Thanks a lot man - I really appreciate your feedback! There's a couple of films about him from the 1990s you should check out - One's called "Prefontaine" and the other "Without Limits"
Appreciate that video!! Great work!!! It’s imperative ppl in the world(non-runners coz i assume runners ought to know PRE) know that there was kid from the lumbar town of Coos Bay, Oregon studying at Marshfield High and blazing the tracks of Hayward Field who in his junior high breaking American running records and came to be known as PRE. There’s so much to talk about this man! Runners do pilgrimage to his shrine on Skyline Boulevard in Eugene now. A front runner all his life, at 24 he set up a company that never looked back ever. PRE was fanfare! Fire on the tracks is a must watch for people who wanna know the stuff of legends.
@@facepuller yes! He really is an unsung hero that should be more widely know. People who wear Nike gear but don't know who he is would be like people celebrating Christmas but not knowing who Jesus is!
Hey man, thanks for pointing that out. I had no idea - I read a number of sources saying Pre was the only one, guess they were a bit outdated 😅 I hope this doesn't take anything away from the amazing story of Pre and his impact on both running and Nike!
Hi Chris - this has been pointed out a couple of times now and thanks for also addressing this. A number of sources said Pre was the only one when I was researching for this vid. But yes , over the past few years it turns out some other statutes have been built - think there’s also a Tiger Woods one. I hope this doesn’t detract from the general story of Pre and everything he did for both the sport of running and Nike :)
"Pre's People" New documentary on Prefontaine shows Pre's greatness before Nike, before UofO, before Olympics...his hometown of Coos Bay, OR is where it all started. Over 50 interviews, new photos, films and stories of Pre in his younger years!
Driving force for the younger generations in Coos Bay, want something, work hard and go get it, driven, motivated, listen to yourself when others have doubts , keep going, prove them wrong , total mentor , plus was fun to watch
Sam Martin - Peak Performance Similar style videos of inspirational people who’re often overlooked by popular media would be great to see! For example, athletes like Prefontaine that most haven’t heard of. I was thinking of doing a similar thing with entrepreneurs/etc. but didn’t get round to it... the hard part was coming across the unheard-of stories in the first place, it’s a bit of a Catch 22! 😂
@@kellyusher1 Yes, I should watch it again also. Billy Crudup was much better than Jared Leto, I thought, and the script for "Without Limits" was a lot better also. Crudup holds 2 places in my top 10 movie characters of all time, the other being Russell Hammond in "Almost Famous". And now he is on the list for TV also for his Corey Ellison on "The Morning Show".
Marshfield High School, Coos Bay Oregon. (I'm from Coquille) Everyone down there is aware of him and his legacy. When I was a kid in the early to mid-'70s, in the Coos Bay McDonald's there was a painting of Pre depicting him and lead at the Olypics.
Good Video - It's arguable that Pre (or at least his memory) achieved a great deal more by the fact of his dying than he would ever have achieved had he lived... In death he has become an uncontroversial totemic symbol. His memory, and potential have been partially deified, and probably exaggerated for effect, by Phil Knight, Bill Bowerman & Nike; and as such he has become symbolic to the the whole of US & World Athletics (Track & Field). Which for a sport which has badly needed such icons, is fair enough. Many US track and field athletes who are still alive, from Carl Lewis down, haven't been all that inspirational nor totemic, or at least have proved not to be. If Pre had lived he probably wouldn't have fulfilled anything like as much as it is said he would have, he'd have been embroiled in all the politics at Nike and would at best, have been just be another reasonably successful ex track and field athlete/apparel man /commentator. There's no way he would have beaten Lassi Viren in Montreal, so maybe a US Brendan Foster? (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Foster )
To be a pedantic, the Greek goddess of victory is actually pronounced "Nee-kay". But in terms of the shoe it's mostly rhymed with Mike in England. 'Ny-key' is seen as American. There's a way to make myself popular!
Excellent video. Totally agree with your film "review", "Without Limits" makes the other film about Pre look quite amateurish by comparison in every way from the actor's performances to production values. Donald Sutherland and Billy Crudup were playing in a different league than Leto & Ermey. Supposedly, the Leto film did stick closer to "the facts", but ironically that doesn't make the movie better!
Muhammed Ali was if not the greatest the second greatest boxer of all time , Steve Prefontaine would not make the top 100 list of the best ever runners
This is when Bill Bowerman shoes with a waffle iron and Phil Knight made shoes, in his Mother's Laundry Room!!! My 1st pair of leather Nike shoes cost me, and I had to save up from picking beans, Strawberries and my 4-H Rabbit sales, for $13 Dollars!!! I wished I would have kept them!!!
