Steve Prefontaine

Steve Prefontaine was born in Coos Bay, on the Oregon Coast, on January 25, 1951. As a senior at Marshfield High School, he broke the two-mile American record. He signed on with the University of Oregon in 1969. At Oregon, he won seven NCAA titles, including 3-mile titles all four years. Although he was offered a six-figure contract to compete professionally, he chose to remain at the UO in Eugene, running as an amateur.

Prefontaine's profound effect was evident off the track. He volunteered his time at a local junior high school and at the Oregon State Penitentiary, where he began a running club for the inmates. He was also a vocal advocate for air-quality, petitioning for field-burning bans.

During his 24-year lifetime, Pre set the bar high for future runners. He accumulated eleven U.S. indoor and outdoor track records along with nine sub-4-minute miles. Best remembered as a running prodigy, Steve Prefontaine prevailed as a long-distance runner and went on to finish fourth in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.

Tragically killed in a car accident in 1975, many people continue to honor him by visiting his memorial "Pre's Rock" located at the site of the crash near the intersection of Birch and Skyline Boulevard in Eugene. Please note: Parking is not allowed along this section of road and it is dangerous for pedestrians.

The Steve Prefontaine Memorial Jogging Trail is popular with resident runners and visitors alike. Pre's Trail winds through Eugene's Alton Baker Park located east of the Ferry Street Bridge. The bark-covered trail can be accessed through the park located off Martin Luther King Boulevard near Autzen Stadium. The trail is also accessible via two footbridges: the Autzen Footbridge or the Knickerbocker Footbridge.

There are several other tributes to Pre including:

• The Prefontaine Classic, which attracts the best athletes in the world to compete annually at Hayward Field
• The Steve Prefontaine Memorial Jogging Trail located in Eugene at Alton Baker Park, where Prefontaine used to run.
• Statues of Pre at the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon
• A documentary, Fire on the Track: The Prefontaine Story, narrated by the late local author Ken Kesey.
• Two movies: Prefontaine and Without Limits (Without Limits was filmed at Hayward Field.)
• Tom Jordan's biography PRE which was the basis for the movie Prefontaine
• A memorial at the Coos Bay Art Museum
• A monument in Choshi, Japan

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