Almost a week late, but: STOP PRE

[democracyindanger]

Steve Prefontaine died May 30, 1975, in a car accident in Eugene, Ore. He was 24 at the time of his death.

Prefontaine was the face of American distance running. He made bold, brash predictions -- and usually backed them up. At one point, he held every American record from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. Yet he never set a world record and failed to win an Olympic medal in 1972 (he finished fourth in the 5,000 meters).

Prefontaine is still lionized in running circles. Runners at Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, Ore., stop at his memorial and kiss a plaque as part of a yearly ritual. Times are still compared to his. He was a key component in Nike's growth; says Nike founder Phil Knight: "He not only set a tone for his sport, for me at least, he set a tone for this whole company."

This weekend, the annual Prefontaine Classic will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene. America's top track stars will be there ... paying homage to Prefontaine, 30 years later.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=ratto_ray&id=2072019

[Xandor]

1. GO PRE! GO PRE! GO PRE!! GO PREEEEEEEEE!!!!!

:)

[democracyindanger]

3. ;)

[Awsi Dooger]

2. Hard to believe it's been 30 years

I heard the news and approached a friend of mine who was on the track team. He couldn't even speak, and brushed me away so he could compose himself. And this was 3000 miles away in Miami.

Distance runners generally peak in their late 20s. It's hardly fair for an article to say Prefontaine failed to win an Olympic medal. Finishing 4th at age 21 in Munich was extremely respectable. Prefontaine's stage would have been '76 at Montreal, had he lived. Frankly, I doubt he could have threatened the great Lasse Viren but a lesser medal(s) definitely within reach.