Steve Roland Prefontaine (Pre) is a celebrated legend in the competitive running world. Most typical track athletes would probably struggle to name any other distance runner from the 1970’s besides him. His race times, incredible. His NCAA win record, flawless. His tragic car accident death in 1975 at the age of 24, heart wrenching. But what truly makes this man a legend is clear to me, and that is undoubtedly his mental toughness and mind-blowing grit.
Despite winning multiple high school state championships, breaking 4 minutes in the mile on numerous occasions, and never losing a single race in collegiate competition, Steve’s most famous and grittiest race in my mind is without a doubt his 5000-meter race at the 1972 Munich Olympics. This race would see the 21 year old Oregon product thrown into a much more experienced field, but determined to make his mark for his country. It was gold or bust for Steve. “I mean it’s pretty cool cause he really wasn’t afraid to mix the race up.” said my friend and former teammate Frank Lopez.
After taking the lead 3400 meters in, Steve wasn’t going to let anyone take the win from him. In the last lap of the race, he could have just hung on for third, but he didn’t want to let the two leaders go, sprinting down the back stretch to keep up with them. In the final 100 meters of the race, Steve’s ravenged body could no longer keep up, and he struggled to the line, falling out of third place and losing his spot on the podium. Steve would later state that it was the most disappointed he’d ever been.
So what makes the race in which Prefontaine struggled and missed out on the podium one of his greatest? It is simply because of his insane go for broke mindset. This mindset was evident in so many of Pres races, in which he would often take the contest out in a blisteringly fast pace or go with others who were faster than him, trying with all his might to hold on and finish at the end. Pre wanted to make each race hurt, he wanted to leave more than just 100% on the track. People would watch him go and say that they had never seen anyone race like that before. Steve was the human definition of Nike’s famous slogan “Finish On Empty”.
“He died in the 70’s, but so many student athletes today in 2025 know his name, at least within the running world.” said ERHS cross country coach and Apush (AP U.S. History teacher David Cummings. “I think there will be other names that will come into the running world and make a huge impact, but I don’t think Steve Prefontaine’s legacy will be ever forgotten.”
He may have left this earth too soon, but his gutsy, bold running spirit is immortal in the world of track.
