Sports Legends

Three Lessons Steve Prefontaine’s Running Teach Us About Life

The controversial and intense distance runner was born 70 years ago. His hard-elbowed passion still inspires us.

Lately, I’ve been wondering what would Steve do?

Steve Prefontaine would be 70 years old this year.

Before Pre died in a post-midnight car accident at the age of 24 in May of 1975, the running legend held the American record in seven distance track events from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. He always ran his own race his way, coaches be damned. He was no fan of doing it the way it was supposed to be done.

If he was around today, what would he make of the world we’ve made?

“Go Pre!”

I attended the University of Oregon back when Prefontaine was breaking all those incredible records. He was a major campus celebrity because of his talent for sure, but also because of the way he wore it, publicly and privately.

In 1975, I was a just-employed TV newsman at KVAL-TV in Eugene when the news came in. The suddenness and the magnitude of the loss took my breath away then as it still does now.