When Nikki Hiltz won the USATF Mile National Championship -- with a time of 4:30.09 -- in Des Moines, Iowa, in April, the moment was more than just a running victory. She stood tall, beaming with an American flag draped around her 5-foot-4 frame after winning her first national title since turning pro in July 2018.
Post-race Hiltz took to social media to celebrate, writing to her more than 6,500 followers on Instagram: "Showing LGBTQ youth that it's not only OK to be different, but you can be both out and proud and chase your crazy dream. Whether that be running for President of the United States or physically running your way onto an Olympic team." Hiltz, 24, has been openly gay since her freshman year at Oregon.
Hiltz later transferred schools and finished her collegiate career in 2018 at Arkansas as a seven-time NCAA All-American. Her next goal is to qualify for the U.S. team and compete in her first Olympics at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the 1,500 meters. Hiltz's 4:05.56 personal best, which she ran in June at the Portland Track Festival and is ranked sixth fastest in the U.S. (as of press time), is just steps from the 4:04.20 mark set by the International Association of Athletics Federations for the 2020 Olympics qualifying standards.
Getting there is a competitive hustle that she's taking a step at a time. Every morning Hiltz gazes at a note she scribbled in teal marker on her bathroom mirror, which reads: "July 27." The date of the USATF Outdoor Championships women's 1,500-meter final is a daily reminder of her goal. She aims to finish top three, a requisite for springboarding to the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, this fall.
Both would be career feats for the rising track star, who won the road mile at the Adidas Boost Boston Games on June 16. After crossing the finish line in 4:31.6, Hiltz was again wrapped with a flag, though this one a rainbow flag -- another dream-turned-reality.
"I want to show people that your sexuality in sport doesn't matter. They can be an amazing athlete and be 'different,'" says Hiltz. "The faster I run, the more people I'm going to reach. And maybe some little kid in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will know who I am and realize that it's OK to be gay."
This assertive, self-assured version of Hiltz has been learned, necessarily. As a teen growing up in Santa Cruz, California, Hiltz repressed her identity, promising herself that she'd never date a girl. "I'd convinced myself that I could very much go my whole life without ever telling a soul about the way I really felt. That was my plan," she says.
"I wanted to like guys, and I wanted to have a family and kids that way. I just wanted to fit in. I didn't want to be different. But now in our country, we celebrate our differences -- races, cultures, sexuality. It took me a while to [realize] it's OK to be different."
Hiltz said she found her courage after reading an article about Conner Mertens, who in 2014 became the first active college football player to come out publicly. "I thought, 'If he can do it, I can do it,'" Hiltz recalls.
She first came out to her roommate and teammate Therese Haiss during their freshman year at Oregon. (The pair have remained partners, and both transferred to Arkansas.) Then Hiltz came out to a handful of teammates, followed by family, and then ultimately the world. A floodgate of support poured through Hiltz's Instagram feed.
"As she was reaching more people, and our relationship was blooming, we started to share that on social media. We got a lot of positive responses," says Haiss, who also competes in the 1,500-meter professionally and is one of Hiltz's training partners.
A post shared by Nikki Hiltz (@nikkihiltz) on
During Hiltz's senior season at Arkansas, she started to understand her power to influence and help others become more comfortable with their identities. She recalled a freshman athlete who came out and explained Hiltz and Haiss were his assurance that he could open up. "That's when it clicked that I am helping people and am changing lives," Hiltz says.
Once Hiltz embraced all of herself, it lifted a weight that then allowed her to feel freer and more confident, the effects of which she credits for improving her running all around. Hiltz referred to her junior season at Arkansas as a breakthrough and a breakout year.
"I started running the times I knew I could hit. I started placing higher. It was like I was finally myself," Hiltz says. "Running is such a mental sport. When you can be happy and holistic off the track, it's really going to translate on it. I saw that direct correlation."
She would go on to become one of the Razorbacks' top runners, helping Arkansas win the SEC Conference Title in 2017. Now, Hiltz trains with The Mission Athletics Club in San Diego under the helm of Terrence Mahon. Mahon has helped coach some of the top U.S. long-distance runners in history, including two-time Olympian Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor, an American record holder and Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon. Mahon also coached Morgan Uceny to the No.1 world ranking in the 1,500 meters in 2011. He says Hiltz has the talent to run as well as Uceny, one of her role models.
"I thought [Uceny] was so badass. She was my hero growing up, and now her former coach is my coach. That blows my mind sometimes," Hiltz says.
"Nikki definitely has the potential to be one of the best 1500-meter runners in the world," Mahon says. "She has excellent closing speed, great race tactics, and she is cool under pressure. On top of that, she is highly competitive."
So far, that has included strength training two times a week along with two-a-day runs totaling 70 miles a week all around the San Diego area, from canyons and trails to speed work on a high school track.
"I'm gaining all this momentum, and it's been really exciting," Hiltz says.
Time will provide the results of Hiltz's concentrated efforts. "She believes in what she's doing. And realizing how many people are watching you makes you want to be better." Haiss says. "This is her time to use this platform."
Adds Hiltz, "I want to keep showing that track is a sport where everyone is accepted just for being who they are."
Sarah Gearhart is a New York City-based sports journalist. Her work has appeared in USA TODAY Sports, the Wall Street Journal, Runner's World, ESPN, Outside Magazine and Vice Sports. An avid runner for 19 years, she is a four-time Boston Marathon qualifier and has completed 13 marathons, achieving a personal best of 3 hours and 26 minutes at the 2017 Berlin Marathon. She has authored four books, including three editions of "Outside/in" (Berlin, Boston and New York City) as well as "Unwrapped: Food & Stories From Chefs Who Run."