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(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. CHICAGO (10-Oct) -- While much attention has been focused on Conner Mantz and his quest to break Khalid Khannouchi's 23 year-old USA marathon record at Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon, less has been said about another athlete's goal of running nearly the same time.  Rory Linkletter, a Canadian Olympian and the fastest-ever Canadian at the Boston Marathon, hopes to break 2:05:36 in Sunday's race, a mark which is actually two seconds faster than Khannouchi's USA record.  The mark that Linkletter is chasing is both the Canadian and North American marathon record, and both he and Mantz --who were teammates at Brigham Young University-- have the unique opportunity to push each other in achieving those parallel goals. "I heard from Conner that he was going for the American record," Linkletter told reporters at a press conference here this morning.  "The American and Canadian records are virtually the same, just Canada's is two seconds faster.  So in theory, there should be an opportunity for us to work together and to push ourselves.  Hopefully, we both smash our national records and have a chance of lowering the area record by quite a bit." Originally, Mantz had asked Linkletter if he would pace him in Chicago.  The two know each other well, and Linkletter gave Mantz's idea serious consideration. "Boston gave me the idea that maybe 2:05 was possible," Linkletter, 29, told Race Results Weekly in an interview.  "I did 2:07 there and a sixth place finish more importantly.  I had heard from Conner directly that he would be here going for the American record.  At first he was kind of recruiting me to pace him.  He was like, 'oh, you looked good in Boston.  Maybe you'd want to pace me?'  I think he wanted, like, a more personal pacer experience that just like whoever the race provides.  I think he was putting feelers out for that." But after running another successful marathon in Ottawa in May where he ran the fastest-ever time by a Canadian on Canadian soil (2:08:31), Linkletter and his coach Jon Green felt like going for the Canadian and North American record --held by Cam Levins-- would be the best plan for moving Linkletter's marathon career forward. "We talked about it and we decided that we should go for the record ourselves," Green told Race Results Weekly in an interview.  He continued: "I think we're ready to shoot for the record." To Linkletter, everything lined up to try for Levins's record at Chicago this year.  Pacing Mantz would have been both meaningful and fun, but as a professional runner Linkletter also had to take into account his income potential from his next marathon and also his value to other marathons in the future if he breaks the record. "It kind of comes down to the professional side of marathoning where you're making decisions based on finances, timing, what makes sense and what doesn't," Linkletter explained.  "It became clear to me that Chicago was my best opportunity that checked all the boxes of what I was looking for in terms of a professional opportunity: a time trial course with good competition.  Assuming that Conner is still on track to aim for that 2:05 range, then it's perfect.  We can work together the whole time and have a great experience." Of course Mantz could take a big swing and try to run even faster (his USA half-marathon record of 59:17 is equivalent to a 2:04:28 marathon according to the time-tested Riegel Formula).  Linkletter is ready for that. "With Conner Mantz you're never sure where his heart may lie," Linkletter said.  "He may be thinking a lot faster than that." To get ready for Chicago, Linkletter has done all of his training at high altitude in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he lives.  Green said that his athlete has been averaging about 130 miles a week and has been trying to get more out of each run.  Both Linkletter and Green said that this marathon build-up has been excellent. "I can't really think of any spots where he faltered in the build," Green said.  He continued: "There wasn't any weeks or workouts necessarily where I said we're in trouble, or anything like that.  I'm sure if I wanted to be nitpicky I could say, that workout wasn't one hundred percent.  Overall, we're in such a great space." One of the key elements of Green's coaching has been to increase the "density" of Linkletter's training: getting more out of each mile. "A word that has kind of come to mind for Rory and I in building a better build is density," Green said.  "That's kind of the word that we use.  How do we put more work in and get better in that sense?" One workout which has been central to Linkletter's Chicago training is the uphill tempo run.  Tempo runs are fast, but not quite as fast as race pace.  Doing them uphill makes them aerobically harder while putting less stress on the legs because the pace is slower than it would be had the route been flat or downhill. "Uphill tempos have just been a staple for us," Green said.  "This cycle, every two weeks, basically.  We've had real success with them and he's running faster and faster times.  He did that under Ryan Hall (his previous coach) a little bit as well; staying in the right zone and still running faster times." For Sunday, Linkletter will come to the starting line with more confidence than in any marathon he's done (this will be his 14th).  He said that without self-belief nothing is possible in athletics. "It's everything," Linkletter said of confidence and self-belief.  "If you don't believe you can do something there's almost no way it's going to happen.  There's going to be moments in the race where you're going to have opportunities to opt-out of whatever your goal is because it's going to get hard.  Even in my best races ever I've thought there is no way I can keep doing this, but you stay in the fight." PHOTO: Conner Mantz (left) and Rory Linkletter at the pre-race press conference for the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

