Mantz (#84) rolled to an All-American finish in San Diego. (Photo by Don Rich)
MileSplit - How is your fitness as you begin the 2013 season. What excites you most about the coming year of HS XC?
Conner - I feel great this year, better than I did last year at this time, so that’s a good sign. I’m excited for state this year, last year I didn’t have my best race there so I want to redeem myself on that course.
MileSplit - After a 12th place finish at Foot Locker last year and a 9:04 2 mile this spring, what are your plans for this season?
Conner - I would like to get back to Foot Locker Nationals and try to see what I could do there now after I have one year of experience on that course.
MileSplit - When & how did you get started in cross country?
Conner - I started running local 5ks and half marathons when I was 12, and kept running until I was 14. Then I was encouraged to do cross country.
MileSplit - Person/people most influential to your success in cross country and why?
Conner - My family and coaches have been great. They’ve helped me get to where I am now. My coaches are great at motivating, and they have some tough workouts and that really help me.
MileSplit - Who has influenced you the most so far in your life and what they mean to you and your success?
Conner - My dad has really influenced me; he got me into running. I asked him to sign me up for a half marathon because my older brother did one when he was 11, and when I was 12 my dad signed me up. After that he made sure I trained 3 or 4 times a week or he told me I couldn’t run in the race.
MileSplit - What are the keys to your successful cross country training program?
Conner - I have great coaches and great friends who support me.
MileSplit - What are the keys to your team's unity and how you train to reach your goals?
Conner - We have a great group of runners on our team and we’re all pretty good friends. We’re also pretty competitive with each other, but we also encourage each other.
MileSplit - Your favorite past performance in a cross country race and why?
Conner - My favorite past performance would probably have to be the Foot Locker West Regional, because I didn’t have a good race at state, and this race was about 6 weeks after that, so I only thought about that race during training, and when I crossed the finish line it showed that my hard work had finally paid off.
MileSplit - Who are the cross country competitors you most enjoy competing against and why?
Conner - I really liked running against a lot of the guys who graduated last year from Utah, like Ben Saarel, Jerrell Mock, Jake Heslington, Chuk Mitchell, Jordan Cross, and bunch of other guys. I also like competing against Kramer Morton.
MileSplit - What is your greatest non-running experience in cross country so far and why?
Conner - Going to the Nike Elite Camp and being able to meet a bunch of cool people and being able to just hang out with all those kids.
MileSplit - What are your goals for the 2013 cross country season?
Conner - I would like to win state this year, and I would also like to go back to Foot Locker Nationals and place as high as I can. Hopefully I can be in contention for the title.
MileSplit - Do you have any long-term goals in running?
Conner - Yeah, I’d like to run in college and hopefully compete internationally.
MileSplit - What was your favorite performance from the 2013 World Champs?
Conner - Nick Symmonds 2nd place finish in the 800 meter run.
The Fun Run
What music do you rock while working out…
Conner - I’ll listen to almost anything when I’m running, but lately it’s been blues.
Do you like to run in the mud or the grass…
Conner - Grass definitely, I don’t usually run too well in mud.
Do you hang out on Facebook or Twitter...
Conner - Facebook.
Do you like going out or chilling at home...
Conner - Both. Some days I like to go hang with friends and have tons of fun, but sometimes I love to just stay home and play some guitar and relax.
What gear is your favorite while running...
Conner - Umm.. For trainers I switch off between a pair of Asics 1170s and a pair of Nike Structures every day. For spikes I like the Nike zoom matumbos.
Check out Conner's MileSplit Athlete Profile...
Conner's Foot Locker 2012 Interview
Foot Locker Boys Highlights Video
