Untitled

Without Limits (Warner Brothers, 1998)
Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Selected Film Credits
Produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner
Directed by Robert Towne
Executive Producers – Jonathan Sanger and Kenny Moore
Written by Robert Towne and Kenny Moore
Track Consultants – Frank Shorter, John Gillespie, Steve Bence
Special Consultants – Bill and Barbara Bowerman, Jim Jaqua, Mary Marckx, Dave Frohnmayer
Original music composed and conducted by Randy Miller
Partial Cast of Characters
Steve Prefontaine
Bill Bowerman
Walt McClure
Bill Dellinger
Elfriede Prefontaine
Kenny Moore
Roscoe Devine
Mary Marckx
Molly Cox
Bob Peters
Barbara Bowerman
Mac Wilkins
Russ Francis
Hayward Field Announcer
Starter
Don Kardong
Turn Judge
Coed #1
Coed #2
Coed #3
Olympic Trials
Billy Crudup
Donald Sutherland
Greg Foote
Dean Norris
Lisa Banes
Billy Burke
Matthew Lillard
Monica Potter
Karen Elliott
William Mapother
Judith Ivey
Adam Setliff
Nicholas Oleson
Wendy Ray
Wade Bell
Gabriel Olds
Edwin L. Coleman II
Katharine Towne
Cassandra A. Coogan
Amy Erenberger
George Young
Munich Olympics
TV Director
Charlie Jones
Fred Long
BBC Commentator
Prefontaine (age 6)
Bully
German Guard
Lasse Viren
Mohammed Gammoudi
Dave Bedford
Emiel Puttemans
Harold Norpoth
Juha Vaatinen
Ian Stewart
Javier Alvarez
Frank Eisenberg
Per Halle
Nikolay Sviridov
Ian McCafferty
NCAA Championships
Iowa’s Finest
Garth Granholm
Amy Jo Johnson
William Friedkin
Himself
Frank Shorter
David Coleman
Jamie Schwering
Coleman Dow
John Roemer
Pat Porter
Steve Ave
Jonathan Pritchard
Tom Ansberry
Sol Alexis Sallos
Thomas DeBacker
Ashley Johnson
Brad Hudson
Todd D. Lewis
Tove Christensen
Chris Caldwell
Paul Vincent
Helsinki
Frank Shorter
Finnish Track Official #1
Restoration Meet & Party
Jeremy Cisto
Ryan S. Warren
Arne Kvalheim
Oregon Letterman
James Howarth
Kenny Moore
Story and screenplay © 1998 Warner Bros.
All material is protected by Copyright Laws of the United States and all countries throughout the world. All rights
reserved. Country of First Publication: United States of America. Warner Bros. is the author of this motion picture for
purposes of copyright and other laws. Any unauthorized exhibition, distribution, or copying of this film or any part
thereof (including soundtrack) is an infringement of the relevant copyright and will subject the infringer to severe civil
and criminal penalties.
This film is based on the life of Steve Prefontaine. Dialogue and certain events and characters contained in the film were
created for the purpose of dramatization.
2
Music Credits
“Comin’ Back to Me” (1967)
Composed by Marty Balin
Performed by Jefferson Airplane
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label of BMG Entertainment
0:45:27-0:48:43
1:00:13-1:01:20
1:31:41-1:32:15
“Montage 1” – 0:43:35-0:44:14
“Olympic 5,000 meter race” – 1:14:50-1:20:38
“Confrontation Aftermath” – 1:28:57-1:29:27
“Quarry Run” – 1:41:14-1:41:55
Closing Credits – 1:54:10-1:57:57
Composed and Conducted by Randy Miller
“Summon the Heroes” (1996)
Composed by John Williams
Performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra
Conducted by John Williams
Courtesy of Sony Classical
By Arrangement with Sony Music Listening
0:00:14-0:03:30
0:29:11-0:30:01
1:51:58-1:54:09
“Bugler’s Dream” (Olympic Theme, 1958)
Composed by Leo Arnaud
1:06:04-1:06:49
“Yitgadal Veyitkadash”
Adapted by Edward Birnbaum
Performed by “Rinat” Israel National Choir
Conductor: Stanley Sperber / Cantor: Naftoli Herstik
Courtesy of Beth Hatefutsoth – Museum of The Jewish
Diaspora
1:10:16-1:10:29
“County Fair” (December 1974)
Composed and Performed by Joe Walsh
Courtesy of MCA Records
By Arrangement with Universal Music Special Markets
0:04:32-0:05:44
0:05:58-0:06:38
0:25:19-0:28:38
1:34:55-1:38:57
“Can’t Find My Way Home” (August, 1969)
Composed by Steve Winwood
Performed by Blind Faith
Courtesy of PolyGram Music International B.V.
