Steve Prefontaine

Steve Roland Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American long-distance runner who set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters from a period of 1973 to 1975. He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and he was preparing for the 1976 Olympics with the Oregon Track Club at the time of his death in 1975.

Prefontaine's career, alongside those of Jim Ryun, Frank Shorter, and Bill Rodgers, generated considerable media coverage, which helped inspire the 1970s "running boom". He was killed in an automobile crash near his residence in Eugene, Oregon, at the age of 24. One of the premier track meets in the world, the Prefontaine Classic, is held annually in Eugene in his honor. Prefontaine's celebrity status and charisma later resulted in two 1990s feature films about his short life.

Early life

Prefontaine was born on January 25, 1951, in Coos Bay, Oregon. His father, Raymond George Prefontaine (November 11, 1919 – December 21, 2004), was a welder who served in the U.S. Army in World War II. Steve's mother, Elfriede Anna Marie Sennholz (March 4, 1925 – July 16, 2013), worked as a seamstress. The two returned to Coos Bay after Ray met Elfriede in Germany while serving with the U.S. occupation The middle child and only son, he had two sisters, Neta and Linda,

Prefontaine was an exuberant person, even during his formative years. He was always moving around, partaking in different activities and events. In the eighth grade, he noticed several high school cross country team members jog to practice past the football field, an activity he then viewed as mundane. Later that year, he realized he could compete well in long-distance races during a three-week conditioning period in his physical education class. McClure had run under coach Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon in Eugene and his father, Walt McClure Sr. had run under Bill Hayward, also at Oregon.

Prefontaine's freshman and sophomore years were decent, and he managed a personal best of 5:01 in the mile in his first year. Though starting as the seventh man, he progressed to be the second by the end of the year and placed 53rd in the state championship.

In his senior year, many of his highest goals were set. He obtained a national record at the Corvallis Invitational with a time of 8:41.5, only one and a half seconds slower than his goal, and 6.9 seconds better than the previous record.

Some forty colleges across the nation attempted to recruit Prefontaine, and he received numerous phone calls, letters, and drop-in visits from coaches. He referred many of his calls to McClure, who wanted Prefontaine to attend the University of Oregon. McClure turned away those universities that began trying to recruit him late. McClure maintained that he did not sway Prefontaine's collegiate choice, except to ask Steve where all the runners went to college. Bowerman wrote a letter addressed to the community of Coos Bay describing his appreciation for their role in helping Steve become a great runner. At this time, he suffered only two more defeats in college (both in the mile), winning three Division I NCAA Cross Country Championships and four straight three-mile/5000-meter titles in track. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

Prefontaine became known as a very aggressive front runner, insisting on going out hard from the start and not relinquishing leads, reminiscent of the renowned 1956 Olympic gold medalist Vladimir Kuts, another famous front runner at 5,000 meters. Prefontaine said, "No one will ever win a 5,000-meter race by running an easy first two miles. Not against me." He would later state, "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". Along with his reputation for leading early instead of pacing himself until the last lap, Prefontaine had tremendous leg speed; his career-best for the mile (3:54.6) was only 3.5 seconds off the world record at the time.

A local celebrity, chants of "Pre! Pre! Pre!" became a frequent feature at Hayward Field, a place where famous runners ran. Fans liked to wear T-shirts that read "LEGEND" or "GO PRE", though there was one instance where a group of fans jokingly put on shirts that read "STOP PRE". Prefontaine found humor in the shirts and, when offered, decided to wear one for his victory lap. Prefontaine rapidly gained national attention and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 19 in June 1970.

1972 Summer Olympics

In 1971, he began his training for the following year's Olympic Games in Munich, which had special meaning for his family (his mother was German, and his parents had met and married in Germany). Prefontaine set the American record of 13:22.8 in the 5,000 meters at the 1972 Olympic Trials in Eugene on July 9. An underdog at the 1972 Olympics in Munich in September, Prefontaine took the lead in the 5,000 m final during the last mile and ended the slow pace of the first two miles, negative splitting the race. In second place at the start of the bell lap, he fell back to third with 200 meters to go. Lasse Virén took the lead in the final turn over eventual silver medalist Mohammed Gammoudi. Finding himself struggling to keep up, Prefontaine ran out of gas with only 10 meters to go as Britain's hard-charging Ian Stewart overtook him and moved into third place, depriving Prefontaine of an Olympic bronze medal. Prefontaine later said "That was the most disappointed I have ever been. I guess I underestimated the strength of Virén and Gammoudi, and Stewart was way too good for me at the end. That last 200 metres, I felt exhausted. They didn't allow me to run the race the way I had planned to, I was chasing them all the way." Following his fourth-place finish in the Olympic Games, Prefontaine went back to the University of Oregon with a newfound enthusiasm for running after his disappointing showing at the Olympics. This disappointment in his performance drove Pre to train harder than ever for his senior year of athletics, often logging over 10 miles per morning before he started his day.

