Gold medalist Billy Mills to return to Lawrence for 10K, meet-and-greet

Billy Mills throws his arms into the air as he hits the finish line to win a gold medal for the U.S. in the Olympic 10,000 meter run, in this Oct. 14, 1964 file photo in Tokyo.

Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills and his wife, Pat, will be in town this weekend to participate in the second annual Billy Mills 10K at Haskell Indian Nations University.

The race, sponsored by Ad Astra Running, is a fundraiser for Haskell’s running programs. It begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at the university’s cross country course, 155 Indian Ave.

Mills will then attend a meet-and-greet from 1-3 p.m. at Ad Astra Running, 734 Massachusetts St. A free screening of the film based on Mills’ life, “Running Brave,” will start at 6:30 p.m. at Haskell’s auditorium.

Registration for the race is $35 for adults, and it is available through Friday at Ad Astra’s website, adastrarunning.com.

Mills was a standout runner at Haskell — then called the Haskell Institute — and the University of Kansas in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He won a gold medal in the 10,000-meter run at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.