Prefontaine

[BCWWF]

Today is the 30th anniversary of his tragic death (yes I was reminded by a Nike ad), but he is my hero in the sporting world so I am making a thread.

I know this is TPWW and people are just looking for something to pick out and flame me on, and especially the English guys whenever its an American athlete, but he was one of the greatest American athletes of all time. I won't go as far as to say that he is the greatest distance runner of all time, because he was killed before he reached his prime and even so his records probably would have been surpassed by new technology.

Its hard to explain to a non-runner the importance of Pre, but he ran with heart. He was a front runner, he didn't sit back and kick at the end, he wanted to win the whole thing. At one point he held every American Record from like the 1000 to the 10000 or something like that. He was an unbelievable athlete and a character that is rare in the world in track and field.

If you have the opportunity I would recommend watching either Prefontaine or Without Limits, both great movies, I don't know which one I like better.

RIP Steve Prefontaine. American legend.