The American running boom icon: Steve PREFONTAINE
Steve PREFONTAINE is arguably the most legendary American long-distance runner, not only for his accomplishments on the track but also for his charismatic personality.
Munich 1972 – Qualifications 5000 m Hommes – Steve PREFONTAINE (USA) en tête. (1972) by KishimotoThe Olympic Museum
Steve PREFONTAINE, the "enfant terrible" of running
Born in 1951 in Oregon with one leg shorter than the other, PREFONTAINE discovered running at school. At first, he was a little perplexed, and wondered, " What kind of crazy person spends two or three hours running aimlessly ? ". But he quickly developed a taste for it.
Steve PREFONTAINE left a lasting mark on an entire generation of runners through his competitive spirit, his unique style, his memorable punchlines and his untimely and tragic death. A graduate in communication and sociology, PREFONTAINE frequently came out with memorable, such as :"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
Prefontaine's encounter with Bowerman
Between 1970 and 1973, Steve PREFONTAINE enrolled at the University of Oregon to train under the guidance of Bill BOWERMAN.
He won four 5,000-metre championship titles, including three consecutive World Championship titles.
Munich 1972 - Finale du 5000m Hommes (1972) by David l. Wolper Productions; Bavaria AtelierThe Olympic Museum
Munich 1972 – Steve PREFONTAINE
At the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972, " PRE ", as he was nicknamed in the running community, finished fourth in the 5,000 metres.
Munich 1972 - 5000m Hommes - Mohamed GAMMOUDI (TUN) 2ème, Emiel PUTTEMANS (BEL) 5ème, Steve PREFONTAINE (USA) 4ème et Lasse VIREN (FIN) 1er. (1972) by Comité International Olympique (CIO)The Olympic Museum
Munich 1972
PRE ran without a specific tactic, despite BOWERMAN's advice. Instead of staying behind the other favourites in the 5,000-metre race, he shook up the pack by accelerating too early, ultimately only just falling short of the podium.
Nike ambassador
After his disappointment at the 1972 Games, Steve PREFONTAINE, with the support of Bill BOWERMAN, became the ambassador and face of the revolutionary shoe with the waffled sole: the Nike Waffle.
The final race
While expected to compete for gold in the 5,000- or 10,000-metre events at the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, Steve PREFONTAINE tragically lost his life in a car accident in May 1975. On his way back, he had dropped off his teammate, American Frank SHORTER.
PRE became the icon of the "running boom" in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s, when nearly 25 million Americans, including President Jimmy Carter, embraced running as a way of life. Two films were made about Steve PREFONTAINE's life: the biopic "Prefontaine" (1997), featuring Jared Leto, and "Without Limits" (1998), which vividly portrays the life of the young American champion who tragically passed away at the age of 24.
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