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 my first 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 their 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 six years, the Pride 5k has raised and donated over $290,000 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.
