Love, Advocacy, and the Road Ahead with Olympian Nikki Hiltz and Elite Runner Emma Gee

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This week’s episode was recorded live at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub. Rob sits down with Olympian Nikki Hiltz and elite runner Emma Gee, whose personal and professional stories leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics are featured in the documentary film “KICK,” premiering this week at DOC NYC. Hiltz, the first out transgender nonbinary athlete to compete for Team USA in track and field, reflects on the importance of visibility, representation, and creating space for all athletes to compete as their authentic selves. Gee shares her experiences as a source of support for Hiltz while also advocating for inclusivity in sport and chasing her own Olympic goals. Together, the engaged couple talks about why representation matters for LGBTQ+ athletes and how organizations like New York Road Runners are helping make the sport more welcoming for everyone. It’s a conversation about love, resilience, identity, and the transformative power of running.

Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of suicide and mental health struggles. Listener discretion is advised.

00:00 "I plan to be there"
00:14 Live at the NYRR RUNCENTER
01:49 Three years in the making: the story behind KICK
04:10 Meet Nikki Hiltz and Emma Gee
05:45 NYRR, the Fifth Avenue Mile, and why language matters
07:49 What you'll see in KICK
09:20 Why KICK is a love story
10:49 Humanizing trans athletes
12:33 Saying yes to director Julia Schwalb
14:23 Letting the cameras in
16:44 Life on camera
18:16 The fight two weeks before the Trials
20:06 The scenes that still make Nikki cry
21:34 Watching the Trials win again, on screen
23:05 Megan Rapinoe and Tegan and Sara sign on
24:20 What Nikki hopes kids take from KICK
25:17 Emma's coming out at BYU
28:01 The DM: how Nikki and Emma met
31:01 2021 Trials and blazing a trail with pronouns
34:50 Tuning out the online attacks
36:57 Nikki's message to NYRR
39:18 World Athletics' new testing rules
41:48 Why the debate won't go away
43:25 Nikki's 2026 season, from Randall's Island to Budapest
46:16 Going for a medal at LA 2028
47:28 Emma's steeplechase road to LA
49:48 Supporting each other's dreams
51:33 Wedding plans and the Pride 5K
52:56 Where to see KICK
54:35 Thanks for watching

Learn more about New York Road Runners: nyrr.org
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