Steve Prefontaine Over or Under Rated?

[MJD]

Re: Cult of Personality

>Stewart didn't
>have the good fortune to kill himself in a car
>accident at a young age. That's always a good way
>to achieve cult status.

Excellent point. I'm going to get flamed for this but Cobain and Kennedy quickly come to mind.

Re: Cult of Personality

I must have missed something....what is the gruesome disease that Ian Stewart may die of?

[MJD]

Re: Cult of Personality

>I must have missed something....what is the
>gruesome disease that Ian Stewart may die of?

It was just a "Brian's Song" reference. Nothing wrong with the man.

Re: Steve Prefontaine Over or Under Rated?

I don't think Pre had
>refined his tactics to the level necessary to
>beat racers with better kicks that possessed the
>same or better fitness than he did. Recall that
>Brendan Foster started using mid-race surges
>effectively in 1974 and 75, but Carlos Lopes
>employed a more gradual acceleration from the
>front in the '76 10K and Foster couldn't handle
>that strategy.

Foster was ill for that race and still managed to hang on to third. Pre was very similar to Lopes and might have fought Lopes for the silver at 10k.

He doesn't medal at 5k.

Re: Steve Prefontaine Over or Under Rated?

<It probably would have taken something as radical as John Ngugi's mid-race surge in the Seoul 5K (when have we seen a race like that since then??!!) to win the '76 race, and I don't think Pre or anyone else had the goods at that time.>

I do not have access to my T&FN etc. right now. To my thinking, the most remarkable mid-race surge in a long distance race at a recent "high-level" championship, was Paul (?) Kipkoech's run in the 10K, at the Worlds (87?/89?). What a shame that ill health prevented him from showing us more of his talent in future years!

Re: Steve Prefontaine Over or Under Rated?

"As a runner: probably over-rated.
As a personality and 'force' in track at the time: rated where he should be - extremely high. He did more to galvanize Am distance running and inspire others than did even Shorter, who's 2nd in influence."

This states it quite well. I'm a huge fan and Pre was an extremely important icon/role model when I was competing. However, it's clear that his memory is far more vital in the US than anywhere else. In Europe, he's simply a guy who probably had a good deal more potential than he ever realized. One of the reasons he's so avidly remembered today is precisely because of all the (we assume) untapped potential--we can imagine that he would have accomplished anything and everything.

Re: Steve Prefontaine Over or Under Rated?

NO,,,MAYBEE A LITTLE BUT THE BOTTOM LINE WAS AND YOU HAVE TO TALK TO BILL DELLINGER FACE TOP FACE,PRE 1ST HELD 6 AMERICAN RECORDS+ONE MORE.I THINK HE WOULD HAVE BEATEN VIREN IN MONTREAL IN 5K NOT 10K.HE WAS ACCORDING TO BOWERMAN IN 99,PREPARING FOR SUB 13:10 IN 5K HEADING TOWARDS SUB 13,PROBABLY WORLD CUP-77.

HERES SOMETHING NO ONE HAS EVER EVER MENTIONED,PRE WAS GOING TO RUN THE 5K&1500 SURPRISE AT 76 OLYMPIC TRIALS.HE FELT HE COULD EASILY BEING IN EUGENE RUN A 335 AT HAYWARDFIELD.3:36.MAYBEE FASTER.IN STEVES MIND THE REAL TEST OF HIS CAREER WAS WHO WAS GOING UNDER 3:50 IN THE MILE IN 1976 WALKER DID BUT PRE WANTED IN TOO.OUTSIDE OF RICK WOLHUTER,HE REMAINED UNBEATABLE AGAINST OTHER AMERICANS HE AND WOLHUTER WERE THE 76 SURPRISE SHOWDOWN IN EUGENE.MILE HISTORY WAS CALLING IN 1976.MOST NO ONE KNOWS BUT PRE HAD INTENDED ON RUNNING IN KINGSTON JAMAICA IN 1975 MAY WHEN BAYI BROKE JIM RYANS WORLD RECORD,HE COUKLDNT HIS NORDITALIA ATHLETES RIGHTS MEET AGAINST THE FINNS WAS AT THE SAME TIME ALMOST&VIREN NEVER SHOWED UP.

U LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY.

Re: Steve Prefontaine Over or Under Rated?

yo, turn off the caps lock, dude - no need to shout.

Re: Steve Prefontaine Over or Under Rated?

I do not have access to my T&FN etc.
>right now. To my thinking, the most remarkable
>mid-race surge in a long distance race at a
>recent "high-level" championship, was Paul (?)
>Kipkoech's run in the 10K, at the Worlds
>(87?/89?). What a shame that ill health prevented
>him from showing us more of his talent in future
>years!>

That was '87. I think he ran around a 14:00 first half and then ran 13:38 for the second half which at the time was considered a pretty quick finish.

I think he died of hepatitis?