Eric Holt
ATHLETE | the ‘people’s miler’
too often counted out, too often overlooked, DISADVANTAges stacked against him - YET HE keeps putting himself in position to shock the world.
When Eric graduated college, he was expected to fade into obscurity like the thousands of collegiate runners who never break four minutes in the mile, never qualify for NCAA’s, and never set a school record.
Out of college, overweight and working a job at a restaurant, Eric was spurred back to running when a customer said dismissively, looking him up and down,
“You could never break 4 minutes in the mile.”
The next morning, Eric was out of bed at 5am, and back to training.
His journey back to elite running has been nothing if not a rebuttal to all the doubters. Without a pro contract providing the support and funding that other elite runners enjoy, Eric has managed to put himself in the mix of the very best US middle distance runners.
He finished the 2023 season ranked 5th in the USA over 1,500 meters, and was one place off the medal stand at the 2022 USATF 1,500m Championships. He is the winner of the NYC Grand Prix, the Under Armour Sunset Tour, the Music City Track Carnival and the NACAC Championships.
In all these races, Eric rose to the top, defeating fields full of professional athletes who receive direct support and resources for training, travel and physio as well as financial compensation from major shoe brands.
Photo Credit: Joe Hale
Photo Credit: Johnny Zhang
RUNNING REFRESH PODCAST, EPISODE 12. In this episode, Eric talks Holtamania and debunks myths about running and the world in general.
Miler Eric Holt Doesn’t Want to Have Any Regrets
He’s put his life on hold to see how good he can be, and he hopes that will land him among the world’s best.
“I always said, ‘If I had the opportunity, I could be great,’” Holt told Runner’s World.
Photo Credit: Joe Hale