As a sophomore at Harvard, Blanks finished 6th at the
2022 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. In spring 2023, he won the
Ivy League titles in the indoor
mile and
3000 meters, as well as in the outdoor
5000 meters. He capped off the season with a second-place finish in the 5000 meters and sixth place in the 10,000 meters at the
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He won the
2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in November 2023, making him the first male runner from an
Ivy League school to win the race. Two weeks later, he set the
collegiate record for the indoor
5000 meters, running 13:03.78 in
Boston. At the end of 2023, Blanks signed an
NIL deal with
New Balance. On July 7, 2024, Blanks qualified for the
2024 Summer Olympics in the men's 5000-meter run. Although he placed fourth at the U.S. Olympic trials with a time of 13:12.61, the third-place finisher had not met the Olympic cutoff time of 13:05.00. Blanks competed in the Olympic 5000m, and in the final finished 9th with a time of 13:18.67. On November 23, 2024, Blanks won his second consecutive NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship, becoming the 13th men's athlete in NCAA history to do so. On December 7, 2024, in Boston, he broke the 13 minute barrier in the indoor 5000 meters, running 12:59.89. This time placed him as second all-time on the NCAA list. Two days later, he announced that he would forego the rest of his NCAA eligibility, and signed a professional contract with New Balance. On June 12, 2025, at the
Bislett Games, Blanks ran a personal best of 12:48.20 in the 5000 meters. ==Professional career==