Audio By Carbonatix
Conner Mantz became just the first track and field athlete to win the men’s pro race of the Memorial Day 10K at the BOLDERBoulder with a thrilling victory on Monday afternoon in Colorado. He is the second athlete to win the race three times in total.
The long-distance runner overtook Daniel Simiu Ebenyo of Kenya in epic fashion during the final 50 meters to finish in first place by two seconds.
Mantz, who ran track and field collegiately at BYU, won the 2020 and 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. The 28-year-old Utah-native most recently represented the United States in the marathon at the Paris Olympics last summer, set the American record at the half marathon in Houston, finished second at the half marathon in New York City, and ran the second-fastest time by an American for a fourth-place finish at the Boston Marathon last month. Although his specialty is 13.1 and 26.2 miles, he also runs the 1.5K, 5K and 10K. He ran the lattermost distance on Monday.
The BOLDERBoulder draws more than 50,000 runners each year. It is a giant party.
Professional runners are not there to drink beer, swim in pools or eat bacon. They are there to compete and tens of thousands of fans pack into Folsom Field to watch them finish. Here is how it looked on Monday:
Conner Mantz entered the college football stadium for the Colorado Buffaloes more than two seconds behind Simiu Ebenyo. It looked like he was going to finish in second place. However, the American kept the Kenyan in his sights and chased him down on the final turn to win the race by two full seconds.
What a finish by @BYUTFXC alumni Conner Mantz to win the 2025 Bolder Boulder! That’s a 3-peat for Conner. pic.twitter.com/cXMOO6eqo9
— CougarBoard (@CougarBoard) May 26, 2025
Mantz pulled the three-peat with a wicked full-sprint kick at the last-possible second. He wouldn’t have caught Simiu Ebenyo if he had waited even three strides longer to go. His final push was so perfectly timed and his opponent did not have the juice left in the tank to keep pace.
BOLDERBoulder pays $10,000 to the winner of the pro race. That extra gear during those last few meters of the 10K proved to be a very lucrative finish for Conner Mantz!