Steve Prefontaine - Without Limits

Monday - December 1, 2008

I received an email requesting a written interview for a school paper. Below are the questions and answers.

First a little background on yourself. How you did you get into running? Why do you love running? (or why not if you don't?) What were your running dreams and were they accomplished?

I was in 7th grade when I first got interested in sports. I went out for the football team because my best friend wanted to play football. I wasn't very good mainly because I didn't understand the game nor the rules. I went out for basketball that same year and didn't do well for basically the same reasons.

In the spring of my 7th grade I tried track. I remember the track coach assumed that I couldn't run because of my flops in football and basketball. In the last track meet of the year (the district meet) my coach had an opening to run 400 meters and was impressed when I placed 3rd. I remember his surprise as he came up to me after that last race of the season and told me that I could run.

In 8th grade I noticed that I was usually first in our Fall Friday PE class 2 mile run. At the time I thought the others were just being lazy but I later discovered it was because I had talent to run. I still went out for football and basketball that year and I usually sat on the on bench. In track I won our district meet at 660 yards.

As I went into high school I never thought of myself as a runner. In fact I didn't like running. In the fall of my Freshman year I went out for both football and cross country. I sat on the bench of the JV football team but I ran Varsity cross country and earned a Varsity letter as a freshman. My friends were impressed. I started the reluctant acceptance of being a "nerdy" runner and the transition of hating to run to kinda liking it. I started to give up on the glamour sports.

On your website you said that you played cards at Pre's house before the track meet. What card games did you play? What did you guys eat or drink if anything? What was talked about while playing cards, the race at all? What was the general mood before the race?

As I remember it we played Spades. I'm not sure how much I played that day because I had a final exam the next day and I had to study. Pre's final race was on a Thursday evening.

Regarding food we all had our own individual rituals which were probably fairly similar because our common coach, Bill Dellinger. I tried to eat about 5 hours before competition and it was often pancakes, butter, syrup, fruit, orange juice, coffee (caffein), and aspirin. After that meal I tried not to have much, not even water, because I thought it would be sitting in my body and be unproductive weight. Pre might have consumed more because his race was longer but I don't remember him eating or drinking much if anything in the hours leading up to his race.

Our conversations were usually about track. I remember in college how focused and probably boring we were. No matter the situation the track guys usually got together and we talked track. As I type this I can't remember what we could have talked about for hours but somehow we did. And it was all about track.

What was Prefontaines final race? On doing research I have seen it called NCAA Prep? Could you decribe the race, any highlights? What were Pre's emotions in the race? Who was he racing, any big names? What were there emotions like? How did they react?

Two things were happening for Pre's last race.

First, you are right. It was an NCAA prep. For me personally I had a miserable senior season and broke my jaw running in the PAC-8 championships. This meet was my last chance to qualify for the NCAA championships which I failed to do (my mouth was wired shut after surgery only a few days earlier). I like to think that I've run the fastest 800m ever with a broken jaw and mouth wired shut.

For Pre it was the final meet of him inviting the Finns to compete in Oregon. Pre planned to run against Lasse Viren but Viren didn't show. Frank Shorter showed up for the race.

http://www.chrisbence.com/pre/pd.htm

Did Pre have any pre-race rituals? What did he do before his final race? Anything different? What did he say? Did he talk to you before the race? Was he concerned about anything prior the race? Did he ever mention anay soreness or odd feelings in his legs before the race?

We all had our own pre-race rituals which were very similar. I can't tell you exactly what Pre did but it was similar to what all of us did at Oregon.

For me I had a meal about 5 hours before my race. It was usually pancakes, syrup, fruit such as peaches, orange juice, coffee (for the caffein), and I took a couple aspirin (legal blood thinners and pain relief). I would think Pre did about the same.

Then for the next few hours the goal was to relax which was hard for Pre. He was by nature very hyper. I think that is why he wanted us to play cards. His last race was in the evening and it was difficult for him to sit.

After the race I read he did a couple victory laps, how did he act on these victory laps? Did he say anything? How did the crowd react to his race?

I was always amazed to see Pre's victory laps. He gave everything in his races and most of us would have had to sit for a while to recover.

Pre was able to recover within a minute. Then he could run a victory lap in 60-70 seconds. My definition of "fitness" came from what I saw in Pre. For me, "fitness" has to do with how fast a person can go from pure exhaustion to recovery. Pre recovered fast.

When Pre did a victory lap he had a personal connection with the crowd in the stands. The crowd could personally relate with Pre's performance ... Pre drew energy from the crowd. Pre ran a lot better because of that in Eugene than elsewhere.

After the race he stopped at the Paddock? What was the Paddock like? Could you please describe it? Did anyone go with him to it? If you were there with him what was he like? Then, what did he mention?

The Paddock was a small local tavern in Eugene. It was a place for college kids ... pitchers of beer, hamburgers, hot dogs, pin ball machines, and pool tables.

I could get $5.00 for the weekend, go to the Paddock, eat & drink, and have a little money left over.

The day Pre died I wasn't at the Paddock. I speculate he stopped by there after his race, probably with Nancy, quickly celebrated with whoever was there that night, had a couple quick beers, and then was off to his next place.

Could you please tell me a little about the Finnish tour? When did it end? Did it go as well as you all hoped?

Again ... I can only write from my perspective.

In 1974 Mark Feig (my roommate) and I went to Europe to compete during the summer. Pre talked us into doing that. Mark and I ran in Finland and Sweden. We competed in a lot of small meets in both of those countries yet the caliber of competion was huge. I ran against Olympians, world-record holders, and national champions.

Pre wanted that same European experience in Oregon so he invited the Finns in 1975. I ran in 3 of the meets ... Coos Bay, Madras, and the finale in Eugene.

It was a bit strange and in hindsight only Pre could have pulled it off. I would say the Coos Bay and Madras meets weren't all that great. The last meet in Eugene was wonderful and was Pre's last race.

Any details about the party Pre was at before he died? Did anyone here see any signs of impaired reactions or other drunk signs?

I was with Pre during the day and then immediately after the meet. Pre showered and dressed at my apartment which was across the street from the track. So I only saw him sober. After the meet I went one direction and Pre another.

In my mind Pre was on a high after the race. That last meet was successful and Pre was relieved. The AAU had threatened him leading up to the meet and then backed off. Pre won the standoff.

His race was later in the evening and he went all day with little food or water. He was dehydrated. He went to several parties and no doubt rehydrated with beer.

I had been with him in the past and I knew he wasn't a very good driver after a few drinks. I could easily see him a bit tipsy and trying to drive ... although I must stress that no one on the evening described him as impaired. Also remember that drinking & driving in 1975 was more tolerated than it is today.

Some say another car may have been involved in the accident. What are your views on this?

My view about the other car is ... I don't really care. Whether another car was involved or not we have the same result. Pre died too young.

Some find comfort that it wasn't Pre's fault. I think other want to believe another car was involved so they weren't guilty in stopping Pre to drive.

Over the years I've come to believe that Pre came around the curve, probably driving too fast, probably over the legal limit for alcohol, and sweved to avoid a head-on collision with another car.

But in the end ... why are the details important? Pre died.

Resources on line stated that his BAC was over the legal limit but your body can produce alcohol after death. Upon further research I found this can actually happen. I quote a medical journal, "Individuals dying soon after drinking may have significant amounts of unabsorbed alcohol in the stomach ... consequently alcohol concentrations in the blood from the heart and torso vessels may be significantly higher..." What do you think about this statement?

My thoughts about that statement is that if it brings comfort to you to believe Pre was sober while driving that night and the toxicology results were tainted as described ... then I support you in your belief.

For me, regardless, Pre died. If someone else was at fault, or the police lied, or if there is medical explanation for the BAC ... so what?

I think the bigger question is why is it important whether Pre was legally drunk or not that night. I've been in the car when Pre was more than legally drunk, he shouldn't have been driving, yet he was.

On that sad Friday morning when I heard that Pre died ... and I learned how he died ... I could understand how that could have happened that way. I was shocked he was dead. I wasn't shocked how it happened.

In all honesty what do you think the real cause of Prefontaines death was?

In all honesty, I think Pre was on both an emotional & beer high. I don't think he was drunk ... just excited, had a good buzz, and relieved that everything worked out. He was in his convertible, alone, on a curvy road late at night. He was probably driving too fast and distracted in his thoughts.

At the same time I think another person was driving up the hill towards Pre in a similar state.

The road was narrow, they both probably thought they were alone on the road, hugged the same curve in opposite directions, and found themselves going head-on.

Pre swerved hard to the left, hit the rock wall, the car flipped, and landed on him.

I think the guy in the other car probably stopped, tried to help, couldn't lift the car, and sped off to get additional help.

Then the conspiracy theories about what happened after this ...