Oregon is a running state.
Steve Prefontaine is an Oregon legend.
If Prefontaine competed today, would he be an ultimate athlete?
Yes. The guy was setting American track records from the 2000 meter to the 10,000 meter runs before his tragic death in 1975. At the time, he was readying for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
The greatest athletes inspire people by the millions. Prefontaine had that hold on people. They knew him. They loved him.
People saw a spark in Prefontaine that made them want to run. And run they did. Millions took up running in the 1970s, inspired by Pre and others like Frank Shorter. From that era, Nike emerged and to this day is the name associated with the world’s greatest athletes.
Prefontaine’s legend is extraordinary. What made him an ultimate athlete was something that is still important today. It’s the ability to perform at a world class level and also inspire millions of others to discover a connection and an athlete within themselves.
That is an ultimate athlete. And that’s what made Prefiontaine truly one of the greats of all time.
Hey Alex,
Interesting post. There’s no doubt that Prefontaine was a hell of a runner. If it weren’t for his tragic death, who knows what he would have accomplished. That being said, I’d be interested to see how he would do in a competition where he’d have to compete in other types of events.
I know plenty of great runners who are quite uncoordinated and can’t do much else other than run – don’t think that I’m suggesting Steve was uncoordinated. A competition where people have to conquer all sorts of events is a great equalizer, and it would have been neat to see how he would have fared in such an environment.
-Steve
Steve – I thought about the running factor. But he was such a trailblazer that I wonder how he would have approached sports in today’s world. Steve also had something else that transcends the great athletes from the rest. And that is charisma, which is timeless. Any athlete that can have such an impact on society gets a free pass to the top of the food chain.
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