OVER THE PAST TWO SEASONS Nikki Hiltz has risen to new heights — literally and figuratively. After a disappointing ’21 campaign, Hiltz — who came out as transgender non-binary that spring, and uses they/them pronouns — knew it was time to make big changes. They moved from San Diego to Flagstaff for year-round training at high altitude, and began working with Northern Arizona coach Mike Smith. Following a year of getting used to the new setup at 7000ft Hiltz has established themself as the dominant American in the 1500. They’ve now won 4 straight USATF 1500 titles (2 indoors and 2 outdoors), broken the American Record in the mile, and made the Olympic final in Paris.
“I knew that I could make the Olympic team, I just addressed where I was weak, and that was in my strength,” they say. “I knew I always had a good kick, but I didn’t have the strength to be able to use it at the end of the race.”
That kick had carried Hiltz to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the NCAA 1500 for Arkansas in ’17 and ’18. Then, in their first year as a pro, they finished 3rd at ’19 USA Outdoors, won the Pan-Am gold and made it to the final of the World Championships in Doha (running a PR 4:01.52 in the semis).
But after the ’20 season was fractured by the pandemic and Hiltz’s very public coming-out in ’21 added stress and doubt, they were unable to continue that momentum.
“I felt exhausted from explaining what nonbinary meant to the track & field community over and over again,” they recalled on Instagram this summer. “I felt so misunderstood and like everyone in the sport was tripping over their words when talking to me or about me… I all of a sudden felt like I didn’t belong in this sport anymore.”
Hiltz finished a disappointing 13th in the 1500 at the ’21 Olympic Trials, and didn’t advance out of the 800 heats. But they still loved the sport and knew they had 3 years to get ready for another shot.
That fall, Hiltz and their partner, steeplechaser Emma Gee, spent time in Flagstaff for a training camp. While there Hiltz often ran with Rachel Smith, a ’21 Olympian in the 5000 (as Rachel Schneider). When Hiltz expressed interest in a full-time move to Flagstaff, Smith encouraged them to reach out to her husband. Though Mike Smith emphasized that coaching the NAU teams was his top priority, he agreed to take Hiltz in as part of his slowly growing enclave of pro runners.
It took about a year to adjust to the rigors of Smith’s program. “We do a 6-day training cycle and we take every Sunday completely off,” Hiltz says. “And I think when you’re training at 7000ft that’s really important. It’s about how much work can I get in and still recover. That off day every week honestly saves me.”
The dividends started paying in ’23 when they won their first national title, in the indoor 1500. That was followed by an outdoor championship and an American Record of 4:16.35 for the mile in Monaco. In that race, Hiltz passed 1500 in 3:59.61, their first sub-4:00 clocking. Earlier in the spring they broke 2:00 in the 800 for the first time with a 1:59.03.
While the ’23 season was largely a success, Hiltz was frustrated to have missed out on the Worlds final in Budapest, placing 11th in a semifinal race that saw 9 go sub-4:00.
The Olympic year began with a defense of their U.S. indoor title, followed by a silver at the World Indoor Champs and their first official sub-4:00 at the Pre Classic, finishing 5th in 3:59.64.
Before the Olympic Trials final, Smith gave Hiltz a straightforward pep talk: “Don’t try to make an Olympic team, try to win the race.” That aligned perfectly with Hiltz’s mindset. “Winning has always been what’s motivated me,” they say. “There’s no feeling like breaking the tape. Racing is the really fun part of my job. The past few years I’ve had to convince myself that the training and the grind of the long run and all that stuff can be fun. But I’ve never had to learn the fun in racing.”
Midway through the final curve Hiltz powered into 3rd, then poured it on down the homestretch. They sped past Emily Mackay and Elle St. Pierre with 50m to go and won the race in an eye-popping 3:55.33, moving to No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list as the top 8 all broke 4:00, making it the deepest race in American history.
“That race was so crazy fast, but so much fun,” Hiltz says. “I felt like ‘Olympian’ was the final box I had to check. So there was a lot of pressure. But I knew I had to treat it like any other race.”
In Paris, Hiltz hit their goal of making it to the final — after clocking 3:56.17 in the semis, the second-fastest time of their career — and managed to hold good position throughout the fast-paced affair. Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia led the field through 400 in a blistering 59.3 and 800 in 2:03.3 before Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon took over approaching the bell and went on to win her third straight Olympic gold medal.
Hiltz says “the wheels came off” with 300 to go, but they held on for a very credible 7th in 3:56.38. “I’m really proud of myself for committing to the fast pace and putting myself in it,” they say. “It’s really cool to be disappointed in 7th place and 3:56. It just shows how far I’ve come.”
Though Hiltz has had to deal with social media trolls and ignorance about their gender identity, they have been overwhelmingly embraced by fans. “The people that I get to meet on a victory lap, that just really fills my cup,” they say. “It’s great having support and love from fans.”
Looking ahead, Hiltz hopes to replicate this year’s success: “I want to be consistent about being in global finals. That would be a big goal of mine, to make it back to the Tokyo 2025 world championship final. This is my life, and I want to keep having fun being myself and being consistently on the world stage.”