Eric Holt worked a day job at a psych ward and trained by himself at midnight to pursue a shot only he believed in. At U.S. trials, it could all pay off.
Eric Holt worked a job at a psych ward and trained by himself at midnight to pursue a shot only he believed in. At U.S. trials, it could all pay off.
Holt, 29, decided years ago he wanted to be an Olympian against any feasible evidence it would be possible. He ran in college on a partial scholarship and never made the NCAA championships. He does not have a sponsor, which means he pays for his own equipment, physiotherapist and travel. He spent years training by himself after 13-hour shifts at a mental health clinic. He drove to races across the Northeast, rarely earning prize money and often relegated to B heats.
Holt is “terrified,” he said, every time he steps to a start line. A poor performance could embarrass him and Empire Elite. A victory over a field of professionals could give him the life he long has sought. But he also looks around and thinks to himself, “I can beat these guys.” In his first season, he broke five minutes in the mile. Someone told him he could be great, maybe even make the“Eric convinced our team we were going to make nationals, even though we were terrible,” said Sweet, who quit the soccer team to join. “He was just a hugely inspirational figure. He was this guy that didn’t understand his own limitations, and he didn’t understand anyone else’s, either.”
Sweet moved to Massachusetts after a year. In the summer of 2019, Holt traveled to a race alone. At dinner with a friend, Sweet monitored the live splits on his phone: 2:59 after three laps. When the final time popped up as 3:58, Sweet stood from the table, left his confused friend and sprinted down the street in celebration.John Trautmann and Tom Nohilly needed runners. They had been assistant coaches at the New Jersey-New York Track Club early in 2020 when Hoka cut its sponsorship.
“He had something in him I haven’t seen in too many athletes,” Trautmann said. “Just this drive. This hatred of losing.” “My girlfriend, she comes from a different sort of background than I do,” Holt said. “I know she hasn’t even told her parents about me yet, even though we’ve been dating over a year. I want to make the team. That way, when I’m finally introduced, it’ll be a good introduction.”
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