HILTZ GETS KALAKAUA MERRIE MILE WIN IN FRANTIC SPRINT FINISH
By Rich Sands, By Rich Sands, @thatrichsands.bsky.social
(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

HONOLULU (07-Dec) -- For the first time in the history of the Kalakaua Merrie Mile, athletes in the women's division came out on top in the race's distinctive battle of the sexes format. Nikki Hiltz led a sweep of the first three places, holding off a fast-closing Hobbs Kessler, the fastest man who ended up fourth overall.

In the eighth edition of this race --held in conjunction with Sunday's Honolulu Marathon-- the professional women's field was given a head start over the men of approximately 32 seconds. That's two seconds more than last year, when Hiltz finished fifth overall, behind four men.

The addition of pacemakers added another wrinkle this year, with Amaris Tyynismaa towing the women through the first half and Abe Alvarado leading the men out. That helped keep the pace honest, particularly for the women. "We're not in peak fitness at this time of year and a lot of us haven't raced for a long time, so you don't really know what kind of shape you're in," said Sinclaire Johnson, the 2022 U.S. champion in the 1500. "So it was nice to have a pacer to set that tone."

The flat out-and-back course along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki features a hairpin turn just past the halfway point, and at that point the women could see that men were closing the gap. That's when Weini Kelati, a U.S. Olympian in the 10,000 meters, decided it was time to switch gears. "I saw the men coming and I said we really have to get this because they beat us every year," said Kelati, who was third among the women in 2023 and was coming off a win in the prestigious Manchester Road Race in Connecticut on Thanksgiving Day. "So I was really pushing the pace. We had to do it all together."

Even as the leaders accelerated, Kessler, who finished fifth in the Olympic 1500 meters in Paris in August, remained optimistic. "I really thought we had the women with about a quarter mile to go," he said. "But we didn't close it as fast as I thought we would."

Still, as the athletes in the women's field battled each other, they remained on alert for their pursuers. "The last 50 meters the crowd was so loud, so I wasn't really sure how close the men were," Johnson said. "But I couldn't see anyone around us."

In the end they had just enough of a gap to get to the finish ahead. In a furious battle, Hiltz held off Kelati by a tenth of a second, 4:28.39 to 4:28.49, with Johnson close behind in 4:28.54.

Sprinting wide on their left, Kessler desperately tried to out-lean them at the line. He came up just short, clocking 3:56.51 to finish fourth overall. "I wanted that money," he said with a laugh. "I wanted the win. I was just trying to chase them down without blowing up."

Hiltz, who identifies as transgender and non-binary and competes in the women's division under World Athletics rules, scored a check for $7,500 (the highest first-place award for a U.S. road mile) along with a solid gold plaque. "This race is special if you're first or last and it's the cherry on top to walk away with some prize money and a gold plate," said Hiltz, who was racing for the first time since finishing seventh in the Olympic 1500 last August.

Making the day even sweeter, Hiltz's partner, Emma Gee, was the top women's finisher in the mass-participation race that preceded the professional event. Gee clocked 4:54 to win for the third year in a row.  Caleb Easton was the open men's winner in 4:16.

Kelati took home $5,000 for second place, while Johnson and Kessler earned $3,000 and $1,500, respectively. Fifth place finisher Heather MacLean (4:28.89) pocketed $1,000.

Hiltz narrowly missed a $5,000 bonus that organizers were offering for breaking the American record (4:28.07)

Jack Anstey (3:57.01) of Australia and 2022 Merrie Mile winner Neil Gourley (3:57.94) of Great Britain finished second and third among the men.

For Hiltz, the performance caps an exceptional 2024 campaign that included U.S. indoor and outdoor 1500 titles, the latter coming in a thrilling win at the Olympic Trials in 3:55.33, the second-fastest time ever by an American. Hiltz also won the silver medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March.

After an extended post-Olympic break, Hiltz is currently building a base for the 2025 season. "I think we just approached [this race] like we're training through this week and this was just for fun," said Hiltz, who represents lululemon. "Sometimes when you walk into a race with no expectations that's when really good, magical things happen. I really didn't train for this at all, but strength is speed. I touch a little bit of speed all year round. It's cool to know that I'm this fit right now."


PHOTO: Nikki Hiltz wins the 8th edition of the Kalakaua Merrie Mile in 4:28.39 (photo by Jason Suarez for the Honolulu Marathon Association)

PHOTO: Nikki Hiltz shows off the solid gold Kalakaua Merrie Mile winner's plaque produced by SCG of Japan (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)