I had the biggest crush on him. I would have anyone that had anything in papers or mags to send them to me. back then the girls all had donnie osmond on their walls and I had pre and him Morrison. I was glued to the Olympics. the hostages, then their deaths. all the time just wanting to see pre. He is a great role model for anyone in love with running or winning in life.
amazing story but the idea that he's the only athlete Nike ever built a statue for is plain wrong. If you go to Nike's campus, there's a statue of Ronaldo (brazilian), basketball player Cynthia Cooper and another track and field athlete Michael Johnson
Thanks man. Yeah I've since learned the sources used in researching this were a bit outdated. He was the first and only one for a long time but overtime they've added more 👍
Nobody. NOBODY DID WHAT PRE DID IN THE 1972 OLYMPICS 5000M FINAL..UP TO THAT POINT..OK LASSE VIREN WON BUT PRE FORCED THEM TO RUN THE LAST MILE IN UNDER 4 MINUTES !!!!!!!! AND HE BLEW UP FINISHING 4TH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND A FEW DAYS LATER...TRAGEDY @
When I hear the stories of legends like these who passed too quickly it saddens me, but then I remember that they will all come back in the ressurection. God is not wasteful but we must pay the penalty of our iniquities.
It blows my mind people still don’t know that without pre there would be no nike. He’s one of the greatest and most influential American runners ever
Yes and that's what I'm hoping for ! NO NIKE
No Prefontaine, no Nike. Now that is some legacy.
You've summed it up perfectly Gary!
No Bowerman, no Nike.
@@claire111, no pre, no Bowerman , no Nike , I grew up in the same town, same track, watched all this in front of my eyes
The scene of Pre's death from Shoe Dog had me on tears. I was on my way to my first half marathon listening on audiobook. RIP Pre.
Great that he's getting a lot more recognition from Shoe Dog! Thanks for watching and commenting
Wow, never heard of this guy before. What an incredible story he has. Love the way you presented it, really enjoyed watching it!
Thanks a lot man - I really appreciate your feedback! There's a couple of films about him from the 1990s you should check out - One's called "Prefontaine" and the other "Without Limits"
Appreciate that video!! Great work!!! It’s imperative ppl in the world(non-runners coz i assume runners ought to know PRE) know that there was kid from the lumbar town of Coos Bay, Oregon studying at Marshfield High and blazing the tracks of Hayward Field who in his junior high breaking American running records and came to be known as PRE. There’s so much to talk about this man! Runners do pilgrimage to his shrine on Skyline Boulevard in Eugene now. A front runner all his life, at 24 he set up a company that never looked back ever. PRE was fanfare! Fire on the tracks is a must watch for people who wanna know the stuff of legends.
@@facepuller yes! He really is an unsung hero that should be more widely know. People who wear Nike gear but don't know who he is would be like people celebrating Christmas but not knowing who Jesus is!
Hey great video! Just letting you know there is also a Michael Johnson Statue at Nike World Headquarters. -Portland native
Hey man, thanks for pointing that out. I had no idea - I read a number of sources saying Pre was the only one, guess they were a bit outdated 😅 I hope this doesn't take anything away from the amazing story of Pre and his impact on both running and Nike!
Eluid Kipchuge deserves a statue as well by promoting Nike!!
I could def see him getting one one day!
He was always humble too.
I still have a Pre pint glass from the Pad. Old Paddock. Still drinks really good
Thanks for the story, I've heard of Steve Prefontaine before but i now know a lot more about him thanks to you 👍🏃
Thanks a lot 🙏 appreciate you taking the time to watch. He's def an unsung hero for sure!
I also realised you're in the highlands! I'm based in Edinburgh :)
@@SamMartinPeakPerformance lovely place to run, I'm guessing it's Arthur's Seat you use for hills?
@@TheDeterminedRunner Yep that's my go to and all around Holyrood Park
@@SamMartinPeakPerformanceif you really want to know more about Prefontaine, you should watch his movie. Great movie
Kipchoge now has a statue made by Nike :)
Enjoyed that Sam....Steve is a legend
Thanks a lot 👍keen to keep up with each others work
I ran for a good Illinois high school team in the early 70s. He was my hero.
Great video!
Thanks a lot Shawn 🙏appreciate it
I grew up across the street from his childhood home in Coos Bay
Amazing - I definitely want to visit one day!
uhhhh Michael johnson has a statue in Nike headquarters
Hi Chris - this has been pointed out a couple of times now and thanks for also addressing this. A number of sources said Pre was the only one when I was researching for this vid. But yes , over the past few years it turns out some other statutes have been built - think there’s also a Tiger Woods one. I hope this doesn’t detract from the general story of Pre and everything he did for both the sport of running and Nike :)
Who is Michael Johnson ??
