"I’m more just mad at myself for getting too caught up in the record and not caught up enough in the sprint finish," the former BYU runner said about taking second in the Houston Half.

While competing in the Houston Marathon on Sunday, Jan. 19, long-distance runner Conner Mantz stamped his name into history books. For 17 long years, Ryan Hall has held onto the American half marathon record.

In a thrilling, nail-biting finish, Olympic marathoner Conner Mantz shattered the long-standing American record in the half marathon, running 59:17 Sunday morning in Houston. The time betters Ryan Hall’s mark of 59:43,

America’s best in half-marathon now goes through the Conner Mantz zone. Mantz checked in at 59 minutes, 17 seconds in the Houston half marathon to help the U.S. Olympian and Cache Valley native shatter the 18-year American record in the event by 26 seconds Sunday.

On Sunday the Olympian from Utah broke the American record in the half marathon at the Houston Half Marathon. Mantz ran a blistering time of 59 minutes, 17 seconds. In a photo finish, he placed second, even though he and Ethiopian Addisu Gobena were credited with the same time.

Senayet Getachew, 19, of Ethiopia won the Houston Aramco Half Marathon by four seconds over Weini Kelati of the U.S. Kelati set the U.S. record.

Freezing rain and powerful winds couldn’t stop American runners from making history at the Houston Half Marathon on Sunday morning. U.S. Olympian Conner Mantz clocked 59:17, taking down Ryan Hall’ s 18-year-old American record of 59: 43,

Conner Mantz made history Sunday by besting an American running record that had stood for 18 years. The former BYU runner finished the Houston Half Marathon in 59:17, 26 seconds faster than Ryan Hall’s 59:43 from 2007.