After a pedestrian start, Nikki Hiltz outkicked Sinclaire Johnson to secure their sixth straight U.S. title over 1500 meters, 4:03.15 to 4:03.77, on Saturday afternoon in Eugene.
The final was pegged to be a horse race between the two, as Johnson had recently broken Hiltz’s two-year-old American record in the distance with a time of 4:16.32 at the London Diamond League. And the end product was as exciting as anticipated, with Hiltz only securing the victory in the final 100 meters thanks to a final 300-meter split of 43.22 to 43.92.
Counting indoors and outdoors, that makes it six straight national titles for Hiltz in the 1500 meters, dating back to 2023.
Hiltz, who made a coaching change this spring from longtime mentor Mike Smith to Juli Benson, says the win was particularly meaningful after struggling with a hamstring issue in May.
“My speed being my biggest [weapon], it’s scary when you can’t access all of your gears,” Hiltz said of the injury. “So I’m really proud how I showed up today.”
The 30-year-old was one of several top competitors in the field who made big coaching changes this year—to big results.
Runner-up Johnson left her longtime coach Pete Julian and Union Athletics Club to be coached by her fiancé, Craig Nowak, in Portland, while third-placer Emily Mackay left coach Mark Coogan and New Balance Boston to join Julian in Boulder. Mackay held off her former NB Boston teammate Heather MacLean, 4:04.38 to 4:05.60. MacLean also now trains with Benson and recently did a stint in Flagstaff alongside Hiltz, although she is still primarily based in Boston.
“I think the mental battle … any athlete faces when they go through a change—was it my coach or was it me, or was it a mix of both?” Hiltz said in the mixed zone. “So just mentally reassuring myself, I’ve been successful with a lot of different coaches. It’s not just one coach one time that makes me me. But change, even if it’s good change, is hard. The 1500m, especially, this year—it’s not just me that made a change, it’s the entire field.
“To any athlete—it comes from you, it comes from within. Coaches are incredible guardrails but it’s you.”
A slow early pace kept the entire field in the race until just before the bell lap, when BYU’s Riley Chamberlain and Helen Schlachtenhaufen, who is part of the Bandit unsponsored project, got tangled up in the crowded field and tumbled to the ground. Chamberlain ended up finishing in 4:16.79 and Schlachtenhaufen was unable to finish, but the real race was finally gearing up in front.
Johnson was in perfect position at the bell and started a push for the lead alongside Emily Mackay. Within the final 200 meters, it was clear that this was a two-horse race between Hiltz and Johnson. But the battle for third was just as fierce as former training partners Mackay and Heather MacLean jockeyed for the final spot to the World Championships, with Mackay snagging the spot, 4:04.38 to 4:05.60.
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Johanna Gretschel is a freelance writer and broadcaster living in Austin, Texas, who has covered elite track and field and running in all its forms. She contributes to Runner’s World, ESPN, Austin American-Statesman, FloTrack, MileSplit, Women’s Running and Podium Runner. Yes, she has run a marathon!
