Quotes from Steve Prefontaine

If he's having a good day and running the right race, nobody can beat Frank Shorter at 10,000 meters... nobody except me.

A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.

If I lose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself. But if it's a slow pace, and I get beaten by a kicker who leaches off the front, then I'll always wonder, 'What if...?'

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative.

I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it.

I'm the one who has made all the sacrifices. Those are my American records, not the country's.

To hell with love of country - I compete for myself.

I used to say, 'Hey, man, what kind of a stupid question is that?' to a newspaperman asking me heavy things right after a race when I'm still in an emotional state. Now I at least try to answer.

If anybody wants to beat me, let them run a world record.

This is my last year at Oregon, and it means a lot to me. The people have been great to me up there, so if I have to run three races to win the Pac-8 title, I'll do it. Oh, sure, I'll probably be tired, but the people shouting will carry me across the finish line.

World records at 19. I don't want that. Later, yes. And when it comes, I'll learn to live with it, but it won't be my first love.

When people go to a track meet, they're looking for something, a world record, something that hasn't been done before. You get all this magnetic energy, people focusing on one thing at the same time. I really get excited about it. It makes me want to compete even more. It makes it all worthwhile, all the hours of hard work.

PRE. For your dedication and loyalty to your principles and beliefs. For your love,warmth and friendship. For your family and friends. You are missed by so many and you will never be forgotten.

If I want to go to Europe and get thrashed by the Europeans, that's my business. Every race I lose I learn from and get tougher.

Coos Bay is a sports-minded town. You had to be an athlete to be somebody.

I decided that if I was going to continue in track, that I didn't want to lose, that I wasn't going to lose.

What I like most about track is the feeling I get inside after a good run.

Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

American athletes, especially distance runners, are at a big disadvantage against the rest of the world. We're expected to live by all the rules, like not being able to coach, but still train and make our own living.

No matter how hard you train, Somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, Somebody will run harder. No matter how hard you want it, Somebody will want it more, I am Somebody.

Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.

I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it.

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative.

A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. Nobody is going to win a 5,000 meter race after running an easy 2 miles. Not with me. If I lose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself.