Running with Pride: Olympian Nikki Hiltz on Representation, Advocacy, and Making History "

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nikki Hiltz (00:00):
To be good at this sport, you have to do
all the physical stuff. You have to run the mileage,
do the workouts, do the weight sessions, sit in the
sauna, all the little things. Then you also have to
do that on the mental side too. I feel like since
2023, really prioritize that. I journal a lot. I meditate every
single day. I have some crazy meditation streak that I

(00:23):
am like I can't break, which I know that's not
the point of meditation.

Bex Gentry (00:32):
Welcome to Set the Pace, the official podcast of New
York Roadrunners presented by Peloton. I'm your host Peloton instructor,
Bex Gentry, and I'm so happy to be here with
you. Wow, my wonderful co- host and CEO of New
York Roadrunners Robson Mouquet is traveling for work, so that
leaves me to bring you all of the news of
the weekend and kind of selfishly, I'm going to start

(00:54):
with a little bit of fantastic news and a really special
weekend that I personally had over in Los Angeles. I
was honored to be able to celebrate the actress Jennifer
Garner completing 67 days of movement. Jen decided after her
birthday earlier this year in April that she wanted to
move and do something for Save the Children to raise

(01:16):
awareness of her work as an ambassador for the nonprofit. $
67 is all it takes to help save a child from
the brink of nutrition. She took the number 67 and
decided 67 days nonstop every single day, she was going
to move a minimum of a mile in some way
and she did it. I jumped on board with her
as a lot of you probably know if you follow

(01:37):
me on Instagram or on Peloton, and it was incredible. We
decided to hold a finale on Sunday in Los Angeles.
We had over 200 people show up to a secret
location and we ran a mile together and hopefully, helped
elevate to the voice of Save the Children and the
work that still needs to be done in order to

(01:57):
help save as many children as possible from the brink
of starvation. Thank you to anybody who showed up in
person, to anybody who ran with us virtually, and to
everybody who is able to donate. If you feel like
finding out more, please let me know. You can start
your own. It doesn't end there. I actually finished mine
on Tuesday of this week and there we are. You can

(02:18):
do yours. You can do yours if you want to
move for 67 days. All right, so coming up, talking
of wonderful things, this coming weekend, New York Roadrunners has
not one but two storied races on deck. On Saturday,
June 28th, it is the 44th annual Front Runners New

(02:39):
York LGBT Pride run and are, you can do yours I of
I actually this week and move on Saturday. Look out
for a very tall, very handsome Italian, that's all I'll
say. On Sunday June 29th, it is the 23rd annual

(03:03):
Achilles Hope and Possibility of Four Miles presented by TD
Bank. Another wonderful race and I can't wait for you
all to get out and move. It is looking like
it's actually going to be cooler this weekend as well,
so perfect, but right now it is a really, really
hot week here in New York City. Temperatures are expected
to be in the nineties plus until the weekend where

(03:26):
it will drop to the low eighties. If you are
finishing off training for these races or any others ahead,
this is just a coach's reminder to train carefully, stay
hydrated, utilize those inside machines, aka treadmills, and really do,
if you are having to run outside, run as early
as possible, run in the most shaded route you can

(03:47):
find, and if you need to, please don't be too
proud to cut your workout short. It's better to get
a good short workout in, then overdo it on a
really long one. All right, so with all of that,
I wish you a wonderful running weekend. Okay, coming up
on today's show, one of my favorite athletes and a
past guest of ours, Nikki Hiltz, returns to set the

(04:10):
pace almost exactly a year from their previous episode. Oh
my goodness, what a year it has been. I cannot
wait to talk to them about the Olympics Grand Slam
track and all of the awesome changes that 2024 brought
for them. For today's member moment, Meb will be here
with New York Roadrunners member Mauricio Balandino, and then back

(04:33):
to Meb for today's Meb Minutes. All about recovery rituals.
Ooh, that sounds good, Meb. All right, stay tuned. Try
the Peloton app for free and access classes for every
type of runner. Whether you're training for your first race
or you're a seasoned pro. From outdoor runs and intervals,
to strength, yoga and stretching, you'll find the perfect fit
for every part of your routine. Whether it's a long

(04:55):
run day or you just need a quick five minute
reset, the Peloton app meets you where you are and
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for someone like you. Try the app free for 30
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Google Play terms apply. Peloton, the official digital fitness partner

(05:16):
for New York Roadrunners. Today, we get to catch up
with Olympian, Nikki Hiltz, a title we couldn't actually use a
last time Nikki joined us on the show. What a year it
has been for them. Right after we spoke to Nikki,
they earned their spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics where they
went on to make history by reaching the 1, 500 meter

(05:39):
final. Since then, Nikki has continued to set new records
on the track and taken on the unique challenge of
competing in the high profile Grand Slam track series, which
ended with a surprise twist. Nikki's season has been packed
with personal milestones, headline making races, and plenty of lessons

(05:59):
from the front lines of professional running and here they
are. Hi, how are you?

I'm so good, how are you?

Bex Gentry (06:07):
I am great, even the better for having you here
today. It is such an honor. I was listening back
to our last conversation with Rob, obviously, almost exactly a year
ago. You were days away from Eugene ...

Crazy.

Bex Gentry (06:23):
... and you could feel the excitement, nerves, passion in
your voice, and then the next thing I kind of
remember was being in Paris watching you run and just
being like, " Oh wow, this is so freaking cool." I want to jump

(06:43):
straight in with you and you are probably never going
to be sick of talking about the Olympics, so hopefully
that's okay.

Of course. No, I love it. Yeah, yesterday was, I
don't know, National Olympic Day or whatever and I was
going through my camera roll and brought me back, so
yeah, no, I'm definitely never not happy to talk about
that time.

