Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story

This documentary on Steve Prefontaine aired on June 4, 1995.

[@cedrickmcdonald5038]

I am and was a distance runner and he was and is my motivation. It take guts to be a runner like that, something that people won't never understand.

[@LuisFernando-yd3mx]

Yup I won't never understand double negatives neither. Will not never, ever, ever.

[@Nyelands]

@@LuisFernando-yd3mx . The Americans won't never understand that this Pre-guy never made it to the top. But I guess he was great within US.

[@leolacasse6278]

it doesn't take guts to run, it takes endurance which you have according to your natural ability and your level of training. you must be thinking of football or boxing.

[@austinpulkowski6029]

Last year after I graduated high school, me and my 4x800 team were invited to run in nationals in Eugene Oregon. We got 14th place out of 16 teams, which isn't so bad for our first time there. While I was there I got run at Hayword field for the race, run on pre's trail, and visit the spot where he died. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

[@aaronodellbarajas4728]

To my fellow distance Runners out there, never stop pushing. Our brotherhood was baptized by the agony of that last stretch. When our mind says "no more", our body says "I',m done" but our hearts.... our hearts are the Crest of human endurance... Pre showed us the way, Pre pushed the boundaries. Runners... unite, embrace that pain and savor the taste of the finish line, of that new p.r. Of that milestone performance , because that is what Steve's legacy incites: PUSH because you know you can, dont think you can't. BELIEVE as Pre believed... without doubts, without limits.... Watch over us on the track Steve, on the cross country courses, let us hear you tell us, "your not done" ...We are blessed to have this iconic legend from Coos Bay as the Godfather of our sport, God plucked a beautiful flower when it was just about to blossom, and I'm betting Steve and JC lace up every morning for "an easy 10"

[@neilwallner6601]

Well said Erik! Couldn't agree with you more. Pre was a trailblazer!

[@joys8634]

He was an alcoholic. Nothing honorable about going out and croaking

[@ronaldmcgowan3697]

@@joys8634 you're a fool

[@joys8634]

@@ronaldmcgowan3697 isn't very fast 6' deep lmao. Wh9t5 power

[@ronaldmcgowan3697]

@@joys8634 yep you're just another fool 😆

[@dalekeener]

He was and will always be the greatest athlete at any sport there ever will be.

[@jennytalbert5547]

Pisses excellence!

[@davidramirez4810]

45 years have passed, and it’s still painful to know that he left us so young.

[@pe66nz78]

Agree. His journey was unfinished, but he left such a legacy. Impressive his mark on history. Watched the story today again and went for a nice 12k run. And I am 54 years old. Greeting from New Zealand.

[@SamMartinPeakPerformance]

But it's amazing how his legacy lives on. I'm 27 and a lot of runners my age see Pre as their fav athlete

[@nomaderic]

@@SamMartinPeakPerformance yea id say it depends on where you live. Im from Houston and people don't really run down there so I honestly never heard of Pre, then I went to live in oregon for a year and EVERYONE knew Pre. I got introduced to running up here and fell in love with it. But most young runners up here in the pacific nw knows the name PRE. The legacy will always live on.

[@camillevote7901]

So true

[@BruceLee-t9n]

Most Best People Leave This World Prematurely

[@joemac4880]

As a high school runner in ‘72 I was fortunate to meet him at the Olympic training camp at Bowdoin College. He has always been my running inspiration. Gone but never forgotten.

[@joebirdwelljr629]

Not only my favorite runner, but my all time favorite athlete. Enjoyed what he did, but wonder what he could have done if he lived...

[@TrojanGoddess56]

Glad I found this video on the legendary Steve Prefontaine, since the 2021 Olympics are coming up next month. He is an icon in the world of track and running, just as the legendary Jim Morrison was to the world of 60's rock music. The Doors and other music hits were appropriate background music, since these were the hit songs of the era. By God, I would love to travel back in time to return to the early 1970's, back to the long hair, mustaches, and side burns that so characterized young men back then, and of course Steve Prefontaine. I was 16 at the time, and I remember the terrorist tragedy of the 1972 Munich Olympics only so well, and what a tragic jolt it was to the Olympics at the time.

[@_dakota_298]

Who's here after watching the movie " without Limits " a movie about Steves life .

