Running is incredibly important in Native American culture. It embodies the values of being responsible, taking care of ones self and family, working hard and ultimately, persevering. Life on the reservations can be very difficult. Within the Navajo Nation unemployment hovers around 40 percent and health problems are omnipresent. For a handful of high school students, running is their best chance at achieving a higher education and having opportunities beyond the reservation.

Ryan Heffernan is an advertising photographer and commercial director, based out of Santa Fe, NM and San Francisco, CA. He specializes in capturing people in their unique environments. Heffernan has worked for diverse clients ranging from Adobe Systems, UBS, McGarrah Jessee, The Martin Agency, and New Mexico Tourism to Outside Magazine, GQ, Pentagram, and a host of others.