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing
1:21:56-1:23:03
“The Recruiting Run” – 0:08:23-0:09:21
“Montage Number 2” – 59:02-59:33
“Olympic Trials” – 1:04:57-1:06:03
Composed and Produced by Scott and Seth Grusin
“I Feel Free” (December 1966)
Composed by Jack Bruce and Peter Brown
Performed by Cream
Courtesy of PolyGram Music International B.V.
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing
1:25:03-1:26:30
“Tamalpais High (At About 3)” (February 1971)
Composed and Performed by David Crosby
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
0:10:41-0:12:11
0:18:58-0:19:40
1:30:26-1:31:20
“John, I’m Only Dancing” (September 1972)
Composed and Performed by David Bowie
Courtesy of Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment Co., LLC
1:43:32-1:44:30
“Badge” (April 1969)
Composed and George Harrison and Eric Clapton
Performed by Cream
Courtesy of PolyGram Music International B.V.
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing
1:44:30-1:45:32
“Walk on the Wild Side” (November 1972)
Composed and Performed by Lou Reed
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label of BMG Entertainment
0:12:13-0:13:17
0:15:42-0:16:06
“Do You Know What I Mean” (Fall 1971)
Composed and Performed by Lee Michaels
Courtesy of Lee Michaels
By Arrangement with Rhino Entertainment, Inc.
0:30:20-0:33:40
“Rocket Man” (April 1972)
Composed by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Performed by Elton John
Courtesy of Rocket Records/Mercury Records Ltd.
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing
1:46:55-1:48:05
“Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” (1974)
Composed and Performed by Barry White
Courtesy of Mercury Records, Inc.
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing
0:39:40-0:40:52
3
(0:00:00-0:01:02) OPENING CREDITS
(1:04) SCENE 1: Munich, West Germany, the 1972 Olympic Games. An assistant carries several cups of
coffee to the “International News Corporation Sports” video truck.
Director (shouting): Bobby, let’s make a pan left now. Left! Le- your other left, Bobby! Hello...close that
door! Awright, stand by to cue da suits, we’re coming to 6 next. Get the VTRs ready. Thank you.
Assistant: 10, 9, 8, 7… (counting continues in background)
Director: All right, Irvo, you’re on 228, Billy, you’re on 904, Johnny, you’re on 274, and Vic, you’re on 61.
Ready to cue Jones, and…cue Jones! TAKE 6!
Race announcer Charlie Jones and commentator Fred Long appear on one of several video monitors, along
with the favorites for the 5,000 meter run.
Charlie Jones: Hello again everybody, and welcome to the Olympic Stadium here in Munich. This is Charlie
Jones, along with Fred Long as we get set for the men’s 5,000 meters. An absolutely gorgeous day.
Fred Long: Charlie, this race has the potential, on paper, of being the most competitive of the entire men’s
track competition.
Jones: Lasse Viren, is he the favorite?
Fred Long: Oh he has to be. He’s been running the best of anyone in the world for the past six weeks and
he is the current Olympic 10,000 meter champion. He has the psychological edge. Here he is, winning in
world-record time just a few days ago.
Lasse Viren: I have no specific tactic. I just want to be ready when the race starts.
Director: Take 1! Ready to wipe it in.
Jones: This is the greatest 5,000 meter field in Olympic history.
Long: Ten of these men have set world records or won major championships.
Director (off): Bring it in!
Jones: It’s a mythic race. There is a reason, this was the longest distance in the ancient Olympic Games.
Long: Run the 5,000 and you share something unique with those who’ve run it before.
Jones: What is that?
