Steve Roland Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 - May 30, 1975) was an American Olympic runner born in Coos Bay, Oregon affectionately known as just "Pre." He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Prefontaine was primarily a long distance runner, and at one point held the American record in every running event from the 2000 meters to 10,000 meters. Prefontaine was killed on May 30, 1975 at the age of 24 in a car accident.

Marshfield High School (1966-1969)

During his freshman year at Marshfield High School, Prefontaine found moderate success in cross country, placing 53rd in the state meet. Determined to improve, Prefontaine undertook a high-mileage training program during the following summer that successfully improved his finish at the year-end state meet to 6th place.

the winter, he continued the rigorous training that led to his success in cross country in preparation for track.  According to many accounts, he suffered overtraining and, as a result, failed to qualify for the state meet. However, Prefontaine rebounded in spectacular fashion by winning every race he ran during his junior and senior years.  En route to this achievement he set a national high school record in the two-mile race with a time of 8:41.5 during his senior year.

University of Oregon (1970-1973)

Following high school, Prefontaine enrolled at the University of Oregon in order to continue his running under coach Bill Bowerman, who would later co-found the Nike shoe company. Following his freshman year, he went undefeated, winning three Division I NCAA Cross Country championships and four straight three-mile titles in Track and Field. He also set the American record in the 5000 meter race, the event that took him to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich. Prefontaine narrowly missed a medal there, falling behind in the last 100 meters and landing a 4th place finish. Returning for his senior year at the University of Oregon, Prefontaine ended his collegiate career undefeated by American runners. His collegiate 3 mile and 6 mile records still hold to this day, although neither has been regularly contested in collegiate athletics for some time.

During his collegiate career, he began to fight the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) which demanded that athletes who wished to remain "amateur" for the Olympics not be paid for appearances in track meets, even though they drew large crowds that generated a lot of money. Bowerman, who also fought the AAU's restrictions, began calling Prefontaine "Rube" because of his naivety and stubborness.

Post-Collegiate Career (1974-1975)

Following his time at the University of Oregon he set his sights on the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. During this time he set American records in every race from 2000 to 10,000 meters.

On May 30, 1975, on the return from a party down a familiar road, Prefontaine crashed into a rock wall along the right side of the road. Trapped there under his overturned car, Prefontaine died at age 24. There are speculations as to how he actually managed to lose control of the vehicle. Some say he was trying to change the radio station, which may be true, but he was also likely intoxicated at the time because he had been drinking earlier that night.

Aftermath

The death of Prefontaine proved shocking to many. The Eugene Register-Guard called his death "the end of an era." Controversy remains surrounding whether his death was classified an alcohol-related fatality. Although his blood alcohol content was 0.16, six hundredths higher than Oregon's then legal limit, it was a mortician that tested his blood rather than a medical examiner.

By the time of his death, Prefontaine, affectionately called Pre, was a very popular runner, and along with Frank Shorter can be attributed with helping to spark the running boom of the 1970s. His story has lead to three movies documenting his life: 1997's Prefontaine and 1998's Without Limits are dramatic movies based on his life, while Fire on the Track is a documentary of his life. An annual track event, the Pre Classic, has been held in his honor since 1974.

After the crash, a memorial was made called Pre's Rock to commemorate the life of Steve Prefontaine. Since then, hundreds of items have been left including jerseys, medals, and shoes. Thirty years after Pre's death, the landmark still stands, a legacy to one of the greatest American runners that ever lived.

Quotes

• "Having a true faith is the most difficult thing in the world. Many will try to take it from you." - Steve Prefontaine
• "A lot of people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." - Steve Prefontaine
• "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" - Steve Prefontaine

External links

• Memorial Run Website (http://www.prefontainerun.com/)
• Prefontaine Classic homepage (http://preclassic.com/)
• Stevepre.com: Prefontaine Fan Site (http://www.stevepre.com/)
• GoPre.com: Prefontaine Fan Site (http://www.gopre.com/)