Today I’m sharing my conversation with the mountain runner, Rickey Gates.

Rickey isn't just your typical long distance runner. He's a profoundly creative and expressive person whose athletic prowess is just the surface of his multifaceted identity. He earned his reputation within the competitive mountain running circuit and he grew in popularity in step with the growth of the sport as a whole. After a decade as a Salomon athlete competing at the biggest races around the world, he slowly transitioned into more creative projects and became known as a conceptual runner.

These creative projects include “Transamericana,” a documentary film about his run across America with just a 12 pound bag and a ...