Bex Gentry (07:03):
Brilliant. Okay, so let's go back to crossing the line
at the Olympic trials because I feel like that's where we left
off with you. Crossing the line at the US Olympic trials, not
just crossing the line, breaking the meet record. Can you
take us inside your mind during those final 100 meters
and what made it, if it did, I'm sure it

(07:25):
did feel different to any of your races you'd had before?

Yeah, I mean, it's such a funny thing because you're
trying to approach it. I felt like that whole week
leading up, I was trying to just tell myself, " It's
just like any other race. It's not that deep, just
do your best." Then there's just all this elevated branding everywhere
and we're also the very last race of the trials
essentially. You're just seeing people become Olympian after Olympian. There's

(07:51):
all this hype being built, but you're trying to be like, "
Nope, just focus on do what you always do, try
to get a good position, kick hard," all this stuff.
I just remember that last 200 meters. It was kind
of the first time I allowed myself to, " No, this
is the Olympic trials. This is the Olympics. A top
three finish means you're going to Paris," but I think

(08:12):
I did a good job of not really allowing myself
to go there until the last hundred, and I think
that's why you saw that really explosive kick, 'cause I
was like, " Oh, let's go." It was one of those
things where I was with 200 to go, I was in fourth place. There
was three New Balance athletes in front of me and
three teammates in front of me. It was like Ellie,
Heather, and Emily, and I was like, I remember thinking, "

(08:36):
Wow, that'd be crazy if they swept." I was like, "
No, get back in the race." Then with, yeah, I
think with a hundred to go, I was in third,
so I was on the team with a hundred to
go and then it was just like, " No, I want to
win. I want to see if I have enough." Because
the year before I had won the national championships and
I wanted to defend my title. Then yeah, crossing the

(08:58):
finish line, I think one of the biggest emotions was
just relief. I think that's kind of sad that that's
one of the first feelings because that emotion relief means
like there was a lot of stress or something built
up and then it's a let go. At the same
time, that's kind of the reality of the trials. It's
so stressful and it's so do or die. Then there

(09:21):
was so much joy. It was like we did it
and there was Emily and Ellie with me and we were like, "
We're Olympians," and then I hugged Emma and I hugged,
I had a camera crew there. There was a documentary
following me. It was just so much love and support
and the people who were on the journey with me. Yeah,
it was just one of the best moments of my
life for sure.

Bex Gentry (09:42):
Oh my gosh, I can't even, I mean, I can
slightly relate. I have run an Olympic trials but not
on the track and is very ... I mean, I had
a very similar mentality to you of it's not that
deep, it's just a marathon, just get it done. Then
at the end you're like, " No, but it means everything

(10:02):
to me."

No, it's so real.

Bex Gentry (10:05):
It's so real. Oh my goodness. Okay, so you've come
over the finish line, you've broken the record, you have
made your spot, your coveted spot on the team and
realized that it was a different race. It was a
very different race to anything you've done before. As you were
in that moment, I remember when we spoke last time,

(10:28):
you said you were leaning into training rather than racing
into shape. Did that element of your mentality and training
come through for you in whether it was in that
moment, at the end of the trials or in the
weeks leading up to Paris? How did that change? Because
it's very different to being training for the trials to

(10:50):
then being like, okay, well now I have to be
ready to race in the Olympics, like what?

Yeah, no, that's a good question. I mean, I think
last year when we were looking at the trials and
looking to, okay, you have to beat all these people in order
to make the team, it was one of those things
where I'm like, okay, I'm probably going to have to
be in sub four shape and maybe indecently sub four
shape. I think we prioritize, like I know how to
race and my racing tactics are so sharp, and I've done

(11:19):
this for so long that I don't need to race
sharp and I need to get strong because we know
Ellie St. Pierre is going to take it out. It is
just kind of like that was our tactic. I'm actually
really happy that I trained for so long because I
got so fit. I was able to run 3
which at the time I think was a three or
four second PR. Then it was like I had done

(11:41):
this such huge training block that by the time the
trials happened, I was so excited to race. I love
racing and that's why I do this, and the training, it kind
of is mundane and boring. I've learned within the past
few years to actually really love the training side too,
but that doesn't come naturally for me. The grind is
like, it's hard. Then it was once the trials were

(12:01):
over, I went, I was like, " Okay, I want to
keep racing until," and so I did a race in
LA and then the Olympics are, there are three rounds. Yeah, I think I was just
excited to race. I actually got very sick after the
trials. I got COVID, which I think every single person
in Eugene did. It was pretty bad, but it was
one of those things that I had a down week

(12:23):
anyways, it was so much hype. It was fine, but
I do think that kind of offset my training a
bit leading into the Olympics, just it was kind of a quick
turnaround from the trials to Paris.

Bex Gentry (12:35):
So close.

Yeah, but I got back and I went to St.
Moritz like 10 days leading into Paris, and yeah, I think I
was ready. I was so ready to keep racing because
that's the fun part. The rounds in same thing. It
was like we knew the rounds were going to be
fast. You just know how the 15s run on the global stage on

(12:58):
the women's side. I mean, I guess sometimes the men's
too, but it's just fast. We know exactly how that
finals is going to go, so you can actually really
prepare for it in training. Yeah, I don't really know
if that answered your question. I just kind of rambled about
training for a while.