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(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NORTHPORT, N.Y. (20-Sep) -- On a spectacular morning for road running in this harbor-front town on Long Island's North Shore, Ednah Kurgat and Anthony Rotich of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) won the 45th edition of the Great Cow Harbor 10K going away.  Kurgat, 34, the 2023 USATF cross country champion, broke away from her key rival just ahead of the 5K mark and ran solo to the finish line on Main Street in 32:11.  Rotich, also 34, a three-time NCAA steeplechase champion with the University of Texas at El Paso, fought off a late-race challenge from former University of Kansas star Chandler Gibbens to win in 28:27.  Both athletes won $7000 in prize money, including $500 primes for leading at halfway. ROTICH RAN SMARTER THIS YEAR Rotich competed at this race last year when organizers hosted the USATF 10K Championships.  Although he finished fifth, he was disappointed with how he executed his race. "I was here last year and I made some stupid moves here and there," Rotich told Race Results Weekly.  "Today I told myself I'll be patient.  When I make a move, that's it." Rotich stayed tucked in the lead pack in the early going when James Quattlebaum was setting the pace.  Quattlebaum split the severely downhill first mile in 4:24 with both Rotich and Gibbens right behind him.  At that point the lead pack had ten athletes, but the group would whittle down to eight when the race turned up the notoriously steep James Street Hill in the second mile.  Passing some of the town's most expensive homes with expansive views of the harbor, Rotich touched the lead for the first time just ahead of the three mile mark.  The former Kenyan scooped up the $500 halfway prime (14:26) and started to scoot away from the field. "Last year I made the same move, but I realized that my body shut down after that," Rotich said.  He continued: "I told myself when I made the move at 5K that will be it.  But I was surprised that one of the guys actually followed me." Gibbens, who did not surge at 5K, slowly closed-up on Rotich using the downhill on Eaton's Neck Road, and the two athletes were together at 4 miles (18:22).  Shuaib Aljabaly of Hansons-Brooks ODP was in third. "This is like my first race in eight months, or something," Gibbens told Race Results Weekly.  "I really wanted to put myself in that front group, kind of keep them close, and try to make a move at the end."  He added: "I just wanted to keep him in touch. When he started to make that move at the 5-K mark I just wanted to keep him where I could get him within the next mile or so." The mostly flat fifth mile went in 4:43 (23:05) and Rotich and Gibbens were still together.  Just after the five mile mark when the course turns right on to Main Street, Rotich used the little uphill there to get a jump on Gibbens.  The move stuck, and within a few seconds he was 30 meters up the road. "I knew there was still one more hill to go," Rotich explained.  "And I told myself, that is where I'm going to be making the move.  I did not want it to come (to the) downhill because anybody can run downhill." Rotich had the final downhill to the finish all to himself.  He waved once to the crowd, and when he arrived at the finish line he stopped abruptly at the tape, straightened his posture, and gave a military salute with his right hand. "That's for the Army," Rotich said.  "Every time you have a victory it is like that you are saluting the flag.  That's what I did today." Gibbens held on for second in 28:36, and former Utah Valley University athlete Habtamu Cheney passed Aljabaly to take third in 28:40.  Aljabaly was fourth, another seven seconds behind, and Merga Gemeda of Minnesota Distance Elite rounded out the top five in 28:58.  Quattlebaum, the early leader, was seventh in 29:10. NO DRAMA FOR KURGAT Kurgat was mostly worried about the threat from three-time Chevron Houston Marathon champion Biruktayit Degefa, and decided to put the former Ethiopian behind her early.  She moved away from her rival late in the third mile and had a four-second lead by the 5K point, 16:22 to 16:26.  From there she only had men for company, and time-trialed to the finish line to get the win, her first of the year. "It was pretty windy so I tried to hold on as much as I could," Kurgat told Race Results Weekly.  "Despite that, I was able to win.  I know it has been a long, rough season for me, but it is good to close it with a win." Degefa finished second in 32:31, and third place went to Kassie Parker in 32:57.  Steph Bruce, 41, finished fourth and was the top masters finisher in 33:03.  Lesley Boyd rounded out the top five in 33:12. SOLD OUT RACE Today's race sold out at 5000 entries in June, according to race officials.  A total of 4320 athletes crossed the finish line today, down slightly from 4524 in 2024.  The 2026 race is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 19. PHOTO: Ednah Kurgat and Anthony Rotich of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program were the winners of the 2025 Great Cow Harbor 10K (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)