The Steve Prefontaine Interview You Probably Haven’t Seen Before

Pre first caught RW’s attention as a senior at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, when, on April 25, 1969, he beat the American high school two-mile record (8:41.5) at the Corvallis Invitational. He was still unknown enough that he could be the Photo Quiz in our July 1969 issue, in which we asked readers to “name that runner.” Within a year, he was a recognizable collegiate record-breaker.

In this exclusive interview, Pre talked about his fame, his goals, and his hopes for the future.

After Pre’s death, Joe Henderson, one of RW’s first editors, wrote a tribute in the July issue. “Steve Prefontaine was a performer. In distance running, there has never been one like him, and perhaps there’ll never be another.”

Inside Faith Kipyegon’s 4-Minute Mile Attempt “The Best of Running,” Pre made his only appearance on our cover. He was also crowned “Coolest Runner” for obvious reasons: “He raced hard and without fear. He had attitude and could pull off a perfect mustache.”

In the April issue, Michael Heald’s article “That Pre Thing” was a quest to answer why Pre remains the most influential American runner of all time. “Maybe you’ve also gone looking for him…” Heald wrote. “And so one warm September weekend you decide to come out to the coast so you can really give him his due. You poke around Coos Bay, reminiscing about your own running history, waiting for some kind of spectacular epiphany. This is where he ran, you keep telling yourself, these are the streets.”