Eric Holt (born 12 May 1995) is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. He is a member of the Empire Elite Track Club, a training group based in New York City, and is the 2022 NACAC 1500 m champion.[1]
 Holt at the 2024 Penn Relays | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | May 12, 1995 Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | ||||||||||||||
| Education | Binghamton University | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 1500 m, Mile | ||||||||||||||
| University team | Binghamton Bearcats | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Empire Elite Track Club | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Eric was born in Illinois and grew up in Carmel, New York, where he starred on the Carmel High School cross country and track and field teams.[2]
Athletics career
editHigh school
editIn 2013, during his senior year of high school at Carmel High School, Holt won the New York state title in the 1600 m in 4:07.00 and ran a 3200 m personal best of 9:00.20.[3]
Binghamton and post-collegiate
editFrom 2013 to 2018, Holt competed for Binghamton University in cross country and track and field. He never qualified for the NCAA Championships, but ran a mile personal best of 4:00.65 during his redshirted fourth year in 2017 and won 6 America East Conference titles.[4]
After graduating college, Holt received no interest from professional training groups but continued to train while working as a mental health worker at a psychiatric ward in Westchester County, New York. He often ran workouts at late hours of the night after long shifts, which he claimed made him "incredibly mentally tough". Under this unorthodox training regimen, Holt broke the four-minute barrier in the mile for the first time 2019, winning the Monmouth Mile in 3:58.88.[5][6]
Empire Elite
editIn 2021, he caught the attention of coaches Tom Nohilly and John Trautmann, who invited him to join their newly formed Empire Elite Track Club, the successor to the former New Jersey New York Track Club. Later that year, Holt ran a 3:36.62 1500 m personal best at the Portland Track Festival and reached the semi-finals of the 2020 United States Olympic trials, before being eliminated.[7]
At the 2022 US Championships, Holt finished fourth, and later that summer, represented the United States at the NACAC Championships in the Bahamas, where he won gold ahead of Josh Thompson and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot in a championship record of 3:37.62.[8]
Ahead of the 2023 US Championships, Holt took first in the 1500 m at the USATF NYC Grand Prix in a seasons best of 3:37.07. At USAs in July, Holt qualified for the final, but finish last in 3:37.63. Later that month, Holt ran a 3:34.50 lifetime best to win the Under Armour Sunset Tour in Los Angeles.[9]
At the 2024 NYC Grand Prix, Holt ran a personal best of 3:34.05 to earn second place.[10] Holt qualified for the 2024 US Olympic Trials in the 1500 m and 800 m events.[11] His coaches shared that Empire Elite is “maxing out the credit cards right now" to pay for Holt's training.[12]
On June 26th, in between his 1500m and 800m races at the US Olympic Trials, Holt announced that he had signed a deal with Puma.[13]
Competition record
edit| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Staten Island, New York | H3 8th | 1,000 m | 2:27.81 |
| 2020 | USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 9th | 1,500 m | 3:53.93 |
| 2021 | US Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | SF1 8th | 1,500 m | 3:39.83 |
| 2022 | 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | The Podium Spokane, Washington |
11th | 1,500 m | 3:46.87 |
| USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Hayward Field Eugene, Oregon |
4th | 1,500 m | 3:46.15 | |
| 2023 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Hayward Field Eugene, Oregon |
12th | 1,500 m | 3:37.63 |
| 2024 | 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Albuquerque Convention Center Albuquerque, New Mexico |
11th | 1,500 m | 3:44.97 |
| US Olympic Trials | Hayward Field Eugene, Oregon |
SF1 11th | 1,500 m | 3:39.45 | |
| SF3 DQ | 800 m | N/A |
Personal life
editHolt is the youngest of four children and has three older sisters. He lived with his parents for a time due to him being unsponsored for most of his career.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Eric HOLT | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "Meet the 2021 Competitors: Eric Holt". Sir Walter Miler. 2021-07-31. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Eric Holt – Stats". MileSplit New York. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "Eric Holt – Men's Cross Country". Binghamton University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ LetsRun.com (2023-06-29). "Meet Empire Elite's Eric Holt: The Dark-Horse Contender For the U.S. 1500m Team". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "Holtamania Is Here!". Fleet Feet. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "Miler Eric Holt Doesn't Want to Have Any Regrets". Runner's World. 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "Carmel's Eric Holt wins 1500 gold at international championship in Bahamas". Bring Back the Mile. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "Whittni Morgan and Eric Holt Rebound With Strong Efforts, Isaiah Harris Continues Impressive Run". Runnerspace. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "Eric HOLT | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
- ^ "USA Track & Field | Status of Entries". usatf.org. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
- ^ a b "At 29 and living with his parents, this runner clings to an Olympic dream". Washington Post. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
- ^ Lorge Butler, Sarah (June 26, 2024). "Journeyman Runner Eric Holt Gets a Shoe Deal, Finally!". Runners World. Retrieved June 27, 2024.