@@freeeagle50 the American GOAT of the 400m
My idol as a teenager….
Great video man, new subscriber here, really enjoyed the editing and punctuality.. u deserve a lot more subscribers for sure :)
Thanks a lot man - Appreciate it. Still getting started up so hopefully this vid will find the right people soon enough!!!
"Pre's People" New documentary on Prefontaine shows Pre's greatness before Nike, before UofO, before Olympics...his hometown of Coos Bay, OR is where it all started. Over 50 interviews, new photos, films and stories of Pre in his younger years!
Oh sweet! Hadn’t heard about this yet - thanks Travis! Will be sure to check out
Driving force for the younger generations in Coos Bay, want something, work hard and go get it, driven, motivated, listen to yourself when others have doubts , keep going, prove them wrong , total mentor , plus was fun to watch
This was a really interesting story, and you've got a great structure to your videos! Keep it up :)
Thanks a lot man - appreciate the feedback. Let me know if you have any content suggestions!
Sam Martin - Peak Performance Similar style videos of inspirational people who’re often overlooked by popular media would be great to see! For example, athletes like Prefontaine that most haven’t heard of. I was thinking of doing a similar thing with entrepreneurs/etc. but didn’t get round to it... the hard part was coming across the unheard-of stories in the first place, it’s a bit of a Catch 22! 😂
@@RhodesW Yes for sure, it's hard to find the unsung heroes these days - potentially have a few coming up tho!
Jared Leto embodied him when playing the character.
Such an underrated performance for sure!!
I thought Billy Crudup was better, as was that movie.
@@patrickmorgan4006 me too. I loved without limits. both are great but billy's was better too me as well. damn now I have to watch it again, lol
@@kellyusher1 Yes, I should watch it again also. Billy Crudup was much better than Jared Leto, I thought, and the script for "Without Limits" was a lot better also. Crudup holds 2 places in my top 10 movie characters of all time, the other being Russell Hammond in "Almost Famous". And now he is on the list for TV also for his Corey Ellison on "The Morning Show".
@@patrickmorgan4006 yessssssssssss I agree
There's a great movie on Steve from the 90s.
Yes - there's actually a couple - "Prefontaine" & "Without Limits" - both good but I prefer the latter. What one have you seen?
@@SamMartinPeakPerformance I saw Prefontaine
Without limits is a great movie
Both are great.
Marshfield High School, Coos Bay Oregon. (I'm from Coquille) Everyone down there is aware of him and his legacy. When I was a kid in the early to mid-'70s, in the Coos Bay McDonald's there was a painting of Pre depicting him and lead at the Olypics.
Amazing - must have been cool to grow up somewhere with so much history! Thanks for sharing :)
Nike got it right
Wow, great video mate. Truly well done and I watch and critique a lot of youtube videos
Good Video - It's arguable that Pre (or at least his memory) achieved a great deal more by the fact of his dying than he would ever have achieved had he lived...
In death he has become an uncontroversial totemic symbol. His memory, and potential have been partially deified, and probably exaggerated for effect, by Phil Knight, Bill Bowerman & Nike; and as such he has become symbolic to the the whole of US & World Athletics (Track & Field).
Which for a sport which has badly needed such icons, is fair enough. Many US track and field athletes who are still alive, from Carl Lewis down, haven't been all that inspirational nor totemic, or at least have proved not to be.
If Pre had lived he probably wouldn't have fulfilled anything like as much as it is said he would have, he'd have been embroiled in all the politics at Nike and would at best, have been just be another reasonably successful ex track and field athlete/apparel man /commentator.
There's no way he would have beaten Lassi Viren in Montreal, so maybe a US Brendan Foster? (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Foster )
To be a pedantic, the Greek goddess of victory is actually pronounced "Nee-kay". But in terms of the shoe it's mostly rhymed with Mike in England. 'Ny-key' is seen as American. There's a way to make myself popular!
Love it Sam - don't think I'll risk pronouncing it the right way myself though 😅
Well Nike is an American brand so…😂
@@tylerbrubaker_7 Fair point.
Interesting story. Thanks!
The sad part is people still shout at runners while they pass by lol.
You’re not wrong haha
Is that a Milwaukee Bucks T-shirt your wearing!! Go Bucks! Go Pre! And thanks for the great video
Thanks for watching Jim - appreciate you taking a moment to comment too!!