Long: Pain, Charlie. 13 minutes of pain that only they know.
Jones: And so it will be a Finnish policeman, a Belgian gardener, a Tunisian soldier, and ironically, here in
Munich, from Coos Bay, Oregon, a millworker’s son who was raised in a German-speaking household.
Long: Earlier, when I talked to both Stewart and Prefontaine, I asked them how they thought the race might
unfold.
Ian Stewart: Well, it’ll probably be down to Viren and myself, with Prefontaine trying to chase us down in the
last kilometer.
Steve Prefontaine: I’d like to work it out so in…in the end, um, it comes down to a pure guts race.
Voice (background): Stand by, 4!
Prefontaine (continuing): If it is, I’m the only one who can win it.
Jones: 14 qualifiers, 13 on the starting line. Mariano Haro of Spain has withdrawn. 5,000 meters. 12 and a
half laps, for the gold medal. The gun is up. [Starting gun cracks.] It is a fair start, and the thirteen
finalists are away...
Bill Bowerman narrates in voiceover against close-up, slow motion race action of the pack of runners.
Bill Bowerman: “Citius...Altius...Fortius.” It means faster...higher...stronger. It’s been the motto for the
Olympics for the last 2,500 years. But it doesn’t mean faster, higher and stronger than who you’re
competing against. Just “Faster...higher...stronger.”
One runner brought this home to me. From the beginning, I tried to change him. And from the
beginning, he tried not to change. That was our relationship, and even that never changed. He couldn’t
stand a crowd. Always wanted to race out front, from the start, like he was trying to get away from
something. Just where and when this compulsion came from, no one can say for sure, so, like Plato and
his tale of the world’s creation, I will not say absolutely, this is the truth, but I will say, it is a likely story.
Flashback: six-year-old Prefontaine is pursued through the woods by a gang of toughs.
Gang leader: We’re gonna get you! You better run, boy! Ruuuunnn!, you little German boy! Yeah, we’ve
got you surrounded, you little Kraut! Your mama’s not here now! There’s no way of getting’ out now!
We’ve got you surrounded! Get back here, ya Heine! Where you goin’ now? You’re gonna get tired!
Your mama ain’t here now, boy! We’ve got you, we’re right on your heels! You get him. Oughh!
Prefontaine grabs a tree and abruptly pivots 180°, causing his pursuers to shoot past and fall.
Gang leader: Get him, get him, get him, get him! Oh there he is. I got him, I got him, I got him, I got him!
The scene reverts to the Olympic 5,000 meters, a slow motion close-up of pushing and shoving in the pack.
BBC announcer: And this is surely being left to the fastest miler. Prefontaine believes it’s him. So the
American now committed. The American in front, almost a cult in the United States, he’s a sort of athletic
Beatle. There are T-shirts around, “Go Pre.”
Long: There goes Pre. Maybe this is the race.
The scene reverts to the woods once again. Pre pulls away from his pursuers, taunting them.
Prefontaine: You can’t catch me. You’ll never catch me. You don’t have the guts.
(5:38) SCENE 2: Salem, Oregon: the 1969 Oregon State High School Cross-Country championships. Early
in the race, the pack of runners descends a hill, still together but beginning to spread out.
Bowerman’s assistant Bill Dellinger is on a scouting trip, accompanied by Marshfield H.S. CrossCountry Coach Walt McClure.
Dellinger (holding binoculars): This is a mess, I mean, I haven’t seen your boy Prefontaine, how am I
supposed to pick him out of, ah, what have you got, 200 runners?
McClure (confidently): You’ll see him.
5
The pack approaches a short, steep rise. Suddenly Prefontaine crests the hill, clear of the pack, whereupon
the guitar solo from Joe Walsh’s “County Fair” begins to play.
Dellinger (lowers binoculars): Holy shit!
Across a section of the course on a running track, Pre continues to pull away. Dellinger turns to McClure and
grins. McClure appears to shrug, as if to say, “See, I told you so.”
(6:30) SCENE 3: A waterfront view of Coos Bay, Oregon, shrouded in a misty fog, with mountains in the
background. It is the spring of 1969, and a car pulls up in front of modest two-story home. The
mailbox reads “2938 PREFONTAINE,” with a red “WORLD” newspaper tube just below the box and
to the left. Through the rainy windshield, a two-tone, turquoise-and-white ’55 Chevy convertible can
be seen parked at the curb.
