Steve Prefontaine Quotes
I decided that if I was going to continue in track, that I didn't want to lose, that I wasn't going to lose.
Jordan, Tom. Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine. Rodale Press, 1997, p. 19.
To the oft-repeated question, "Are you serious about the presidency?" Carter had a standard answer:
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was an American long-distance runner who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. While running for the Oregon Track Club, Prefontaine set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters, as he prepared for the 1976 Olympics. 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 died when aged 24 in an automobile accident near his residence in Eugene, Oregon. One of the premier track meets in the world, the Prefontaine Classic, is held annually in Eugene in his honor. Prefontaine's celebrity and charisma later resulted in two 1990s feature films about his short life.