I watched his biopic and got the understanding of being a true champion
Billy crudup was great as pre. Donald Sutherland played a great bowerman as well
Absolutely! I preferred Crudup to Jared Leto for sure
Excellent video. Totally agree with your film "review", "Without Limits" makes the other film about Pre look quite amateurish by comparison in every way from the actor's performances to production values. Donald Sutherland and Billy Crudup were playing in a different league than Leto & Ermey. Supposedly, the Leto film did stick closer to "the facts", but ironically that doesn't make the movie better!
for their 3rd effigy, Nike should commission a statue of 5'2" Joan Benoit Samuelson, such a tiny lady who posseses the biggest heart
Muhammed Ali was if not the greatest the second greatest boxer of all time , Steve Prefontaine would not make the top 100 list of the best ever runners
Very interesting story - thank you for sharing. I didnt know who he was before this video.
Thanks very much Romel - he's definitely an unsung hero more people should know about!
Michael Johnson too.
Am now aware of this Jude :) thanks for stating though
This is when Bill Bowerman shoes with a waffle iron and Phil Knight made shoes, in his Mother's Laundry Room!!! My 1st pair of leather Nike shoes cost me, and I had to save up from picking beans, Strawberries and my 4-H Rabbit sales, for $13 Dollars!!! I wished I would have kept them!!!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing Jeralee, must have been awesome to experience the early days of Nike!
Mohammad Ali of Running 😄
That was great
Thanks man! appreciate it - he really is 💪
@@SamMartinPeakPerformance sure he is.
@@thealienmindzombie7101 yea pretty silly isn’t it. Ali doesn’t have shit on Steve pre
Why am I crying man ???
He was taken too soon 😔
I had the biggest crush on him. I would have anyone that had anything in papers or mags to send them to me. back then the girls all had donnie osmond on their walls and I had pre and him Morrison. I was glued to the Olympics. the hostages, then their deaths. all the time just wanting to see pre. He is a great role model for anyone in love with running or winning in life.
He was quite the heartthrob by the sound of things 😅
Have you ever read the book born to run by Christopher mcdougall?
Yes! Such an awesome book. He’s such a good writer in being able to weave the science into his storytelling
I read Matthew mcconaughey was going do a movie on it but with all this stuff going on ,I don’t know if he still going to do it
amazing story but the idea that he's the only athlete Nike ever built a statue for is plain wrong. If you go to Nike's campus, there's a statue of Ronaldo (brazilian), basketball player Cynthia Cooper and another track and field athlete Michael Johnson
Thanks man. Yeah I've since learned the sources used in researching this were a bit outdated. He was the first and only one for a long time but overtime they've added more 👍
Read his story written by Tom Jordan on line. You will love it. I recommend it.
Will do thanks 😁
Nobody. NOBODY DID WHAT PRE DID IN THE 1972 OLYMPICS 5000M FINAL..UP TO THAT POINT..OK LASSE VIREN WON BUT PRE FORCED THEM TO RUN THE LAST MILE IN UNDER 4 MINUTES !!!!!!!! AND HE BLEW UP FINISHING 4TH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND A FEW DAYS LATER...TRAGEDY @
100% agree Simon - insane!
Actually, he died 3 years later, not a few days. And yes, he made that a great race.
One best runner s ever ...
absolutely man - thanks for watching
When I hear the stories of legends like these who passed too quickly it saddens me, but then I remember that they will all come back in the ressurection. God is not wasteful but we must pay the penalty of our iniquities.
Spot on Samuel 👍 thanks for taking the time to watch
@@SamMartinPeakPerformance for sure 👍🏼
Sounds like B.S.
@@andrewarce8624 good for you
Pre!!
Bill Bowerman used the waffle iron to develop the waffle sole, not Phil Knight.
Pre was a big influence but lets be real. Nike wasn't a hit until Jordan. Now they rule the world.
I dunno man.. they should look at terry fox.. theres other atheletes just as inspiring as Prefontaine..
Absolutely man, that's why I've also made a video on Terry Fox too! check it out here - th-cam.com/video/CB91_OL-IkI/w-d-xo.html
Too bad they (Nike people) did not learn anything from Pre's life, especially the Sports Marketing group.....
That’s a lie I’ve seen a statue of Brazilian Ronaldo (R9) at Nike HQ
oh.
😮
"HAS' Ever built. Not, "have."
This hasn’t been true for years. There are several statues of other athletes!
grammar - only...NIKE HAS (not have)
bowerman
I love the content, so I subscribed!
Hope to be YT buds
Thanks a lot man, appreciate it. Will check you out too 👍
@@SamMartinPeakPerformance Awesome and thank you again!
Yeah, let's build a statute of an alcoholic who drunk and drove and died because of his own poor choices. Very cool! Very inspiring! NOT!
The questionable fall occasionally matter because beard surgically bat through a warlike security. little, bitter rule
Absolutely!
And pretty soon they shall build a statue of the freak show Dylan Mulvaney. Drop dead Nike.
And pretty soon they shall build a statue of the freak show Dylan Mulvaney. Drop dead Nike.