697. Love on the Run with Best Running Friends Conner Mantz & Clayton Young

"For all the speculators out there, there was no splitting the prize money, no talk about that beforehand, no 'You go first, I go second.' No 'Conner let me win in New Haven, so I have to let him win at the Trials.' It really just happened. I want to make that 100 percent clear. I wouldn't have it any other way. It was pure, raw emotion of enjoying the moment."

It was the marathon finish we all couldn't stop talking about. At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon, former Brigham Young University teammates and current training partners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young ran stride-for-stride every step of the way, until Conner broke the tape just ahead of Clayton. Together, they went 1-2 on the podium, securing their spots on Team USA for the Paris Olympic Games this summer. In this conversation, Conner and Clayton talk about the race, about training with coach Ed Eyestone, and about whether Clayton really "let" Conner win. It's Love on the Run meets Friendship Fest!

FOLLOW CONNER @connermantz

FOLLOW CLAYTON @_clayton_young_

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• Tracksmith: New customers, use code ALINEW for $15 off your first Tracksmith order over $75. Returning customers, use code ALIGIVE for free shipping, plus a portion of the proceeds from your order will be donated to Moms Demand Action.

What you'll get on this episode:

• How Clayton, Conner, and Coach Eyestone wow feeling just a few days after the race (2:30)
• All about that now-famous Olympic Trials finish (3:30)
• The surge that got Conner to the finish (9:55)
• What Meb Keflezighi said to Conner and Clayton before the race (15:30)
• All about Conner and Clayton's relationships with fellow professional runner Jared Ward (16:50)
• How Conner and Clayton's families feel about their race results (20:15)
• On getting back on the run with the BYU crew (22:25)
• Conner and Clayton break down the race — starting with Conner's missed bottle (25:00)
• The post-race conversations Clayton and Conner had with Zach Panning, who led most of the race (34:35)
• The nerves of the Trials vs. the Olympics (40:50)
• The mid-race high five seen around the country (45:35)
• Clayton's decision to wear sunglasses to the press conference (50:25)
• How Conner and Clayton met (54:50)

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