In his four years at Oregon, Prefontaine never lost a collegiate (NCAA) race at 3 miles, 5,000 meters, 6 miles, or 10,000 meters. Returning for his senior he ended his collegiate career with only three defeats in Eugene, all in the mile. It was during this year that Prefontaine began a protracted fight with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which demanded that athletes who wanted to remain "amateur" for the Olympics not be paid for appearances in track meets. Some viewed this arrangement as unfair, because the participants drew large crowds that generated millions of dollars in revenue, with the athletes being forced to shoulder the burden of all their own expenses without assistance. At the time, the AAU was rescinding athletes' amateur status if they were endorsed in any way. Because Prefontaine was accepting free clothes and footwear from Nike, he was subject to the AAU's ruling.

Visits to Oregon State Penitentiary

Prefontaine had first visited the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Oregon as part of a sociology project. He enjoyed spending time with the prisoners so much that he continued to come back solo to the prison while still enrolled at the University of Oregon to put on seminars and to teach the inmates about running. Prefontaine believed that running could help the prisoners focus on training and racing instead of getting into trouble with all the other prison distractions that went on during the day. One prisoner recounts that Prefontaine treated him and the other prisoners like "regular people" and would sit down and talk about life with them. Furthermore, Prefontaine's "rebellious nature" and charisma also helped him bond on a personal level with prisoners through conversation.

After college (1974–75)

thumb|Prefontaine signing a child's arm, c. 1975.

Following his collegiate career at Oregon, Prefontaine prepared for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. While running for the Oregon Track Club, Prefontaine set American records in every race from 2,000 to 10,000 meters.

Death

In 1975, a group of traveling Finnish athletes took part in an NCAA Prep meet at Hayward Field in Eugene. After the event on Thursday, May 29, which included a 5,000-meter race that Prefontaine won, the Finnish and American athletes attended a party at the home of former Duck runner Geoff Hollister. Prefontaine left the party to drive Frank Shorter to Kenny Moore's home on Prospect Drive, then descended narrow Skyline Boulevard alone, east of the university campus near Hendricks Park. A nearby resident, Bill Alvarado (1936–2006), arrived next at the scene (he had heard Bylund's car screeching off) and reported that he found the man flat on his back, unconscious and pinned beneath the wreck. Prefontaine was pronounced dead at the scene on the arrival of paramedics. He was 24 years old. His blood alcohol content (BAC) was found by the Eugene Police Department to be 0.16%. In Oregon at the time, a BAC of 0.10% was considered driving while intoxicated while 0.15% was a criminal offense. The official cause of his death was traumatic asphyxiation. No other injuries contributed to his death.

Prefontaine's body was buried in his hometown of Coos Bay at Sunset Memorial Park. A day after his funeral in Coos Bay, a memorial service at Hayward Field in Eugene drew thousands.

Aftermath

Eugene's Register-Guard called his death "the end of an era". An annual track event, the Prefontaine Classic, has been held in his memory since 1975. Known as the "Hayward Field Restoration Meet" in its first two years, it was rebranded as the "Bowerman Classic" for 1975 and set for June 7. Two days after Prefontaine's death, it was renamed by the Oregon Track Club on June 1, with Bill Bowerman's approval, and the first "Pre Classic" was held six days later.

During his career, Prefontaine won 120 of the 153 races he ran (), and never lost a collegiate (NCAA) track race longer than one mile at the University of Oregon. In 2020, SuperWest Sports included Prefontaine in its list of The Greatest Pac-12 Male Track and Field Athletes of All Time.

The Oregon State Penitentiary run club that Prefontaine helped create still continues to operate and hold races. The prison run club hosts 10 races per year that inmates are allowed to sign up for and includes up to 20 outside guests per race. Each day of the race holds a 5km race and a 10km race that consists of loops around the prison yard. To qualify to participate for the run club, an inmate needs to record 18 months of good behavior.

Memorials

Pre's Rock

thumb|Pre's Rock in 2007

Pre's Rock is a memorial at the base of the roadside outcrop where Prefontaine died. An engraved stone memorial with a picture of Prefontaine, it reads:

"PRE"

thumb|right|Pre's Rock in June 2012, during the [[2012 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|U.S. Olympic Trials]]

Runners inspired by Prefontaine leave behind memorabilia to honor his memory and his continued influence, such as race numbers, medals, and running shoes. Paying such homage to Prefontaine has become a tradition that reaches a height during important or noteworthy running events in Eugene (e.g. the Olympic Trials or the Prefontaine Classic). As University of Oregon professor Daniel Wojcik documents in his study of the memorial, Pre's Rock has become both a grassroots shrine and pilgrimage site for athletes and non-athletes from around the world.

Pre's Rock was dedicated in December 1997 and is maintained by Eugene Parks and Recreation as Prefontaine Memorial Park. The rock is a mile (1.6 km) due east of Hayward Field, just across the Willamette River from the east end of Pre's Trail. On Skyline Boulevard, it is approximately from its intersection with Birch Lane.

The Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay contains a section dedicated to Prefontaine. This section includes medals he won during his career and the pair of spikes he wore when setting an American record for the 5,000 meters at Hayward Field.

