Hi there, my name is Nikki Hiltz - I'm a non-binary Olympian & founder of the Pride 5k!
Back in February 2020, I was gearing up for an exciting outdoor track season and a chance to make an Olympic team. As we all know, both the outdoor track season and the Olympics were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With my running dreams on hold, I had time to process, understand, and honor my gender identity in ways I hadn’t before. Because I didn’t feel comfortable enough to come out, I began to lean into my LGBTQ+ advocacy work, more determined than ever to create safe spaces for queer people.
I decided to put on a virtual 5K race to raise money for The Trevor Project, an organization providing crisis and suicide intervention to LGBTQ+ youth.
The virtual turnout was incredible. In that first summer, we donated $33,000 to The Trevor Project. Nearly 2,000 people from around the world signed up for the Pride 5k - many of whom had never run more than two miles. There was an entire family that ran the race together to celebrate a daughter who had recently come out, and (at least) four participants publicly came out as queer on race day, proudly wearing the “Love More Than Ever” t-shirt.
This represented everything I hoped the Pride 5k would be: A safe space for people to show up as themselves. I knew then that this race wasn’t a one-time quarantine special; it was something I wanted to do for years to come. Over the past five years, the Pride 5k has raised and donated over $222,000 to LGBTQ+ organizations.
Creating a race where people can celebrate pride and support queer youth has not only been the highlight of my career; it served as the inspiration for me to come out as transgender non-binary and live as my full authentic self. I'm so grateful for the beautiful community of runners, walkers, and allies that have made such a safe space possible.
