"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.

Weini Kelati finished second at the Houston Half Marathon in 1:06:09, 16 seconds faster than the time she ran at the race last year.

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.

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,