Prefontaine was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, where several exhibits showcase his shoes, shirts, and other memorabilia. He was also inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in upper Manhattan where one of his Oregon track uniforms is on display.

The Pete Susick Stadium at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay dedicated their track to honor Prefontaine, in April 2001.

Nike used video footage in a commercial titled "Pre Lives" advertising his spirit for their product. On the 30th anniversary of his death in 2005, Nike placed a memorial advertisement in Sports Illustrated, Eugene's Register-Guard, and aired a television commercial in his honor. Nike's headquarters have a building named after him.

The day after Prefontaine's death, the Register-Guard printed Ode to S. Roland, a poem by chief American rival Dick Buerkle.

Prefontaine remains an iconic figure at the University of Oregon to this day. In 2020, the university polled alumni and fans on social media, asking them which four UO alumni they would place on a national Mount Rushmore for the university. Prefontaine was one of the four winners, along with Nike co-founder Phil Knight; current NFL player Marcus Mariota, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner; and Sabrina Ionescu, who had just completed an epic college basketball career for the Ducks.

In popular culture

Prefontaine's life story has been detailed in two feature films: 1997's Prefontaine (starring Jared Leto as Prefontaine) and 1998's Without Limits (starring Billy Crudup as Prefontaine), as well as the documentary film Fire on the Track.

Personal bests

At the time of his death in May 1975, Prefontaine held every American outdoor track record between 2,000 and 10,000 meters. His personal best times over each distance, including those records, are below.

| align=center|Mile ||align=right|3:54.6||align=right|June 20, 1973 || align=center|Eugene || runner-up to Dave Wottle

| align=center|2,000 m ||align=right|5:01.4||align=right|May 9, 1975|| align=center|Coos Bay || American record

| align=center|3,000 m ||align=right|7:42.6||align=right|July 2, 1974 || align=center|Milan || American record, broken by Rudy Chapa, May 10, 1979

| align=center|Three miles ||align=right|12:51.4||align=right|June 8, 1974 ||align=center|Eugene || American record

| align=center|Six miles ||align=right| 26:51.4||align=right|April 27, 1974 || align=center|Eugene || American record, set in the first six miles of his 10,000 m record run (below)

| align=center| ||align=right| 27:43.6||align=right|April 27, 1974 ||align=center|Eugene || American record, broken by Craig Virgin, June 17, 1979

|American record

|rowspan=2|Bislett Games

|rowspan=2|Oslo, Norway

|bgcolor=silver align=center|2nd

|1500 m

|3:39.4

|bgcolor=gold align=center|1st

|3000 m

|7:44.2

|American record

|Olympic Games

|Munich, Germany

|align=center|4th

|5000 m

|13:28.4

|Zauli Memorial

|Rome, Italy

|bgcolor=silver align=center|2nd

|5000 m

|13:26.4

|Three days after Olympics

|rowspan=5|1973

|Sunkist Invitational Indoor Meet

|Los Angeles, California

|bgcolor=gold align=center|1st

|2 mile

|8:27.4

|LA Times Invitational Indoor Games

|Inglewood, California

|bgcolor=gold align=center|1st

|Mile

|3:59.2

|Oregon Twilight II Meet

|Eugene, Oregon

|bgcolor=gold align=center|1st

|2 mile

|8:24.6

|Hayward Field Restoration Meet

|Eugene, Oregon

|bgcolor=silver align=center|2nd

|Mile

|3:54.6

|personal best

|1970

|AAU Track and Field Championships

|Bakersfield, California

|align=center|5th

|3 mile

|13:26.0

|1970

|NCAA Cross Country Championships

|Williamsburg, Virginia

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|28.00.2

|1971

|NCAA Cross Country Championships

|Knoxville, Tennessee

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|29:14.0

|1973

|NCAA Cross Country Championships

|Spokane, Washington

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|28:14.8

Prefontaine redshirted the Fall of 1972 after the Olympics which made him eligible to run cross country in the fall of 1973.

Track and field

!colspan=7| Representing Oregon

|1970

|NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Drake Stadium<br />

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|3 mile

|13:22.0

|1971

|NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Husky Stadium<br />

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|3 mile

|13:20.1

|1972

||NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Hayward Field<br />

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|5000 m

|13:31.4

|1973

|NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Bernie Moore Track Stadium<br />

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|3 mile

|13:05.3

:NCAA meet record

: A 5000 m race was held this year rather than a 3 mile race

: NCAA meet record for 5000 m; broke Gerry Lindgren's 1968 record of 13:57.2

: Broke his own NCAA meet record and set a stadium record

|1966

|Oregon State Cross Country Championships

|6th

|12:36

|1967

|Oregon State Cross Country Championships

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|12:13.8

|1968

|Oregon State Cross Country Championships

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|11:30.2

Track and field

!colspan=7| Representing Marshfield High School

|1968

|Oregon State Track and Field Championships

|Corvallis, Oregon

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|2 mile

|9:02.7

|rowspan=2|1969

|rowspan=2|Oregon State Track and Field Championships

|rowspan=2|Corvallis, Oregon

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Mile

|4:08.4

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|2 mile

|9:03.0