Bex Gentry (13:11):
No, and it just kind of shows that after the Olympics, I've never
heard somebody have COVID at the best time. That could have happened
in those few weeks between the trials and your Olympic
races, but you just sort of stayed in the zone,
I guess, of doing what you like to do, which

(13:33):
is show up, race and just be in it for
you and put your fitness to the test, which is
so cool. So, so cool. Okay. Talking of coldness and
change and just the message that you, and I think
I said this to you last time, the message that you bring
to the world of sport is so unique, and I kind

(13:57):
of hate that it's unique, but there needs to be one
unique person for things to become much more known. I
think for you at Paris Olympics, you became the first
openly transgender and non- binary American to reach an individual
Olympic trial. What does that mean to you as Nikki?

It's crazy. I think it's just one of those things
where it's just who I am. I can't really separate
it from my identity 'cause it is my identity, and
then I'm also an Olympian, which is also such a
unique, Olympic finalist that's also such a unique identity. I
think it's really special when people say that because it's

(14:37):
like, yeah, it's the two things I'm really proud of
coming together. I'm an Olympic finalist. I'm also non- binary,
and I'm so proud to be queer and a part
of the transgender community and underneath that umbrella of what
it means to be transgender. Yeah, it's really special, and
it's definitely something I don't take lightly. I want to
be a good, I don't know, role model, representation of

(15:00):
my community. I try to be kind and be gracious
and be just me and hope that that can help
normalize, oh wow, trans people aren't these big, crazy scary
things that a lot of people are trying to make
them out to be. Yeah, it definitely means a lot
and I'm very proud of that accomplishment.

Bex Gentry (15:28):
So you should be, and in last year's interview you said, I know I'm not the first, I know I'm the first, but I'm not the last. I'm interested, you've done so much advocacy work, you've
done so many events and you've had so much exposure
since the Olympics. Have you met or heard from other
young athletes or just other humans who have felt seen
and been able to rise up because of your journey?

Oh, totally. Yeah. I mean, I meet a lot of queer kids
and specifically at track meets, which I think is awesome.
I don't know what sport is the most welcoming, but
I think just it's really cool about track. They feel
safe at a track meet and they can come and
say hi and say, " Hi, my name's so- and-so, I'm
also non- binary," and it just fills my heart with

(16:12):
so much joy. It makes me feel less alone. Then
I always give them a hug, like, yeah, I don't
know, but yeah, I think it's really cool. I think representation or
I don't know, motivation, it's kind of a two- way
street. I think when people say they're non- binary, they're
just saying it to let me know, but it really

(16:34):
motivates me. I'm like, or they say, " You're an inspiration." I'm like, ""
No, you telling me, that really motivates me and wants me
to keep showing up because now I can put a
face and a name to someone who know I'm showing
up for that person who I just met." Yeah, I
love connecting with my community and yeah, no, it's definitely,
like you said, since the Olympics has become a lot

(16:57):
more and a little overwhelming, but I always try to
make time for people and sign as many autographs, to
take as many photos. Yeah, I mean, I have time,
why not? It's fun. The people I meet, I say
this all the time, but my followers are genuinely the
coolest people in the world. I'll meet someone who's like, "Ph,
I'm doing, I'm working for NASA, being a rocket scientist,

(17:21):
and I follow you." I was like, " What? You're way
cooler than me." I think I would genuinely be friends
with a lot of them, so yeah, I love meeting
people and the people I've met have been great.

Bex Gentry (17:34):
That's amazing. You said that it's sometimes overwhelming though. How
do you handle the emotional weight of representing so many people?

Such a good question. I mean, I think to be good at this
sport, you have to do all the physical stuff. You
have to run the mileage, do the workouts, do the
weight sessions, sit in the sauna, all the little things.
Then you also have to do that on the mental
side too. I feel like since 2023 really prioritize that.

(18:05):
I journal a lot. I meditate every single day. I
have some crazy meditation streak that I am I can't break, which
I know that's not the point of meditation.

Bex Gentry (18:15):
Hey, if it works for you, it works for you/

Yeah, I'm definitely a perfectionist, but I don't know. I
try to do all the little things on the mental
side too. I think that it helps with my running
and performance when I'm at the trials and it's like,
okay, top three, make the team. It can help me
stay very present and assure myself even if that doesn't

(18:38):
happen. Then I think that also has really helped with
when it comes to being an advocate in this space
and time right now, it's really centering myself. Emma, my
partner, is my best friend and biggest advocate and always
reminds me, " Hey, your role is just to humanize this
thing. You don't have to do any more or less

(19:00):
than that. You just have to show up as yourself
and that's going to be enough." Things like that, conversations
like that, I can't tell you how many conversations I'm going to
have about this stuff every single day. It's just very
reassuring and yeah, I guess, that's how I navigate it. It's
just with my people and then with prioritizing my mental

(19:20):
health and then just being really sure of myself. There's
not a single thing anyone can say that I haven't
already heard, and I'm like, " Well, that's not true because
I know myself and that's not real." Yeah, whatever it is, you know what I mean?

Bex Gentry (19:30):
Yeah. That's a really good message as well, to have somebody outside
of you, it's really easy to G yourself up in
your own head, but there are days when even things
you've heard a hundred times can get to you. To
have somebody who has your back right there by your

(19:52):
side to say, " Hey, listen, all you've got to do
is show up as you," is so beautiful and such
an amazing reminder that you just have to be you.
That is the greatest gift that you can give, especially
when you're on such a big stage as you are. It's
the greatest gift that you can give people, and yourself
is so nice. Oh my gosh. Go Emma. Okay, so talking

(20:16):
about giving gifts, let's talk about the Flagstaff Pride 5K
that you've continued to organize. You've raised apparently over $170, 000
for the Trevor Project, which is huge. Can you just
talk a little bit to everybody about why this event

(20:37):
is so central to your life and how since you've
been involved, how it's grown so much?

