Two US Olympic Marathoners Reflect on Running, Living the Gospel

As they prepare to leave for Paris on July 24, 2024, Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, marathon runners from the USA Olympic team, reflected on their journey and the similarities between running a marathon and living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“A marathon is very simple,” said Young. “It’s 42.2 kilometres (26.2 miles), one foot in front of the other. The gospel is also very simple. But at the end of the day, both can be very tough.”

Young and Mantz will compete in the men’s marathon on Saturday, August 10, in Paris.

Young, 30, and Mantz, 27, are devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and met as collegiate runners at Brigham Young University (BYU). Young had been there for three years when Mantz arrived in 2017 as a freshman. Young took the younger runner under his wing and a lasting friendship was born.

Both Young and Mantz began running at about the age of 11 with the encouragement of their parents and friends. Their BYU coach, Ed Eyestone — himself a two-time Olympian in the men’s marathon — inspired them to try the marathon. They were hooked and the Olympics became their goal.

Over the years, the two friends have pushed and supported each other. “We feel accountable to each other and we motivate each other,” said Young. At the Olympic Marathon Trials in Florida last February, Mantz credits Young with pulling him through a tough patch near the end of the race. They ultimately finished first and second, securing spots for Paris 2024.

Young and Mantz both served full-time missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taking a two-year break from running to share the teachings of Jesus Christ and provide service. “My mission affected my entire life,” said Mantz, who served in Ghana, West Africa, from 2015-2017. Young, who served in North Carolina from 2012-2014, said that his mission “added to his mental strength and put things into perspective.”

While the two runners have made plenty of personal sacrifices to pursue their Olympic dream, Coach Eyestone explained, “It’s the people who support us that are really making the sacrifices. We want to be the very best we can be because of their sacrifices.”

Young added, “There have been a lot of sacrifices that have gone into our Olympic preparation because it is so important and so many people have been a part of it. It’s been fun to bring those people along on this journey to Paris.”

Along with their faith, both runners credit their families, teammates and coaches for their success. Married just a year-and-a-half, Mantz smiled and admitted, “My wife keeps me from obsessing, which I am prone to do.” Young’s two young daughters, ages three and five, keep him grounded and love him “no matter when I cross the finish line.”

Young admitted that in their training “there are a lot of little things we have to do that we sometimes don’t want to do. But as I show up every day with a training partner who’s really keeping me motivated and a coach/leader who is keeping me accountable and who knows what’s best for me, it makes all the difference. It’s the same thing with living the gospel.”

Mantz considers Young one of his first mentors as he began training for the marathon. Young points to Jared Ward, a former BYU teammate who took sixth place at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, as a pivotal influence in his life. “Jared has been a great example not only of an athlete but how to live your life and be a good husband and father,” he said.

Coach Eyestone said that Young and Mantz are now mentors to younger teammates coming behind them, like Kenneth Rooks and James Corrigan, who will compete in Paris 2024 in the men’s steeplechase.

“I love how running is essentially breaking down your body one day so you can change and become a better runner the next day,” reflected Young. “In this life, we’re here to learn and to grow. We’re here to stretch and break down our spiritual bodies almost every day in order to change and become better because of it. It’s not going to happen overnight. With running, it’s literally step by step. It’s the same thing with the gospel.”

Mantz added, “It’s in the process that you find the joy in it, both in running and living the gospel. A lot of people wouldn’t understand why I love living the gospel or why I love running. But to those that really commit themselves to one or the other, they find the true joy that comes with it.”

Read more in this related Church News story Meet Latter-day Saints competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics