He was the greatest long distance runner in American History and by far one of the most popular Track and Field athlete's of all time. Either you were a Pre fan, or you were not. For five years, no American runner could beat Pre at any distance over a mile. Driving home from a party of which he had drunk four to five beers in a several hour period, Steve Prefontaine died in a one car rollover accident.
Most people run a race to see who is fastest.
I run a race to see who has the most guts. When Steve ran a race you knew serveral things as an athlete and a spectator. The race was going to be fast. It was going to be guts race, even if he was running alone or unopposed. A race with Prefontaine in it was an exciting race for start to finish whatever the distance was.