they hit strong headwinds in Houston as they approached the 10-mile mark. But Mantz kept attached to the leaders, and then on the final downtown approach to the finish line, swung wide to get into the lead with Gobena and leaning hard at the line for second.
Though Mantz has been known primarily over the past several years as one of the consistent top Americans at the marathon, dropping down in distance and finding success isn't out of the norm for him. He finished sixth in the 10,000m at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 28:00.90 back in June, and just last October he logged a 45:13 10-mile win at the Medtronic TC 10 Mile in St. Paul, Minn.
Joining Mantz among the top American finishers at the Houston Half included Hillary Bor (1:00:20, Sixth), Andrew Colley (1:00:47, Eighth), Alex Maier (1:00:51, Ninth) and Young (1:00:52, 10th). Other notable American racers included Olympic triathlon silver medalist Morgan Pearson (1:01:01, 15th) and Joe Klecker (1:01:06, 18th).
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