The only American to ever win the Olympic 10,000-meter run was the keynote speaker for the ninth annual Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity.

Billy Mills was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In high school, he became involved with distance running, which earned him a scholarship to the University of Kansas. After graduation, he began to prepare for the Olympics. In 1964, Mills stunned the world when he came from behind to win the gold medal in the 10,000-meter run. He also created the organization Running Strong for American Indian Youth.

Mills was introduced by ISU athletics director Jamie Pollard to a capacity crowd Friday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

“It is an honor to introduce Billy Mills today,” Pollard said. “Just being able to speak to him will be something that I will always cherish.”

Mills said his Olympic experience was second to none.

“That moment was very special for me, and I felt like I had wings on my feet,” Mills said.

Mills said he faced a variety of problems and challenges while he was growing up and well into his adult years.

“The greatest challenge you face is perceptions,” he said.

Mills shared a story about his autobiographical movie, “Running Brave.” Actor Robbie Benson played him in the film.

Mills and Benson met up and decided to run against each other. During the race, people were confused about which man was the real Mills. Mills identified himself as “that old guy,” which prompted laughter from the audience.

He challenged the audience members to pursue their dreams by showing a brief video.

“Every dream has a passion, and our future is not a guaranteed choice,” Mills said.

Overall, the audience’s reaction to the speaker was overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic.

“He was a very interesting speaker and kept us involved. He is a great storyteller, and overall empowering,” said Mariana Seda, senior in English. “He kept getting the audience really excited while keeping us on the edge of our seats.”

Mills’ story of personal inspiration and growth inspired some in the crowd.

“I thought it was really good and inspiring,” said Claire Munyae, freshman in liberal arts and sciences-open option. “My favorite part was when he said every passion has a dream, because this is something that I feel strongly about, and people need to think about this a lot more.”