On Tuesday night, some of the fastest middle-distance runners in America took to the streets of Des Moines, Iowa, to shoot their shot at the Road Mile USA Track & Field National Championship. However, one athlete not only looked to defend their win from last year, but also make a statement. 

Nikki Hiltz, representing Lululemon, trailed behind the leaders for the entire race. However, in just the last 50 meters, they found another gear, hit the front, and broke the tape with no one being able to respond. Hiltz successfully defended their win from last year to become back-to-back champion, but also demolished the previous course record, establishing a new mark of 4:27.97. Hiltz also won this race in 2019, when they ran 4:29.7 to win. This makes Hiltz the only athlete in the history of this event to go under 4:30 twice on this course. 

Hiltz narrowly beat the reigning USATF Outdoor Track and Field 1500, Champion Sinclair Johnson to get the win. Johnson finished in second place with a time of 4:28.70. Addy Wiley placed third with a time of 4:31, while Colleen Quigley got fourth place and Shannon Osika got fifth place. 

While Hiltz was already the defending champion, this race was an emphatic statement. In their post-race interview, Hiltz expressed that taking the W was because of their community, not just themself. 

Assigned female at birth, Hiltz came out as transgender on March 31, 2021, identifying as non-binary. Because of this, they expressed how winning in a state such as Iowa, where the legislation regarding those who identify as transgender is less progressive, was nothing short of special.  

Despite this legislation, Hiltz was enthralled with the support along the course. They took to Instagram exclaiming, “I can confidently say that the amount of pride flags I saw along yesterday’s course, especially on the home stretch, is exactly what gave me that extra gear to pull away for the win.”  

Prior to this year, Hiltz showed success early in their career, qualifying for the U.S. National Team in the 1500m and competing at the 2019 World Track & Field Championships in Doha, Qatar. However, it was not until this year when they finally earned the title of U.S. National champion. 

Hiltz is not only the first female-born transgender athlete to win the U.S. Road Mile title, but also any U.S. middle-distance title ever. They are now a two-time U.S. National champion after their U.S. Indoor Track & Field 1500m title in February. Hiltz is a favorite to make the U.S. National Team in the 1500m for their second time and compete on the world stage at the Track & Field World Championships this summer in Budapest, Hungary.