Kenny Moore: Hey, Bill, if Bowerman doesn’t believe in recruiting, why are we here?
Dellinger: Because Bowerman doesn’t believe in recruiting.
Roscoe Devine: So he has us do it. This is it.
[Distant thunderclap sounds]
Dellinger: Ah, well, at least today you boys can leave your shoes in the car.
Prefontaine (inside): Hey Ma, they’re here.
Prefontaine (answering door): Well! Kenny Moore. Sixteenth in the marathon at Mexico City.
Moore: Fourteenth, actually it was.
Prefontaine: And ah Roscoe Devine, uh, a 3:57 mile when, Jim Ryun ran a 3:56.5. God, is there anything
worse than being second best? Well thanks for coming to see me, guys, Mr. Dellinger. So um, how about
an easy 10?
Devine: Ah [thunder sounds amidst pouring rain], we ah, we left our running shoes in the car.
Prefontaine (laughing): Well OK, do you want me to get ’em for you?
Devine chuckles as he and Moore turn and head back to the car.
Prefontaine: Um, my mom’s just inside, Mr. Dellinger, if you want something to eat.
Dellinger: Great thanks.
Inside the Prefontaine home, Dellinger and Pre’s mother strike up an uneasy conversation. Trim, pretty, and as
neatly groomed as her house is well-kept, she was war-bride and still speaks with a pronounced German accent.
She is wary not just of Dellinger, but also (for financial reasons) the very idea of her son attending college.
Dellinger: Boy, it sure lets you know Bowerman’s a legend, doesn’t he? Steve’s room is like a shrine to Bill.
Elfriede Prefontaine: Oregon is the land of the Bill coaches. Bill Hayward, Bill Dellinger...Bill Bowerman. You
want my boy to go to the University of Oregon?
Dellinger: Oh yes, very much so. Steve’s a…very special kid.
6
Meanwhile, Pre is leading Devine and Moore on a rain-soaked tour of his training roads and trails. Wearing
only his shorts and a t-shirt, he contrasts with the latter pair, who are clad in their heavy Oregon sweat suits.
Prefontaine: This pace too fast for you?
Moore or Devine (speaker unclear): No, it’s fine.
Prefontaine: Well see, I realize now I should’ve started my kick sooner, but I still finished with an 8:41.5,
which set a national record.
Moore or Devine: Oh, man!
Moore or Devine: Actually, you might be surprised, but, that’s kind of why we’re here.
Moore or Devine: Yeah. Word of talent tends to gets around.
Prefontaine: Talent’s got nothin’ to do with it.
The trio is now in the woods. Pre grabs a tree, makes an abrupt 90° turn on the steep, muddy trail, sending
his two companions sliding down the hillside.
Moore or Devine: Woah…agh!
Prefontaine (looking down on Moore and Devine): Sorry, guys. I guess I shoulda let you know I was gonna
turn, huh?
Devine: Hey, no sweat.
Devine (sotto voce): I’m gonna to get this f***in’ kid. Augh!
Trying to climb back up the hillside, Devine falls once again.
Moore: So Steve, what about comin’ to Oregon?
Prefontaine: Does Bowerman want me there?
Moore: Yes, absolutely.
Devine: Oregon’s the place for you.
Prefontaine: But, not enough to ask me himself?
Moore: Well, he considers the most valuable thing the University offers is, education.
Devine: Anything else is almost immoral.
Prefontaine: Uh-huh.
Back in the Prefontaine living room, Pre’s mother still regards Dellinger warily, but has begun to open up a bit
as Dellinger picks at the food he has been served.
Elfriede Prefontaine: We’re no big deal, you know. My Ray works as a carpenter, Steve at a gas station, and
after school, he has a fine opportunity to become an insurance adjuster, right here in Coos Bay. We have
no time for dreams that we can’t afford.
Dellinger: There’s no cost involved…
7
Elfriede Prefontaine: No one can afford dreams that won’t come true.
Pre, Moore, and Devine, back from their run, enter the living room.