Yeah, no, it's definitely crazy how long it's been a
thing. We started it in 2020 and that feels like forever
ago and it's had different versions. We've hosted one in
Flagstaff in 2022, which was awesome, but the rest of the
ones have been virtual and we've also done stuff in
San Diego. It is just had so many different, I guess,

(21:03):
it's evolved and yeah, we've raised so much money for
these organizations, but I think just the way we've done
it is what's really special to me is obviously the
money is going towards LGBTQ people who really need it
and that is the best thing ever. It's happening by
runners coming together and being like, " Hey, I'm queer, or

(21:27):
I have a queer brother or queer sister, or Hey, I'm just
an ally and want to support this." Then it's this
physical representation of people coming together through running to be like, "
Hey, we're here to support these causes." I think that's
just so beautiful and something that would've meant so much
to younger me was just seeing that representation of like, "
Oh, this is how many people are behind me and

(21:49):
it's okay to come out or it's okay to be
myself and I'm going to have a community and family to
land on." I think that's been really special to see
that part of it and to see the kind of
community grow, and there's always a cute shirt involved. It's
just so fun.

Bex Gentry (22:08):
We love the shirts.

Yeah, and I put it on with my best friends and
that's just really fun and special to me. So yeah, this is I guess year six.

Bex Gentry (22:13):
Oh my gosh. Yeah.

Yeah, so the sixth edition of it and yeah, it's
exciting stuff.

Bex Gentry (22:27):
Amazing, and it keeps on growing. It keeps on getting
there. Okay, so the industry, the track and field world,
let's call it. Just quickly tell me about any surprises
or any responses that you've experienced that have taken you

(22:50):
about good or bad. It's up to you. You don't
have to say one or the other about your advocacy and
as your profile has grown exponentially really over the last
one to two years.

Oh my gosh, that's a good question. I don't know,
I think it's just what's shocking to me is how
there's so many issues in our world, but the hyper
fixation of trans people being the biggest issue, I guess
that's not unique to the track and field world. I don't know. I

(23:25):
guess in the end of the day there's less than 10 athletes who
identify as transgender and I think two of them are
trans women. It's just like, okay, I just think the hysteria,
I think, blows my mind and I think that's something
that's shocking. Then it's crazy too, for me, the most

(23:46):
backlash I ever get is when I stand up for
trans women, it's not even about me ever. It's like,
how dare you stand up for this marginalized group of
people who just want to exist? I'm like, okay.

Bex Gentry (23:59):
It's all bizarre, but that is like, yeah, that's so
bizarre that you're like, don't use your voice.

Yeah, and it just shows how much, I guess, scrutiny
and hate trans woman or other, and it makes me
really sad, but yeah, of course I'm going to stand
up for my community and, of course, I think we
should try to find a way to make sports a
place for everyone. I don't think anyone should be excluded
from this. I would love to keep having conversations to

(24:26):
make space for those people and how do we do
that? Yeah, that's what I'm interested in, and so I
think I can handle a little bit of hate to
in order to do that. Yeah, I also think I'm
in a position of such privilege. I have such supportive
family, I have such a supportive partner. Why would I
not? I went to the ESPYs very shortly after the

(24:49):
Olympic trials last year and Don Stanley, the South Carolina
coach, gave this speech that was like, I feel like
it changed my life. It was like, " Hey, to all
the athletes sitting out there right now or sitting in
this room, you got here for a reason. You can
call it talent and luck." She's like, " But at the

(25:13):
end of day it's just a lot of luck you
had to go through ... You never had a career ending
injury, you never got derailed down the wrong path. All
these things led to this moment where you can be
in this room and be an athlete." She's like, " So
that's luck, that's privilege. What are you going to do
with it?" I felt like chills around my while body and

(25:34):
I was like, " Wow, okay, yeah, I am this athlete and
I have all these goals and dreams and I'm going
to keep chasing them, but I'm going to stand up
for people along the way and I'm going to stand
up for my community. I'm going to stand up for myself and I'm going
to try to make change as much as possible. Sorry,
random alarms.

Bex Gentry (25:53):
That's your alarm. I was really trying to have a sleep in today, you
guys. Oh my gosh.

I don't know if that answers your question.

Bex Gentry (26:00):
No, it does and I think it's really important that when it comes to how athletes
use their platform, it's very individual and there is no
rule, there is no training book for how any athlete
is going to use their platform or their voice. Some
athletes just go out there, they run their races, they

(26:23):
do their sport and they go home. That's totally fine
if that's what you need to do, that's what you
need to do. I think as you said earlier, a
marginalized community is one that needs so much more than
an athlete that just comes, does the race and goes
home. With your success and with your not luck, not

(26:47):
just luck, I'm going, you got it. I agree with her, yes, it is a
lot of luck, but there's a lot of grit that
goes into it too. Let's talk about Grand Slam track,
okay, because that is now, the stage was huge last
year. The stage was huge for the Olympics, but Grand
Slam Track is like it's freaking cool and you've signed

(27:08):
on as one of the headliners of Grand Slam Track. There was a
lot of excitement about this new league. What drew you
to it and what did you hope it would bring
to the pro running world?