[@danlowery8749]

I first saw Without Limits after its initial release in ‘98. It sparked a lifelong fandom of Pre, and is one of my “remote drop” movies. Pre Lives!!

[@cosmicspindrifter8641]

I worked on the film with Jared Leto, filmed in Tacoma, Seattle, Stanwood, Marysville Washington. With the Fabulous movie magic the locations as real as the locations where these things happened. It was honor to meet the Prefontaine's and sister and the Finnish runner. Kudos to the director and crew of the film. Good show mate! And Jared, remember GO Pre GO! When the groupies were chasing you? Go Pre Go!

[@cesarcoelho7227]

Pre lives . Amazing runner, gifted by God. God bless his soul. Thanks for all you did. 50 years since you left us and you are still in our hearts. Btw , I love your trail and I called " my peace of Heaven on Earth " I try to go everytime I get a chance. GO PRE!!!

[@bradmarkell12167]

Too bad the town is trash by trailer trash folk.

[@KappaDaKappa]

Was watching old Lasse Viren clips and ended up here. All respects to Steve Prefontaine from the Nordics!!

[@freedomofreligion3248]

Much admire the Finns, a lot of smart, wise living going on there, digital literacy lately. USA: Follow the Finnish example to a better life.

[@ericredman6497]

Lasse Viren engaged in some "blood enhancement" that would almost certainly be illegal today. Pre, Gerry Lindgren, Frank Shorter, and others did not. Their accomplishments shine brighter.

[@melissaeck1539]

@@ericredman6497 You are correct. He was blood doping. Some extra red blood cells more oxygen. He never ran in many meets. Only a chosen few. He also was given a job as a police officer while Steve had to bartender and catch his own fish to get protein. He would have gotten him in 76’. He was going to be so far ahead of him that Lasse would never catch him.

[@michaelgasiciel9317]

Was 18 at my hs graduation party at home ‘75 when I got the Sports Illustrated issue with his death in it. Also had a white mg with GoPre license plates:(😥So many great memories in these videos that you couldn’t see back then except for the 3 major news networks.Thank goodness for Track and Field News:)

[@nomaderic]

People these days don't realize how great they have it when it comes to receiving news and media at the touch of a button as soon as it happened Even up to the late 90s this country was so regional most people didn't even know what was going on outside of their little pocket

[@bradmarkell12167]

Oddly, an MG of similar color as Pre's was seen driving away from accident... I believe his death was intentional 😢 😡

[@sierranevadatrail]

Thanks for uploading this treasure. Aside from being a good video about Pre, I have always wanted to see some footage of Bill Bowerman.

[@claire111]

Watch Running Nike - the Bill Bowerman story. Brilliant piece on his life and work. Outstanding human being.

[@themyriad0574]

I've learned a lot from Pre throughout my life, but probably the lesson I've cherished the most is to never drive drunk.

[@nspector]

Oh, he was drunk. They don't mention that in this at all, making out like it was a mystery that he lost control. But I see that his blood alcohol level was 0.16. That's more than high enough to have an accident like this. Strange to me they don't mention it. Doesn't make him less great. Though maybe more human.

[@blbarclay86]

“To this day, nobody knows what made him lose control of the car” But of a stretch, isn’t it?

[@Crismans843]

How times have changed. Today the media and athletic shoe manufacturers would never promote someone like Prefontaine.

[@bradmarkell12167]

Why

[@Crismans843]

@@bradmarkell12167 It’s obvious, but you need to figure this one out on your own.

[@bradmarkell12167]

@@Crismans843 figured you have a da reply.

[@Crismans843]

@@bradmarkell12167 I don’t know what “da” means but you’re clearly a troll.

[@nspector]

@@Crismans843 How about helping someone learn instead of trying to make them feel stupid for not knowing something and asking a question? I don't know why either. Maybe because now they use professional athletes with worldwide fame? That's all I can come up with, but maybe I'm wrong. Am I a troll too?

[@kevindean1327]

I never knew of him until well after his death but I feel pain at his loss. Anytime someone dies with so much more they could have achieved it leaves a hole in people. Rip Steve Prefontaine and Salvador Sanchez. Two great athletes taken in their prime.

[@johnbarnett6924]

The Heart and Soul of Distance Running❤ God's speed Steve,and Thanks for Your Light❤❤❤❤Dobie Wan Kanobie ❤❤❤❤revisted May 8 2024 ❤

[@zingiestmeerkat]

47 years ago today Prefontaine died. His legend lives forever

[@ElDblJay]

I can remember getting ready for school that morning and hearing about his death on the radio. I cried. It’s been 47 years and that I can recall that moment with crystal clarity.

[@Stephen-ou2lm]

Imagine he would have been 73 years old today, his legacy lives on

[@DanWS100]

This isn't the original "Fire on the Track" that I saw 20 years ago but snippets of it with a different narrator. Nevertheless I'm glad to see his flame still alight.

[@SIIRAPPIOTZAF]

ONE OF MY IDOLS RIP

[@travisjohnson7771]

"Pre's People" New documentary on Pre showcases his roots in hometown Coos Bay. Inspiring!

[@MagikFingers420]

What is the name of this doc? I know it says 'fire on the track' but is it actually?

[@ph827]

We Finns love our runners like Viren. I think Steve was great!!

[@ph827]

And of course Paavo Nurmi and others :)

[@wvu05]

2:35 I'm a veteran, and I have done sports. Sorry, Phil, but the field of athletic competition is not "on the field of battle."

[@allisonmarlow184]

Thank you for this EXCELLENT documentary. I cried my eyes out. I was too young at the time to know about his death. But I will now never forget it, or him.

[@freedomofreligion3248]

Pre laid a 40 ft skid locking up the brakes to avoid.a.16.yr.old.driving in the middle of the road. The kid was a doctor's son and fled the scene--16 years old. Pre didn't speed, didn"t "lose control" due to beer--vehicular obstacle avoidance. ~Det. Ken Mains.

[@camerontremblay-adams9640]

As a distance runner in high school, our varsity team got together to watch a video on Pre. Running has never been covered much in the US beyond the Olympics, so it was eye-opening to see how much cultural impact a runner - a distance runner at that - could have. I don't run nearly as much (or as fast) as I used to, but running has given me so much meaning, challenge, focus, friendship, confidence, and even identity throughout life. As I'm sure most people here know, to be a distance runner means you need to be a little sick in the head and a sucker for pain, and Pre was our patron saint. He was our sport's rock star, and he made me even more proud to be a distance runner.

[@jonhohensee3258]

25:35 He grabbed it by the balls literally? I don't think so.

[@jennytalbert5547]

I thought it was a modern phenomena to use "literally" as an intensive before a figurative expression.

[@nelsonbailey310]

I remember 77and joining the track team, because of Pre, and got a pair of nikes,came in last at the state finals.

[@DavidGarcia-h5l]

He was very selfishly cocky I saw and felt it.. although understandable part of the sport

[@joemac4880]

To give less than your best is to sacrifice the gift you’ve been given

[@drewhendley]

It’s not that he was just a great runner, he had charisma personality and an IT quality. that’s what made him intriguing! 🏃

[@netaprefontaine4795]

I spoke on this video about my brother! My half-sister took me out. Nice huh. That’s Linda!

[@tripps1620]

"If ya go down to the pencil shop and find a donut in the drawer then you're likely gonna be putting a necktie over your uncle's toe" -Bill Bowerman (probably)

[@stephenstuckey]

If its a pure guts race no one can beat me. They can beat me, but they'll have to bleed to do it. ... Winning any other way is chicken shit. What do u call hangin back for 2 and a half miles and stealing the race in the last 200 yards? Thats called winning. No, thats chicken shit. Winning to me is running out front flat out the whole race, giving it my best. Winning any other way is just plain chicken shit. Pre.

[@chasam1234]

None wonder he didn’t win

[@onefoot7]

He couldn't handle Viren though, lol

[@arnegerhardsen3755]

He was much like the hard working Olympic champion in 1500 m, the Norwegian young boy Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Thanks from Arne Gerhardsen

[@reneepalmer8126]

RIP, Steve Prefontaine ..... Gone Too Soon ... Remembered, Always ...

[@netaprefontaine4795]

Thank you.

[@reneepalmer8126]

@@netaprefontaine4795 was an honor ... he was amazing, remembering Steve Prefontaine as a " Giant " in a Sport he was Champion In..