Elfriede Prefontaine: That’s a price my Steve is not going to pay.
Dellinger: Mrs. Prefontaine, your boy is Olympic stuff.
Prefontaine (panting and wet from the run): Mr. Dellinger, she’s not gonna to be convinced about me
running anywhere. Not at ah…(picking up and leafing through mail)…Stanford, or Pennsylvania, or
Iowa...Villanova, Brown...Nebraska. Then again, she doesn’t have to be convinced, I do. (voice rising)
And only one guy at Oregon can do that, and he hasn’t bothered to try!
Dellinger: Steve, Bowerman’s philosophy about recruiting...
Prefontaine: Mr. Dellinger, I’ve got three three weeks to sign my letter of intent before I lose my slot at any
college worth goin’ to, so here’s my philosophy: I don’t go anywhere near Eugene unless Bowerman
personally lets me know he wants me.
Moore and Devine begin to laugh, but are silenced by a look from Pre, who stands over a discomfited
Dellinger. On the way home in the continuing downpour, Dellinger stops at a public telephone booth and
reports to Bowerman. David Crosby’s “Tamalpais High” begins to play softly in the background.
Dellinger (tense): Yeah, I-I know. I understand that, Bill, please, but, but...but Bill-Bill-Bill, please listen to
me, for God’s sake. Everybody in the country is offering this kid the moon. All he wants from you is one
word...just, just to know you want to coach him. That’s it. He just wants to know you want to coach him.
Several days later, under brilliant sunshine, Pre kicks home at the end of a training run, punctuating it with an
unalterable ritual: he slams his fist on top of the mailbox as he sprints by, causing it to pop open, then circles
back quickly to examine the day’s delivery. This is repeated twice, both times ending in disappointment.
Prefontaine: Shit!
Finally one day after a run along the beach, he eases up and jogs warily by the mailbox, pushes the door
open less violently, then walks a few steps past and stops with his back turned, unwilling to risk further
disappointment. After a while he permits himself an over-the-shoulder glance…then almost leaps to check
its contents. It’s a single letter addressed to him at “2938 Coos Bay Rd., Coos Bay OR 97420,” with a
return address of simply “Bowerman,” written in green felt-tip pen. Pre starts walking towards the front
door, holding the letter up and smiling proudly.
Prefontaine: Hey ma?!
Pre’s mother has been watching the scene with bemusement from the front porch.
Elfriede Prefontaine: Just get an education. That would be nice too, you know.
She turns and goes inside, leaving Pre with nothing to say.
(12:14) SCENE 4: As Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” begins to play in the background, Prefontaine
approaches Eugene on a sunny day in the family’s ’55 Chevy, which is laden with his possessions.
Bowerman (voiceover): If you do us the honor of attending the University of Oregon, there is no doubt in my
mind that you can be the nation’s finest distance runner, perhaps the world’s. Sincerely, William J.
Bowerman.
8
Clad somewhat incongruously in suit coat and dress shirt with open collar, Pre arrives on campus, savoring
the moment for all it’s worth.
Prefontaine (grinning): Yes, sir.
He pulls up at a STOP light as Mary Marckx, an attractive blond, crosses in front of him, chatting with her
roommate Molly Cox as she walks.
Mary Marckx: It’s good that way, because then you’ll have three classes in a row, then you’ll have a good
break, right?
Prefontaine: Hey excuse me! I’m sorry! Where is McArthur Court? Do you know?
Suppressing a laugh, Marckx casts an obvious backward glance as she continues to cross, but Pre, unable to
take the hint, shrugs as if to say, “Well, where is it?,” making it necessary for Mary to point to the building
directly on the corner.
Prefontaine (sheepishly): Right. Thank you!
Marckx (without a backward look): You’re welcome.
Prefontaine, transfixed by Marckx’s beauty, continues staring at the vision that has just passed in front of
him until it disappears into a nearby park, not realizing that the light has changed.
Driver: Numb nuts!
Half-aware of the frustration behind him, Prefontaine gestures nonchalantly as if to say ‘I hear you,’ then
begins to roll forward.
(13:13) The then scene shifts to an indoor gymnasium, where basketball practice is in progress. Pre makes
his way tentatively through its corridors, spotting Roscoe Devine and Kenny Moore in a queue of track
athletes as he rounds a corner.