Oh my gosh. I mean, when I first heard about
it was I guess a year ago at this point,
I was like, " I want to be a part of
that." It's everything that I love about track. There's no
pace lights, there's no rabbits. It's not about time trialing.
It's about pure head- to- head racing and four people
are going to be consistent in every event group and
then four people are going to come in as challengers.
I was like, that's such a cool concept. Then it's

(27:44):
an eight and a 15. I was just like, sign me up. I
was like, I'm ready. Obviously, I think I was like,
well, I'm solid. I'm can commonly say I one of the best 1,
500 runners in the country for sure, but I don't
think I can really say that on the world stage.
I'm getting there. I was seventh at the Olympics, so it's
pretty good, but when you have two events like the

(28:07):
eight and the 15 and you're going after the best
in the world, I was like, I'll probably be a
challenger. I'll come in, but I'm not going to get
one of those racer spots. I think I was just
kind of preparing myself. Then in October, Kyle Murber sends
Howie my agent and I an email and was like, "
Hey, we want Nikki to be a racer in the
short distance event group." I was like, oh my gosh,

(28:29):
and then offered me a contract to join the league
and I was like, " I would've done it for free.
I would've done it for $ 5. This is amazing." I was like,
it was the quickest yes in my life. Then ever
since it was, that was in October, and then it
was just this really fun, crazy buildup to Kingston, the
first one in April. Yeah, it's awesome. I think, like

(28:55):
I said, it's everything that I think we need to
focus on because there's so much talk about fast times
and pace lights and super shoes. Yeah, that's part of
the evolution of our sport, but if we get too
far away from racing and just head- to- head who
is going to win this race, I think our sport's
going to come really boring really fast because it's going

(29:17):
to be like someone chasing a light around a track
and then they don't catch the light and then it's
like oh.

Bex Gentry (29:24):
It's like AI.

It's like, what is this? Yeah, I don't want my biggest competitor
to be a light bulb. I'm sorry. I want it to be people. I don't know. I really loved,
I think initially just the concept of it. I was
just so bought in.

Bex Gentry (29:37):
Yeah, it was, as you say, the concept was really
cool. It was for anyone who doesn't know, we have new
listeners, Nikki, we have our podcast, listen, but we also
are now on iHeartRadio, so there might be some people
out there who don't know too much about it. Grand
Slam Track was going to be four meets, it starts
in Kingston, correct me if I'm wrong on the order,

(29:57):
but it was going to go to Philly, then Miami and
then LA.

Miami, then Philly, then LA.

Bex Gentry (30:03):
Miami, then Philly, then LA and it got through three rounds, and then the LA
finale was canceled. You've gone through all of this hype,
this would've been the quickest yes for $5 or free, we
will delete that one actually. How are you'll be like,
no, no, no, no, she didn't say that. They didn't say that, but it was, what was the

(30:27):
effect for you when you heard that the LA finale
was going to be canceled? That's your season.

Yeah, yeah, I think it was obviously initially it was
like, whoa, I didn't know they would do that. I
think it was a little bit shock. Then obviously I love to
race and I was really looking forward. I had kind
of a rough one in Philly, which was the third
one. I was looking for redemption and excited to do
the grand finale in LA. Yeah, I think I would be lying

(30:55):
if I said there was a little disappointment. I was
like, oh, but once I was kind of explained why,
I was like, "Oh, okay, that makes sense." I think I
then was like, " Okay, well we had three great ones,"
and you also can't lose something you didn't never had.
We never had the LA Grand Slam. We were looking

(31:16):
forward to it and it was going to happen, but
then it was like, okay, well I don't know, things
get canceled. They canceled, in 2020, they canceled the Olympic
games. I think something about 2020 has maybe desensitized me
to things have canceled. I'm like, " Oh, well, (inaudible) canceled."
I'm like, I don't know, but I also just, it's hard to be mad

(31:37):
at them or frustrated or I don't know, because I'm
so grateful for the first three for what they gave
us as the athletes, and I can't speak for everyone,
I can just speak for my experience, but I had
so much fun at those track meets and the stakes
have never been higher. I've never had a prize purse
where I'm going, if I'm first it's 100 K. If
I'm second, it's 50 K, so those stakes are crazy.

(32:00):
I've also never had more fun, and people were like,
you could tell the athletes were just vibing and being like, "
This is so awesome," and they just took such good
care of us. Michael Johnson is the founder of the
league, the head commissioner, and he was obviously an athlete
himself, and his team of people around him are also
athletes. Like Kyle (inaudible) , he's a professional runner. Marla

(32:21):
Kay, she was a sprinter and they are the ones
leading this thing. They know what athletes need and we're like, "
Hey, we need meals." They're like, " Got it." We're like, " Hey-"

Bex Gentry (32:31):
(inaudible) .

Yeah, and the little things too of it's so hard
a lot of times to get content after a race, it
just, there's a million photographers there, but no one ever
sends you anything and it's kind of frustrating. They were like, "
Hey, we have this app for you where as soon
as you finish your race, all your photos are going
to be there." It's just like, what? Yeah, just little
things like that and things like, Emma is my person's,

(32:55):
if my coach isn't there or agent, she's both of
those things and it's so hard.

Bex Gentry (33:01):
Emma is working.

No, yeah, she's the camera person. She's like, everything, support,
athlete support to the T. It's so difficult in track and
field to get Emma credential for things so I-

Bex Gentry (33:14):
Really?

Yeah, which is stupid. It's like, nope, she's not your
coach or she's, and so Grand Slam, I'm like, " Hey,
can I get a credential?" They're like, " Of course," and
it's just so easy and stuff. Anyways, I could talk
about Grand Slam all day, but I think it (inaudible) such a good job.

Bex Gentry (33:28):
It sounds you think there is a future for these alternative pro track meets?

Yeah, totally, and why not try? I think it's awesome
that they tried and they built something really cool. Also,
I think a part of canceling LA was to make
sure that a 2026 season happened. If I'm looking like long-
term, that's worth it for me.

Bex Gentry (33:50):
As you say, it was an epic three meets, so
there was fun had for sure. All right, let's talk about training
to round this out because I'm sure there's a lot
of people out there thinking, " I want to know what
they do to stay in shape and be ready to
rock those races that you love to do." I'd also

(34:12):
selfishly, one of my dreams was, I say was, pre-
baby and pre- career to be based somewhere at Arizona
to train. You have a training group, you have people
who you train with and there's people, there's days where you might
train by yourself to be in the zone, in the race zone. Right now,

(34:36):
what does that look like for you in Flagstaff and
this insane elite community that you can lean on, learn
from and push?

