While some photographers ride Segways to keep up with elite runners, others just train for it–and for French photographer Alexis Adrian, that training came in handy when he had to sprint alongside Conner Mantz at Sunday’s 2025 Chicago Marathon.
Adrian, who is originally from France but has been residing in Montreal for the past nine years, was photographing Mantz for a brand. “I started shooting at the start line, then in Chinatown,” he told Canadian Running. “But I wasn’t super happy with the shots or the lighting there.” He proceeded to run a few more blocks, and waited with his telezoom (long range shooting lens); when Mantz passed by, Adrian dropped the lens and raced after him to grab better shots.
“It was kind of instinctive,” Adrian admitted. “Honestly, I wasn’t ready for that speed.”
The photographer, who also participates in trail running, cycling and “all kinds of mountaineering sports,” says it’s not unusual for him to have to race after runners–especially on the trail. “I’m not the type to stay in one place and wait for the shot,” he said. “I like to run and follow the athletes–I just can’t do it for 26.5 miles, though.”
Once, Adrian says, he even ran and hiked 38 km with 2,800m of ascent during the Hardrock 100 ultramarathon.
Adrian successfully got the shot of Mantz, who went on to become the fastest marathoner in U.S. history, clocking 2:04:43 for fourth. Mantz not only smashed his previous personal best of 2:07:47 but also lowered Cam Levins’s North American record to under 2:05.