[@lavery0365]

From the day I was introduced in the 80s to who he was, I've always been a fan of this guy. Maybe if I had been aware of who this guy was and what he ran, more importantly, how he ran, I'd probably have taken high school track a tad bit more serious. My son will know exactly who he is.

[@tedallison6112]

Pre was the personification of the apt adage "Whatever the mind of Man can conceive & BELIEVE, he can achieve." RIP.

[@Ray.J]

I have a vague, smoky memory, of a meet broadcast on ABC. I remember the announcer talking about the American phenom named Steve. I’m sure it was Pre. That’s as close as I ever got. There are but a handful of people, from any walk of life, that I really admire. He’s one.

[@angelmatos9143]

There's once in a generation, once in a century & then there was Pre.

[@user-ro7ee7]

Very-very good Video Thanks.. Forever Super Steve The Best Prefontaine...

[@markleland6337]

PRE PRE PRE

[@SamMartinPeakPerformance]

Such an underrated hero!!

[@sanderslongdrive]

Steve brought a level of charisma and arrogance to athletics which was ahead of its time, and arguably never again seen before the emergence of Usain Bolt. Something I personally despised, but which most other athletics supporters loved. Either way all sport needs its characters, and athletics needed Steve. Although of outstanding ability both he and the American public somewhat overrated what he was capable of. In the Olympics he slotted into what I personably believe to be the best 5,000 metres race ever seen. Even to this day. His 4th place was commensurate with any pre-race objective assessment as to what was likely / possible. It was a fabulous well-earned result - the three runners who beat him were all well established living legends and so immensely talented. Everyone weeped on hearing of Steve's early demise, and such elevated his alleged talent even further. But what the heck, athletics also needs stories of the like of both Griffith 'Guto' Morgan and Steve. P.S. Steve must always be remembered / saluted for changing governing athletics' body rules/ athletes' rights in the USA, just as John Tarrant did in the UK.

[@scottshuler4324]

Nobody wants to believe me ...I don't want prefontaine's $, name or glory.. I just want everyone to know that .... I am his son .........

[@FrankTheTank369]

Imagine how insane he would have been!! This guy is my idol!!

[@bifexperience]

The James Dean of running

[@chasam1234]

WTF are you on ?

[@seancallahan5708]

Pre was the OG Honey Badger.

[@roustabout4fun]

Thanks for sharing...a bonus w Wottle da Throttle and of course...Thnx Pre for giving so much to the sport.

[@Cuddie994]

I did track in middle schoolers cause of him even tho soccer was my sport legend !!!!!

[@arielm5962]

We miss you pre

[@AlMan42]

He was one of the most overrated runners ever, never amounted to anything more than a sideshow who ran his mouth more than anything else.

[@sazmeros]

I realize it was a different time back then, but I wonder why they downplay his drunk driving. Growing up I watched all of his movies and don't really remember any of them making a big deal about the fact that he was 3x over the limit. Or maybe they did and I just never paid attention to that part

[@benjaminroe311ify]

Idolizing and hero is all...

[@nspector]

Correct that drunk driving was only beginning to be taken seriously in 1975. But in this, they don't just down play it, they say how he lost control was a mystery. And this was made 20 years later. It's not the death you want for a beloved athlete, but it's what happened, and it doesn't make what he did any less great.

[@imyourdad7888]

My dad is a long distance runner and lead his school to fourth at state with a 18th place at state with a time of 17:38 and after he graduated taught the bcc team and then after that became a marathon runner and steve prefontaine was his idle he has pictures of him

[@leroypredom2034]

I wAs in the movie we shouted go pre many times To make it real fun times also was there when Craig Blanchett was hot ,, couldn't break into wheelchair track it was hard,, I regret that but I'm old now and still look forward to building handcycles to help others and doen good

[@MagikFingers420]

I thought it was supposed to be 58 min running time

[@martygriffin1093]

Could’ve done without that music in the background. 😮

[@jamess6097]

Fire? As in dumpster fire? (Munich, 1972)

[@Nyelands]

The US world champion. And a nobody outside US. Americans really know how to pump up their athletes.

[@AZ6780810809]

didn´t know this story, omg what a athlete and an sad ending of his life

[@richardmilliken5651]

The King is gone but he's not forgotten!! Pre lives!

[@JoeMac1983]

I loved the VHS experience. Took me back 🙂

[@joncombes2224]

Yea I still have the vhs and it’s much better than this one. Some parts were cut out.