Yeah. No, I mean, I don't really have a group. I'm very
much on my own. I have a coach that's remote
and I have Emma that also has the same coach. We're
both coached by Julie Benson, so it's kind of just
like me and Emma versus the world, but Flagstaff is
such an amazing place to live if that's your setup

(35:06):
because there's so many other groups here or other people
who have individual setups. I think of someone like Chrissy Gere,
one of the best steepleers in the nation. She lives
here and she has a remote coach. We sync up
a lot because we're like, " Hey, what are you doing
today?" Then there's the NAZ Elite group that lives here. There's the Dark Sky
group. They're just such a community and I can go

(35:29):
for my easy runs with a different person on a
different trail every single day for a month probably, which
is just so, yeah, it's just such a special-

Bex Gentry (35:36):
Your group isn't a quintessential like the NAZ Elite, you don't have a
specific group. Your group is, if you feel like it ...

Whoever I want.

Bex Gentry (35:47):
... you can pick somebody, or if you want to just have some solo
miles or just you and Emma, you can.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Bex Gentry (35:56):
(inaudible) .

Yesterday we went on a run, there was eight of us and just yapping about Love
Island the whole time and people come into town too.
Elise Cranny's here right now and she's going to be
here till USAs and that's someone we're good friends. People, Emily
Infeld's here right now, which I love going on a
run for Emily, she's just so herself. I love it.

(36:18):
There's people come in and out and the NAU track,
which is where we train, is very open, which is
lovely. I think having a track at 7, 000 feet is
brutal, but amazing that we have access. Yeah, I think I tell
people I'm in my Grant Fisher era, I kind of
am like, okay, I have my coach who's very, our

(36:41):
workouts and stuff and what we do are very catered
to me, very individualized. I am picking and choosing what
I want to do when, and it's very empowering in,
okay, yeah, I maybe left this group, but now I'm
going to go off on my own and it's going
to be epic. Yeah, that's kind of the journey I'm on right now.

Bex Gentry (37:01):
That sounds, as you said, very empowering and freeing and
a really good way to continue to love running. I know a lot of our
listeners go through phases and I myself do as well.
I feel like when there's too much rigidity in my
program, I start to fall away from my love and

(37:21):
my passion for running. I hate that because then I
get scared. That's when I'm like, " Yeah, no, this is
a lot of who I am and I need to
love this, so I need to change something else in
this program because I need to love it. I need to
love it every day." That's super cool that you can
just be like this, " Today is, This feels good to

(37:43):
do this." Then when the time comes where you need
to hone in on whatever it is, then you feel like
you've had that freedom beforehand to be like, " Okay, cool.
I'm good with this is now this block." That's so nice.

Yeah, totally.

Bex Gentry (37:59):
Okay. Talking about whatever is next, you've made Olympic final.
You are, I think, one of the most well- known
faces in track and definitely in advocacy for representation in
the sports world. I'm not going to say what's next. I personally

(38:20):
freaking hate it when people ask me that, but I
want to know about your definition of what fulfills you
and your, you and running. We don't need to go
any further, you and running. Then what is on your
radar right now for Nikki Hiltz's feeling fulfilled?

I like that. I love that wording of it. This
is going to sound so weird, but my goal for
USAs this year is I want to go to dinner
with my coach and training partners after the race, whatever
happens, that's what I want. I feel like that's something I've
been missing and I've had such high highs the past
two years, but I feel like I want to build

(39:08):
more of a support system for myself, and I would
love to win again. Obviously, I love winning, but my
measure of success in a race is if I run
a race I'm proud of, and if I am smart
during the race and don't make too many errors, every
race can't be perfect, but I walk away happy and
if I kick hard, the last 200. Things like that are

(39:30):
kind of my measures of success. Usually when I do
that, I'm pretty happy with the outcome. Those are my
goals for USAs is do that and then go to
dinner with the people that helped get me to that
moment and were on the journey with me afterwards. Then
as far as the global stage, kind of the same
thing. I want to run three rounds at the Tokyo

(39:51):
World Champs, three 1, 500s that I'm really proud of and
I want to, when the bell rings in Tokyo, be
able to touch whoever the leader is. I think in
Paris, I was seventh and I'm so proud of that
race and it was such, I went out in 2:
03, I think through 800, which is so fast, and
that's something that used to really scare me as an

(40:11):
athlete. I was afraid to go out in 2
I would be like, " Oh my God, I'm not going
to have my kick." To go on 2
like, "I don't care what happens at this point. I put
myself in it and here we go." Then just with
the lap to go, I kind of got bumped and it was the
Olympic final. Of course, everyone's kicking at the same time.
And then I kind of got deattached and then I

(40:32):
kicked hard the last 300, but I'm by myself. I'm
not really in the race anymore, so, yeah, so I
think taking that experience and applying it to Tokyo, the
World Championships this year, I'm like, I want to with 400
to go be in such a good position that there's no
excuse not to use my kick. I think things like
that are what really excite me and are motivating me.

(40:52):
When the training gets hard, long and boring, just think
of the excitement of when the bell rings and how
badly you want to be there. Yeah, I think that's kind of where
I'm at and I'm excited for, yeah, I guess, this
year feels so much different than last year. I felt
like last year was so much stress. What we started
this conversation with the trials and the Olympics and you're

(41:14):
kind of just tense the whole year. Like it's an Olympic.

Bex Gentry (41:20):
It's massive.