Voice (off): Savage?
Prefontaine: Hey, Roscoe! Here I am, I made it.
Devine: Yep.
Moore: Yep.
Prefontaine (slapping and shaking hands with Devine and Moore): So um, is everybody here to see
Bowerman?
Devine: Uh-huh.
Moore: Yeah.
Prefontaine (pointing to a blackboard used as partition): Is that…where he is?
Bob Peters: Behind there.
Prefontaine: Right behind there. Does everybody here run distance?
Devine: Mm-hmm.
9
Moore: Yes.
Prefontaine: So Kenny, hey, maybe you could give me a couple of tips about Bowerman.
Moore: He’s a little touchy.
Prefontaine: About what?
Devine: Workin’ out too hard.
Steve Bence (passing by): Not workin’ out hard enough.
Moore: All depends on who he’s dealing with, Steve.
Devine: Yeah, Bowerman caught Bob back there sweeping out his church, kicked him off the team a week.
[Prefontaine laughs.]
Peters: Just praying would have been all right, sweeping it out was too much like work.
Prefontaine: Yeah…right. Seriously, huh?
Moore: He was ah, in Italy, World War II, 10th Mountain Division.
Prefontaine: So?
Moore: Well, he single-handedly negotiated the surrender of the 8th German army.
Peters: All 8,000 of them.
Moore: When he commands...
Dellinger (off): Moore?
Moore: …you obey.
Prefontaine (laughing): Well, I’m not the German Army, and I’m not here to surrender.
Dellinger: Prefontaine.
Prefontaine: Yes, sir?
Pre steps behind a blackboard upon which is written “The arrogance to believe you can run faster than
anyone, ever. Then the…” [remainder not visible] and into a room to see the close-cropped, silver-haired
head of Bill Bowerman crouched over a tablet of tracing paper.
Bowerman (sounding grumpy): Over here. (wearily) Take off your shoe. Your right one. (softly) Put it
down. Now put your foot on here…
Pre’s eye begins to wander over to a set of compartmented shelves. In each cubicle is a pair of lasts for
previous Oregon runners, labeled with names like “Moore,” and “Dellinger.”
Prefontaine: You make everybody’s shoes?
Bowerman: Everybody that runs.
10
Prefontaine: Why? Cost?
Bowerman (emphatically): Weight! What’s a good miler’s stride?
Prefontaine: Two yards?
Bowerman: That’s 880 steps. Take an ounce off the shoe...that’s 880 ounces. In a mile, that’s 55 pounds of
weight you don’t have to carry.
Prefontaine: Wow, what a…good idea. That’s 110 pounds a mile, if you count both feet.
Bowerman: I already counted both feet. Lift your foot, damn it.
Prefontaine: Sorry, coach.
Bowerman stops measuring, looks slowly up at Prefontaine, and his voice lowers nearly to a whisper.
Bowerman: Don’t call me coach. Meanest son of a bitch I ever met insisted on being called that, and as we
all know, I’m a kind and forbearing man. (smiling) Welcome to the University of Oregon, I’m Bill
Bowerman.
Prefontaine: I know. Steve Prefontaine.
Bowerman: I know. Take off your other shoe, Steve.
(15:50) News footage of a burning building slowly fades to a copy of the Eugene Register-Guard dated
Monday, February 17, 1970. The banner headline reads “U of O Building Torched,” with the sub-heading
“ROTC Uniforms Thought Target of Arson”
Voice of newscaster: Last night the physical education building on the campus of the University of Oregon
was set on fire. It is believed that this was in protest of the Vietnam War, since ROTC uniforms were
stored amongst the athletic sweat clothes in the building’s basement.
(16:02) SCENE 5: Hayward Field, University of Oregon, February 1970. Bowerman, slightly stoopshouldered, dressed in a green jacket and trademark Tyrolean hat, cuts the infield grass on a red
riding mower. The scene shifts to the bleachers, where Bob Peters, alone, is reading the Bible
(Exodus 18:21) softly to himself.
Peters: Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating
covetousness…
Numerous team members begin arriving.
Devine: Hey Bob, what time is it?
