Billy Mills and Having a Dream!

“Pursuit of a dream can heal a broken soul.” “God has given me the ability. The rest is up to me. Believe. Believe. Believe.” – Billy Mills

Last Friday, Billy Mills was the guest on Blog Talk Radio's Native Trailblazers. Toward the end of the show he said, "Even though I am 82 years old, I will always have a dream in front of me."

I came to the sport of running at the age of 53, and one of the first runners I learned about was Billy Mills. His YouTube video describing the greatest upset in Olympic History carried me from the starting line in Hopkinton to the Finish Line on Boylston Street and through my many many running adventures.



To hear him tell his story and what fuels his passion and purpose on Friday's show gave me goosebumps. I was delighted to learn that he read the phrase, "The subconscious mind cannot distinguish between real and imaginary" in a college textbook and it strongly resonated with him. Ever since I saw the video I was curious about what inspired him to harness the power of visualization to prepare for the Games.

What particularly moved me was to hear how he felt the call to give back to his community after winning the Gold. From the website of Running Strong for American Indian Youth:

Running Strong was founded under Christian Relief Services in 1986. After Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota) became the Olympic champion for the 10K, he made it his priority to give back to his community and create a better future for American Indian youth. He joined forces with Eugene Krizek and together they created Running Strong, aiming to bring basic resources and a sense of hope to some of the most impoverished American Indian communities in the nation.

Running Strong's work began primarily on the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Indian Reservations in South Dakota. We implemented programs to provide aid with food and nutrition, women and children’s health, education, and seasonal demands. Over the years, our service population and programming expanded dramatically. Today we are proud to serve American Indian people both on and off reservations throughout the United States.

Billy repeatedly shared how the mission of Running Strong is to "Empower the vision of the elders and inspire the dreams of the youth."

I might add that he sounds as youthful today as he did in the above YouTube video!

Scott Little surprised Billy as a call in guest on the show. He shared how he created a Brand to "do good" because the world doesn't need more brands but needs brands that do good. They created a partnership with Fox River Mills.

Be Confident. Dream Big. Run Strong.

Running Strong is proud to announce that we have partnered with Fox River Mills® to launch the Run Strong by Fox River® sock line.

Inspired by our National Spokesperson, co-founder and Olympic Gold medalist Billy Mills, Run Strong socks are high quality running socks that support Running Strong's work building a new generation of Native American leaders who demonstrate healthy lifestyles, inspire youth, preserve their cultures, and celebrate their identities.

$1 of every pair sold is donated to Running Strong and goes back into strengthening Native communities.

The 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo. Billy has been sending out a monthly email with his stories on the Road to Tokyo several of which he shared in Friday's interview.

We all have dreams and so often abandon our dreams because we don't believe we can achieve them.

Billy Mills' story reminds us all to believe believe believe!

Be sure to visit the website for Running Strong to learn more about their programs, and stock up on those Made in America running socks to be confident, dream big and run strong and support our Native American brothers and sisters.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

Be inspired by my interview with Kendra Petrone on the award winning Exceptional Women Show by following this link

To experience an epic race weekend and hear me share my journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond come to the Hyannis Marathon Weekend February 21-23 2020.