(inaudible) what happened. It feels like this year is
a breath of fresh air like, " Oh, I can try
new things like Grand Slam," and it's really fun and
awesome and I got to race some of the best people in the
world and those event groups and now I can like, "
Okay, I can go into USAs and do this and
that," so yeah,

Bex Gentry (41:39):
The fulfillment is there, I can feel it. The smile
on your face right now, our listeners can't see it, but everyone, you're
missing out because it feels like Nikki has got fulfillment
in sight. That is, I think, a huge message because
as long as you give your best and you walk

(42:02):
away from that meet, that race and you go to
dinner with your loved ones and your support team and
you can sit down and you can all hug, high
five, whatever is your chosen celebration and feel really proud
individually and collectively, that is fulfillment I think. I think

(42:23):
that's really important for people because there can only be
one winner and it sucks, but you all win if
you can come away and go, " I count that, that
was amazing. That's awesome that person won, but I won for
me." Thank you for sharing that and thank you for

(42:45):
everything that you do for the sport, for raising awareness
for non- binary transgender athletes around the world. Thank you
for being you, showing up and thanks to Emma for
being an incredible athlete, but also part of your incredible

(43:05):
support. I love that it's like the two of you
against the world as you put it when it comes
to training and picking what you're doing. Nikki, I know
all of us cannot wait to see you on your
next stage, and I cannot wait to see an Instagram
post of you at dinner afterwards, enjoying every moment of
it, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Yeah, that's so sweet. Thank you so much. This has
been awesome, and you ask really good questions, Bex, I
was like, oh my gosh. Stumped a couple times.

Bex Gentry (43:35):
Sorry, but not sorry.

No, thank you. This has been awesome, and yeah, I
love New York Roadrunners. Yay.

Speaker 3 (43:54):
New York Roadrunners is a nonprofit organization with a vision to
build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power
of running. The support of members and donors like you
helps us achieve our mission to transform the health and
wellbeing of our communities through inclusive and accessible running experiences,
empowering all to achieve their potential. Learn more and contribute

(44:15):
at nyrr. org/ donate.

Bex Gentry (44:18):
Mauricio Blandino was at home in Jackson Heights, Queens in
2011 when he fell down the stairs and suffered a
traumatic brain injury. The injury left him unable to walk
or even maintain his own balance by himself. After emergency
surgery and months of intensive physical therapy, he slowly regained
his mobility. He joined Achilles International, a running club that

(44:42):
pairs athletes with disabilities, with volunteer guides and step- by-
step, he went from walking to jogging to running again.
Since then, Mauricio has completed numerous races including eight New
York City marathons and he has even qualified for the
Boston Marathon. Today, he leads the New York City chapter

(45:03):
of the Brain Injury Association, helping other brain injury survivors
find community and support in their recovery. Meb is here
with Mauricio today as he prepares for this weekend's Achilles
hope and possibility of four miles presented by TD Bank
taken away, Meb.

Meb (45:19):
Thanks, Bex. Mauricio, welcome to Set the Pace. Where are
you today?

Mauricio Blandino (45:25):
Thank you, Meb. I appreciate the invitation to be part of the
New York Road Runners at the Pace. I'm in Queens,
New York. I'm a resident of Queens.

Meb (45:34):
Awesome. Well, glad to have you. Can you help us,
our audience understand how life- changing your traumatic brain surgery
was for you?

Well, it will be 14 years exactly tomorrow that I
sustained a traumatic brain injury. I had a fall down
the steps of my home with a hard blow to
my head at the end of the landing. It required
a bilateral craniotomy on both sides of my head to
clip the bleeders I had internally. I had a long

(46:06):
stay in the hospital where it came to be known
that I had issues with balance, coordination, other issues developed
with cognitive issues, the physical, the visual issues too. I
lost part of my peripheral also, depth perception, difficult to

(46:29):
run and the conversions we eyes meet and focus on
detail. When I'm running, it's a bit of a hazard
because I'm not seeing the road as it is. I'm almost
seeing a blank slate. I run with a high step
to avoid any irregularities to it. It affected me physically

(46:53):
as far as the balance coordination where and also, weakness
on my right leg. It interfered with my walking. Like
I mentioned, there was the visual aspect to it, the cognitive
aspect to it too. Walking, well, it required a tremendous
amount of physical therapy to my understanding now to strengthen

(47:18):
my inner core, to help myself stay upright. Till this
day, I have an issue with my balance and coordination.
I walk with a very tight core and if I
relax, I start listing from one side to another, appearing
a bit drunk, you could say, but it's something I

(47:38):
learned to manage. There's an issue with my memory. Sometimes
I lose focus of what I'm saying or what comes
out. It interferes with my conversation many times in a
group setting. It took a while to accept the situation

(48:00):
as far as my brain injury. I lost my employment,
my identity, you could say, because I think everyone's identity
relates to what one does in life, employment- wise. I
lost that, which I was in the jewelry manufacturing industry here

(48:20):
in New York City, I could not go back to
it. That's all I did. My studies working for companies,
manufacturing. It was a wonderful life. I was living there.
It became internal conflict to accept that loss. It took

(48:44):
time to accept it. I had to stop and pause
and be grateful for the time period I had doing
that. Depression, anxiety also, stemmed from clinical setting, more of
a clinical issues that evolved from the brain injury, which
still in effect to this day,

Meb (49:05):
I could only imagine how many obstacles you have overcome
and challenges, but you have come at the other side
of it to say how were you able from not
being able to walk and be able to rehabilitation from
walking to eventually run, and how has running played a
big role in your life now?

At this moment in time, running has created a steel
platform for me to stand on. As though the rug
was pulled underneath me. It took a long time to
really feel steady in my life and running established. That
gave me a whole sense of accomplishment.

