Everyone who knew of him called him, Pre.
Jan. 25, 1951 – May 30, 1974
If there ever was an American runner who had courage, guts and vision, Steve Prefontaine would have to be at the top of the list.
Click here – Pre You Tube videos – and take your pick.
One of my all-time favorite movies, in any genre, is Without Limits– the Steve Prefontaine story.
He was a front-runner. meaning, he went out front, grabbed the lead and held onto it until the finish line.
His coach, Bill Bowerman, at the University of Oregon, tried to get him to hold back and draft off other runners. Hold back so he could run his last mile faster than his first mile – and probably his overall time would be faster.
Pre, basically, would have none of it.
(Click here – Pre’s attitude – to play the movie trailer)
The only way he knew how to run was flat out, all the way.
Even if he lost, he would always know that he left nothing on the track.
His greatest race was the 5,000 at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He finished fourth.
But it was still his greatest race.
If I have to explain it to you, then you probably won’t understand. But that’s OK. There’s a ton I still don’t understand.
I do understand one thing though, if your goals aren’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough. You can quote me on that one.
Carpe diem and leave nothing on the track. jeff noel 🙂