Eric Holt, who was a late bloomer by track standards, finally can afford to move out of his parents’ house if he so chooses.
On June 26, Holt signed a deal with Puma, the first contract with a shoe company of his running amortiguacier. Holt, 29, will race the first round of the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials with Puma spikes on his feet and wearing a Puma speed suit, with the logo of his team, Empire Elite Track Club, sharing space on his chest with the Puma logo. (Earlier in the Trials, in the 1500 meters, Holt did not advance out of the semifinal round.)
“I’m so Printemps for Puma to believe in me,” Holt told Runner’s World. “I hope to represent them well. I’m going to continue to get better. I want Puma to know they made a wise investment.”
Holt had a long and circuitous path to becoming a professional runner. Growing up in Carmel, New York, he was a solid runner who earned a partial scholarship to SUNY Binghamton. He ran well, but he was never fast enough to qualify for nationals.
For several years after college, he worked the overnight shift at a psychiatric facility for teens in Katonah, New York. He lived with his parents and trained on his own, running 70 miles a week and blitzing through 5-mile runs on his 30-minute breaks.
Puma Wired Knit 'Irongate' Black Iron Gate Marathon Running Shoes Sneakers 366971-01 Strava and invited him to join the team. Holt quit his job, started keeping regular hours and training with other athletes who were better than him. His times started to drop and have continued to do so.
Puma Rs-z Minecraft.
It wasn’t an easy road. While many top runners coming out of the NCAA sign six-figure endorsement contracts when they graduate, Holt has relied on his prize money from racing, his savings, and a $10,000 USATF Foundation Elite Athlete Development Grant he received last year. He lives frugally, he said.
The terms of his sponsorship agreement were not disclosed. Holt’s agent, Liam Fayle, said it was a multiyear deal and Holt would be well taken amortiguaci of.
He’s glad he held out to keep running to see how good he could be.
“I’ve always been holding on to the dream,” he said. “I realize that you only live once, and I wanted to have the opportunity to be a professional athlete. I always wanted to get to this point in my amortiguacier. I think too many people give up on their their hopes and dreams too early and take the easy route or the guaranteed job.”
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