Meb (49:44):
Well, not only you are just a runner, but you
have done the New York City Marathon. You have accomplished
the London Marathon and even the Boston Marathon. What does
it feel like for you to cross the marathon finish
line and knowing how far you have come since 2011?

My first marathon was in 2015, the New York City
Marathon. It took a village to get even started with the
training. It took three years after joining Achilles International to
take part in the marathon. Crossing that finish line was
an immense sense of empowerment. It gave that sense of

(50:22):
control of my body, again, allowing me to know that
if I accomplish this, I could then apply it to
just about anything else that I would face in life.
The dedication I applied to my training was something new
that I learned to do. Now, Meb, I was not a

(50:42):
runner prior to my injury. I never ran before. I
did cycle. I did a lot of charity rides for
charity events, but that was my only physical activity. My
brothers were the ballplayers and I didn't take to running.
I quickly have to jump to Achilles. I joined Achilles

(51:03):
to continue with the introduction of the physical therapy I was
going through. My doctors had insisted to take my PT
out of the clinic. I had isolated myself through depression,
anxiety were overwhelming, where I was just going in and
out from clinic to home, and he knew I needed
to go out and do more with my physical recovery.

(51:25):
I had joined the Brain Injury Association of New York
State's support groups and their social groups where one day,
this was a year and a half after my injury,
Achilles International was a guest speaker. They had this individual
who was a brain injury survivor himself, Alan, who spoke
about his achievements. I listened more closely because of his

(51:48):
experience with a brain injury, and the staff of Achilles
spoke about the benefits of physical activity, the socialization factor,
that community sense, which I was not really understanding what
it was all about. A group of us from the
Brain Injury Association went to an Achilles workout one Saturday

(52:09):
morning, and there I saw this incredible group of individuals,
all different challenges. The energy was so biting that I
didn't know how to take it. Everyone was just moving ahead with
their lives, talking about their accomplishments, what they were going
to be doing next, and I'm seeing individuals of all

(52:30):
different challenges here, visually impaired, other brain injury survivors, amputees
moving on with their lives, and I was not there
at that moment. Achilles came and I took on Achilles
to continue with my physical therapy to walk with a
volunteer to regain that left and right coordination and hold

(52:53):
it for a minute or two, and then I would
lose control of it and then repeat and repeat over and
over again. The process continued until I was able to
then throw in a jog and hold it for an
extended period of time. I took note of what was
happening with my body, and the motivation from others, so

(53:18):
important to have around you. Like I mentioned, I was not
a runner. My only attention was for my recovery, the
physical therapy to continue with it, and that's how it
kept on going. I wasn't given attention to other people's
really, not given attention to their races and whatnot. That
was for them. I had my own agenda to deal
with, my recovery, and it slowly evolved.

Meb (53:42):
It only evolved, you have done an amazing thing with
the Achilles and taking care of yourself and walking to running,
and now when we were off the stage behind the
scene, we were talking about how you are also giving
back now to your mom as a caretaker, and that's
a full circle, and you are a true champion doing
a lot of great things to take care of yourself first
and then helping others and then have to take care of your

(54:02):
mom and to compare to where you were in 2011. That's amazing.

Yeah. I've become a advocate for the brain injury community.
I call on my local representatives to meet up in
Albany with them, to go over issues that are affecting housing,
healthcare, care in general, not just for brain injury survivors,
but for the disability community in general. I think more

(54:29):
so now, more attention needs to be given to that.
I was up in Albany just this past spring. I've
been doing that for a number of years. I've been
more involved with the Brain Injury Injury Association, knowing that, seeing
how it helped me and seeing how it's helped others.
It's another community similar to Achilles sense of knowing. Well,

(54:53):
it's a more tighter knit because we know each other's
issues, we discuss each other's issues more freely, our brain
injury, so it's a community that needs to continue for
the benefit of our health.

Meb (55:07):
Well, we're so grateful your difference maker, and thank you
for sharing your story and impacting others with the similar
or same injuries that you have had and so grateful
to have you on the podcast to share your story.
Mauricio, thanks for being with us.

Bex Gentry (55:21):
Thank you for joining us, Mauricio and for being a member of
New York Roadrunners. Now to the final part of our show, our Meb Minute.

Meb (55:29):
Recovery ritual (inaudible) pays off. Paying attention to small detail
is so important when you, sometimes we think about workout,
workout, workout, but recovery starts immediately after you finish. You'll
go down, have a banana or apple with peanut butter
within 30 minutes. You have to have something solid in
your body, whether it's a shake, whether it's fruits, having

(55:51):
done those, it would help the muscles get the nutrients
it needs. Small actions are important because you are able
to be proactive. What does that mean? You have to
do the stretching. You have to do ice baths. If
you are in a beautiful mountain, just like I used
to do in the river, jump in there, or if you
are in the city, hot, I mean, cool. Shower is
very important. You also sometimes want to strength training or

(56:15):
massage that you need to be good for the body.
You want to be able to do pre- hab instead
of rehab because you want to be able to take
care of your body so it can carry you consistently
week in, months in to be able to do that.
More importantly, you want to finish up with a good
night's sleep as you need to session the summer. If
you're going to get up early in the morning train,

(56:37):
you need to go to bed early, and don't worry
about if you have a race and you don't sleep
the night before, because consistent training and consistent sleeping will
take care of it on race day.

Bex Gentry (56:47):
That does it for another episode of Set the Pace.
Thank you to today's guests, Nicki Hiltz and Mauricio Blandino.
If you liked this episode, please go ahead and subscribe,
rate or leave a comment for the show on whatever
platform you are listening on. This not only helps us,
but it helps others find out about the show too.
Take care.

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