[@2010pjm]

He remains an inspiration to all those that want to raise the bar

[@paulcarlson4230]

Long distancee takevalot of grit some have it some dont

[@pjmac550355]

That 12:55 mark he looked like he was gonna pull away. Could of played it safe and got bronze. It was first or nothing and he ran out of guess

[@nomaderic]

The plan he had was messed up from the jump so he tried to improvise. It's why he took off full sprint with 600m to go, and his body ran out of gas. Alot of people wondered why he didnt go for the silver or bronze because he easily could have gotten a medal but for Pre it was 1st or nothing.

[@jamesmichels8434]

Now,,the Olympics is an odd phenomena,,because they measure right and keep the field clean of steroids ,I was primarily a health nut anyway ,I did well in the Games as a result

[@richardmilliken8705]

Lasse Viren's magic formula was reindeer blood infusions, 10 days before the 1972 & 1976 Olympic Games began. Viren would do diddly squat in between the Olympic Games but once the Olympic Games began, he became a vastly improved runner that was unbeatable at the 5K & 10K. Reindeer Blood became the breakfast of champions until EPO reared its ugly head in the early 90s. El G. & Gebs paved the way.

[@jamesmichels8434]

@@richardmilliken8705 Well ,,never ate that ,took normal supplements,,I would rock climb hike ,camp out with a gallon of ice water,,then at 5 AM hiked back down ,,got along with mountain lions ,and black bears ,there was no phone tower that far up ,,but I found the Olympic London marathon easy ,,

[@kevindean1327]

@@richardmilliken8705 I never heard that but it was well known that he "blood doped".

[@Chatta-Ortega]

Nearly 50 years gone and I can still remember the shock, sickness, and horror of waking up the next morning at age 13 to learn of Pre's death. For those of us born and raised in Oregon, he was a folk hero in the flesh. His persona still resonates around the state.

[@eallawson7601]

Steve Prefontaine - A good clean amateur American athlete. A crowd pleaser with a touch of maverick, a ton of charisma and an abundance of guts. Not mature enough to win a medal in the turmoil of Munich 1972 but he had bucket loads of potential. Unfortunately his potential was never realised due to a tragic accident. Could he beat the best at the Olympics in 1976? Quite possibly but we will never know. What is known, is that he elevated the sport of running in America and was feared in international competition. Not too bad for a guy in his mid twenties. Sport would be better off with a sprinkling of more athletes like Steve Prefontaine. The legacy that he left was far better than the World and Olympic medals he may have won because he was a "Game Changer". Perhaps this was his destiny and his greatest achievement. Legends don't always have to be World beaters, It's the impact they have on the World that makes them so, and Steve Prefontaine's footprint could certainly be described as legendary.

[@RB12377]

He made too many moves he wanted to win so badly

[@LocalFoe]

Pre = best baseball player in Finland.

[@keith5420]

I really believe Secretariat came along to fulfill the promise of Pre and Jim Ryun. I know it sounds silly but in some spiritual way it helps ease the pain.

[@richardmilliken8705]

I believe that Dave Wottle's incredible kick & Olympic Gold Medal in the 800 Meters in 1972 was amazing. And Frank Shorter's Olympic Gold Medal in the Marathon in the 1972 was huge.

[@bradmarkell12167]

The horse won in '73, not after '77, da. Humans are humans. Animals are not humans.

[@wcsartanddesign]

That's a poetic and appreciated thought, Keith. Thanks, bud. 🙏

[@linjicakonikon7666]

Oh please Secretariat won the big races. In the 72 Olympics Prefontaine didn't even medal. What a strange cult of personality this is.🤪👎🙄

[@gamelife1133]

Pre would have beat virren if he didn’t get a 1 day break from the 10k

[@DanWS100]

Or if Viren didn't blood dope

[@richardmilliken8705]

@@DanWS100 Reindeer Blood = Breakfast of Champions = 4 Olympic Gold Medals~

[@Whale15]

So he would have gotten 3rd

[@chasam1234]

He ran up to the lead runner and put the brakes on the final lap his inexperience was laughable!

[@nelsonbailey310]

No disrespect but was his heart measured

[@joelx77]

Note Phil knight saying "he is the greatest athlete to wear our products"... This was in 1989 I think? The year before Michael Jordan created Air Jordans...

