No one who runs can run for long without hearing the name "Prefontaine." Steve Prefontaine is one of those guys that embodies both greatness and tragedy. Many have run faster, but few have run better than this kid from Oregon. His inspiration literally outlives him.
Pre was born in Coos Bay, Oregon, on January 25, 1951. His parents were blue collar, and Coos Bay is an unremarkable town. Prefontaine was an unremarkable kid except he had some talent at running. Talent alone will not take you anywhere, but Steve added in a blue collar grittiness and determination that made him special. Steve trained hard and became a very good high school runner. He decided to attend the University of Oregon. Oregon would make Pre a star.
While a collegiate runner, Pre would go on to set track records in every distance event from 2000 to 10,000 meters. Pre had a very hard style of training and racing summed up in his legendary quotation, "I am going to work so that it's a pure guts race. In the end, if it is, I'm the only one that can win it." Pre didn't just beat his opponents so much as punish them. His philosophy was to give it all he had, and if he did that, it would be enough. Despite having talent, Pre paid that talent no mind. His outlook on the sport was fundamentally blue collar. Victory goes to the one who works the hardest and who is the toughest and has the most guts. With his winning smile and outsize personality, you could see how charismatic the guy could be.
After leaving college, Pre went on to set American records in various distances and competed in the Munich Olympics where he suffered a crushing fourth place finish in the 5000 meters. Even in defeat, he was inspiring and gave a clear showing of what to expect from Pre in the future. His career was just beginning when it was cut short on May 30, 1975 when Pre flipped his MG and died as the car crushed him. It was as if fate could not stand the challenge that Pre presented and cut him down before he had a chance to make a dent in the universe.
Pre's life and example still looms large in the minds of a lot of people today. He is still revered as a sort of athletic saint and icon at the University of Oregon. They have made two movies and a documentary about his life. His image and words adorn countless numbers of posters and T-shirts. Pre is remembered primarily because he was unforgettable. It is a shame that he only lived to be 24.
---
0 comments:
Post a Comment