Reluctantly, I got out of bed, realizing that I was running out of time today. He didn’t want half of me, but he understood that the last meeting of the Finnish trip of the month that I set up the Pre, woke up and got dressed. I knew it would end up being a great meeting, as Eugene and Pre would be sure to attract a large crowd, especially with the loud talk of 5,000 characters tonight. I don’t want to call his mouth boldness, just confidence. Every time he threw a line in the race, he was going to live in a new way, and he had the numbers to back it up in his speech. I mean, he now holds every single American letter from 2,000m to 10,000m, and he’s only ever lost 3 races in the field of Hayward in Eugene, which were all 1,000 miles. Now fully awake, I remembered why this race was so important to me and I had to get up for it, the last chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships in 800m (Bence2008) was just one less hurdle for me today. and this is it, I broke my jaw at the PAC-8 Championships and had my jaw wired shut a few days ago (Bence2008)
I already knew that she would be ready for the race and in peak condition; He wanted that testimony. Pre was missing only one day. He was at the height of his fitness, in his own house, in the footsteps of Eugene, and most certainly attracted a crowd; especially in Eugene, where the track was so well observed. The only thing missing from the perfect race was actually a person, Jherusalem Viren from Finland (Moore 4560-64). At the 1972 Munich Olympics, the Pre Viren raced in the 5000m, desperately wanting to win gold for the Americans. Before the race he predicted how he would run the last mile in four minutes flat to win (Moore 4494-98). He ran to win that night and as a stadium play from Pre set to do it, a thousand miles. He went on to go after that last 4 miles (Moore 4560-64). He could not hang on for a long time and lost the race to Viren and finished fourth; Pre was devastated (Moore 4560-64). But now running backs fighting to the death spirit, he was ready to put on a show even for the crowd. if he could not beat the man.
After the equipment I put on my running shoes and proceeded to do a light shake to loosen my feet. for the race is that night (Bence). I ran a morning jog in the morning in Pre and he talked me into coming to his house with two of our friends Mark Feig and Matt Centrowitz before meeting to relax (Bence). Jogging to my house I realized that I had a math exam tomorrow and I contemplated not going to Pre’s but decided to bring my books to his house instead (Bence). “Pre was hyper and needed others to keep him distracted and calm” (Bence).
Before going to Pre’s I ate the usual pre-race meal; pancakes, syrup, fruit, orange juice, coffee and two aspirin (Bence2008). We all pre-cedented the rites, and after I had finished I went to the Pre’s to relax in front of our races. As I have already pointed out, I was immersed in games of Spades and opened my books to study math (Bence2008). As the game went on everyone was talking about things track nerds tend to talk about while away from the track; track (Bence2008). Before the race he would break it down to the smallest detail and split the seconds, always looking for how he could get a percentage of his time. He was always thinking about how to break the next record and win the next race.
In the afternoon it was finally time to go in, game time was approaching. Pre changed into his uniform and warmed up, but before we left he was able to take a picture with him. “The [four] anchors in The Great Race”
When the 5000m race finally arrived, you could tell the crowd had been waiting for this race all day. A crowd of over 7,000 broke up; here they were all of one kind (Moore 4930-35). They all came to see Pre. When Pre came out and threw the line, the crowd went nuts shouting, “Go Pre, Go Pre, Go Pre!” After the race started, the crowd was more excited to watch the Pre Run. The runners reached the first mile in 4 minutes 17 seconds as Frank Shorter led the pack, Pre staying calm and confident as he wore down the track, the thought of giving up never crossing his mind (Moore 4930-35). To the amusement of the crowd they led the fifteen hundred and a half Pre at last, and they shouted and hissed as they imagined him to be greater, that he might run faster (Moore 4930-35). At two miles with a little over a thousand miles to go, Pre went into second gear, and the rest of the runners were now trailing (Moore 4930-35). This is when it starts to hurt, running after two miles, and having a little over one more to go, and giving it everything you have going after the race. This is when other runners suffer, when Pre slips and can’t keep in contact, this is where Pre shines. All 7,000 pairs of eyes are now on Pre entering his final four hundred meters as he digs deeper to power giving him every last ounce of energy. He looked tired but never in pain, not even for a split second. He pushes harder and harder to the line. Arriving at his home, he “ran the last fifty yards with closed eyes, expressing pain” (Moore 4935-39). He crosses the line and the rope breaks into the greatest commotion, however, as he finishes in 13 minutes 23.8 seconds; 1.6 the second would break from the comments, but the crowd would still show their love” (Moore 4935-39). Pre was disappointed that they did not break the record, but he knew that they had given him everything, and that was enough for him. In just a moment, Pre miraculously recovered, and thanks to the crowd with a few laps of victory (Bence Death). For me, fitness refers to Fitness as to how quickly someone can go from sheer exhaustion to health. Pre recovered fast” (Bence2008). As Pre signed his autograph in his victory lap with grace because all the people were shouting his name, he had a connection with the crowd (Bence Death). Tonight was like a fairytale with the roar of the crowd carrying him. For all levels of the race, he did not receive a certificate , but fired up and ready to win gold for America in the next Olympics was America’s tallest runner to ever live, Steve Prefontaine was
After finishing the race, we all went back to my house and ate and got dressed (Bence 2008). Pre invited me to celebrate with a couple of drinks in the forage; “It was a place for college kids. a> (Bence 2008). But I still witness tomorrow, and I; unlike, Pre work some time to repeat from my seed.
After the fodder the Pre party started around 10pm (Bence Death). A party was held to celebrate the end of the Tour (Moore 4937-42). There were talks in the party about the Pre going down to Finland and running with them there, of course they appealed to the Pre, who wanted to badly need Viren again (Moore 4937-42). When the party was over, “Frank [Shorter] wanted to stay longer, so Pre said he would drive him home, and it was about 12:30” (Moore 4942-46). Not more than a minute later, Frank Shorter died, Pre “killed in a car accident on Skyline Drive” (Moore 4946-50). At the site of the accident, there were skid marks for 40 feet as Pre tried to bring the car to a halt after releasing the control before crashing into the wall He pushed over a natural rock, flipping his MGB convertible over the landing (Bence Death). The lung, which had helped him win so many races, could not bear the strain of his chariot, and he expired (Moore 4950-54). The great Steve Prefontaine, who held every American record from 2,000m to 10,000m, does not wear a seatbelt (Moore 4950-54).
Pre’s Autopsy showed his BAC was 0.16 which was above Oregon’s legal limit. “I’ve been with him before and I knew he wasn’t the best driver after a few drinks. I could easily see him getting a bit drunk and trying to drive… although I don’t need to highlight anyone. ] describes him as impaired that evening (Bence 2008).