[@jamesmichels8434]

Welcoming foreign champion ,that Herod Empire is watching ,athletes like Ovett or Lasse Viren just wanted a normal meet ,my dad was very powerful secretly and brought Red phone athletes in like Vasily Ambrov,,but he thought mean Jews syndicates were after the sport

[@leolacasse6278]

Pre was the only runner i ever heard of who could survive overtraining. no runner should ever try to push beyond what your body says it can do. it only takes one case of excess racing to ruin a runner for the rest of his life. jim ryun was destroyed by his coach who must have hated him.

[@dustin9181]

Coos Bay Oregon legend!!!!!!!

[@foxibot]

I love the name Lasse. Prefontaine was also a cool name. I like they called him Pre. I have always loved him and watched many things about “Pre”.

[@MANSIKKASUKLAALPATZA]

one of my idols

[@warriordragonify]

6:42 - Doug Crooks and Hal Jackson. Pre's freshman year he won the NCAA 3-mile after slicing his foot at a pool. Had something like 13 stitches...Tough?

[@richardmilliken8705]

Without Limits, showed the motel scene where he was standing on his head & having sex with a Prefontaine groupie, when he lost his balance & his foot smashed against the radiator. Pre had more women than Wilt Chamberlain during his college days.

[@warriordragonify]

@@richardmilliken8705 That was a movie...

[@kevindean1327]

Gino Odjick was an "enforcer" for the Vancouver Canucks. In a game he took a slap shot to the mouth. The puck broke and knocked out 14 teeth. Odjick didn't go to the dressing room and only missed one shift change. In other words he spent about 5 minutes on the bench before he was back in the game. One tuff Algonquin Native!!!

[@BRADCOTTON]

that is Scott Jackson of Grant, a younger brother of Hal Jackson

[@warriordragonify]

@@BRADCOTTON Of course.To make it worse for me,Scott and I ran CC at OSU at the same time...related to Mark and Greg? Did a Decathlon or two with Greg.

[@nelsonbailey310]

He wasn't forgotten in 77.

[@johnuhelski8613]

"The one who is willing to hurt the most will win " What a legacy , what a dude . Am inspiration to thousands, me included.

[@thaddeebarge4023]

10:39 funny

[@MoManny]

Thanks for posting!

[@phyllisbarnes3991]

I think he was taken out

[@ObedFernandez-h8u]

Steve was 24 when he passed. A shooting star he was called by the media.

[@dutchman063]

geoff hollister@13:10 who's late night party supplied the booze that killed "Pre"

[@jamesmichels8434]

Sometimes the best runners have to season another sport like pack riding or rock climbing,or the sport gets in your head

[@udontknowme7798]

What a story. I never heard of him, but several other in the video, like Frank Shorter, and I knew the Finish and Soviets was good at that time, some was even into blood doping. But I will sure remember him from today, sad he didn't live and run in Montreal ❤️. We had an extremely good swimmer, Alexander Dale Oen, who took a silver medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and became World Champion in July 2011, just three days after the big terrorist bombing and massacre on an island outside Oslo. He died in young age, only 26 year, of heart-stop when he was on a training tour in Arizona US. I'm sure would have made could have taken the gold medal also in the London Olympics. Today one off the swimming hall's in his hometown Bergen is called after him.

[@patklotchko5257]

How do you do what you do ??? 'i can indure more pain than anybody !!!!

[@davidbriggs8095]

He was my hero

[@richardthegingerbo909]

Sylvania Southview?

[@mathematics5573]

Haile Gebresalassie set WRs at 5k and 10k, front running being miles ahead, you say is impossible others have You are in error

[@michaeldunn8972]

at his time.

[@Whale15]

True. Bekele front ran the 2008 Olympic 5k and smashed everyone

[@bongofury333]

A leftie

[@jamesmichels8434]

My dad's discovery can reach Mars in 3 days ,but it's all secret

[@wesd644]

My dad used too call me prefontaine as a kid one of mine and his idles

[@shawnt7289]

Very inspiring

[@timomostert5883]

Where's Dana Carvey? "Edited for T.V."

[@robertbroatch6919]

Pre was the best, but love the pic of big Mac at 33:04.