Stepping Outside the Bubble

While the rest of us retreat deeper into our corners, ultrarunner Rickey Gates did something radical: he laced up and ran across America to actually listen. His 2017 TransAmericana expedition—now a stunning feature film—proves that the antidote to our fractured nation isn't another heated argument online; it's the simple, powerful act of hitting the trail and connecting with the humans on the other side of the divide.

Division over the last year (or few) has been amplified because so many of us refuse to hear the other side. We’re comfortable living in our bubbles, and we like the sound of our echo chambers. While politicians won’t cross the aisle, and Joe Public won’t cross the street for his neighbor, Ricky Gates ran across America guided by a desire to hear and understand “the other side” better. 

He’s a runner. He’s a storyteller. Rickey Gates is a reminder of our everyday opportunity to lace up and cross paths with life’s best stories - in nature and humanity. His 2017 TransAmericana running expedition across the continental U.S. yielded incredible social media posts and a book with first-person essays, interviews, and over 200 photographs documenting the journey. 

Last December, Salomon TV released TransAmericana as a feature film. MudGear recommends this terrifically beautiful documentary to everyone wondering how we will ever unite again as a nation. The answer isn’t attacking each other on Facebook, in the media, or in the streets. It may start with stepping outside our bubbles for a run.