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Meet Pre.

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Pre_2This, my friends, is Steve Prefontaine.


In yesterday's Register Guard there was a memorial article (he died May, 30 1975) and this ad, place by NIKE. One of my favorite quotes from the article: "He was an outspoken athlete who made outrageous predictions that nobody thought he could back up - and then he would go out and prove everyone wrong." Coming across this ad...WOW. I took it and put it right up on my board in my studio.


Pre is a legend.  Man, look at those eyes. There have been movies made about his brief life. He came from the tiny little town where my Dad grew up, Coos Bay, Oregon. He was a distance running phenom. Attended the University of Oregon. Eugene is referred to as "track town USA"? This place is big on running. BIG. And in the track and field world...he was a mega star with a BIG attitude and the feet to back it up.


His story has a tragic ending. A car crash here in town killed Steve when he was just 24. At the height of his running career. He held the American Record in every event over a mile.


I love this ad. The text says, "Where are all the rock star runners? He was this kid from Coos Bay, who wanted to run faster than any other human being in the world. A kid that was too small and not fast enough. A kid everyone kept telling to give up a foolish dream. They called him "Pre." The man who ran like fire every day, every race, wire to wire. The man who caused people to stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' A runner who never paced himself, slowed down or quit. But Pre wasn't a runner. He was a rebel who happened to run. Where is the next Pre?"


Oh man that fills me up. Makes me want to run...and I am no runner. I love that he was a dream chaser, literally. Fighting every day to be the best. You can see that determination, that bit of insanity, in his eyes. Serious inspiration.


When people ask what inspires me, I always answer everything. Here is an example of something that spoke to me loud and clear. How it directly translates to a scrapbook page is almost impossible to demonstrate. But it will. In one way or another. The feeling will be expressed. It simply becomes a part of me.

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