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It was a slow kill in a very fast race. Nikki Hiltz, easily recognizable in a distinctive black leopard print Lululemon onesie amid a sea of ubiquitous fluorescent kits, sprung out from lane one with the gun and settled on the rail. A hard-charging Elle St. Pierre led the field through the first 300 meters in nearly 45 seconds flat—a blazing 4:01 minute per mile pace. Yet Hiltz, tucked in fourth, looked unfazed, their orange, pink, and black Puma spikes bouncing off the track with each stride.
It was the women’s 1500 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field on June 30 in Eugene, Oregon. And Hiltz was waiting.
In the buildup to that race, the 29-year-old Hiltz had put in months of training, logging 70 miles a week at their high-altitude training base in Flagstaff, Arizona, along with routine strength work and numerous…