Peters: 7:24.
Mac Wilkins: Genesis?
Peters: Exodus.
Prefontaine: Hey, wha…why does Bowerman call a team meeting for…7:27? What’s wrong with 7:30?
Bowerman: Hold on. I’ll tell him why, gentlemen. 7:27 provokes the question: “Why 7:27?” And everybody
gets here at 7:27 to find out why.
11
When students burn a campus building it becomes necessary for us to disassociate ourselves from that
behavior. I’m not suggesting that you support the Vietnam War any more than I’m suggesting that this
University should. I am saying your appearance cannot be construed to support a form of protest that
burns down the buildings of the institution that feeds, houses, and sustains us all.
So. We have a little cosmetic work ahead of us: haircuts.
A low, collective moan goes up from the team.
Bowerman: The question before us is how much to cut.
Prefontaine: Well, Bill? This is not gonna to be fair.
Bowerman: Why not?
Prefontaine: OK, so, ah…what’s the standard for how long hair gets before it’s considered offensive? It’s…a
completely arbitrary length, no matter what it is.
Voice (off): Right.
Bowerman: So’s the length of a meter, Steve. Does that make a 100 meter race unfair?
Prefontaine: Of course not. Not when everyone agrees on what the length is.
12
Bowerman: Well then, let’s all agree on the length. Nobody on the team will have hair longer than his dick
which means everybody gets a haircut except Bob.
Prefontaine: Well why except Bob, hmm?
Bowerman: God’s will, Steve.
Prefontaine: God’s will?
Devine (whispering): It’s just below his kneecap.
Voice (off): Way to go, Bob!
Bowerman: Men of Oregon, I invite you to become students of your events. Running, one might say, is
basically an absurd pastime upon which to be exhausting ourselves. But if you can find meaning in the
kind of running you have to do to stay on this team, chances are you’ll be able to find meaning in another
absurd pastime: life.
(19:00) The scene shifts to a golf course for a sunny morning training run. David Crosby’s “Tamalpais High”
once again starts to play softly in the background.
Prefontaine: Does this guy ever have anything to say?
Moore: What guy? About what?
Prefontaine: Bowerman. About running. You know, like coaching.
Moore: Well, when he’s got something to say, he usually says it.
Bowerman: Prefontaine! Come here a minute!
You usually run with your butt stickin’ out like that? Stand up straight. You want a plumb line to run from
your ear through your hips to your feet. OK. Now let your hips relax. That’s pretty much like how you
were running. Lift your knee. Now cock your hips up under you. Under you. (voice lowers) Like at the
moment of deepest penetration. Now lift your knee. It’s easier to lift your knee when you tuck your
pelvis under you. You’re not fighting your own body’s mechanics, makes you more efficient runner.
Pre remains standing on one foot, like a flamingo.
Bowerman (sarcastically): You can put your knee down now. Bill…
Dellinger (addressing team): All right gentlemen, cardinal rule: no racing in workouts. We’ll do a mile at ¾
effort. That’s 4:40 max. Everyone should be able to stay together.
At the end of the run, Prefontaine kicks home strongly and comes in ahead of the rest of the team.
Dellinger: That’s not staying together. That’s 4:30, Steve. You’re 10 seconds fast.
The workout over, Pre files by Bowerman, who abruptly grabs him by the throat, nearly lifting him off his feet.
Bowerman: Your pulse is north of 190. It’s just a rough guess, but I’d say you were exceeding the agreedupon speed limit, rube.
13
(21:15) In the locker room afterward, Bowerman attends the needs of his runners, dressed in an apron and
looking like the cobbler he trained himself to be.
Devine: Hey Bill, I lost a spike.
Bowerman: Again?
Devine: Yeah.
Bowerman hands Devine a new pair of shoes.
Devine: Ah, Bill, not the ripple soles again.
Bowerman: What’s wrong with ’em?
Devine: Digging dog shit out of them, for one thing. Come on, I don’t want to be your guinea pig. Give ’em
to Moore. Let him try ’em.
Bowerman: I’m workin’ on somethin’ new, Roscoe. Urethane spikes from a special mold. Light as a feather.
Prefontaine stops by.
Prefontaine: Wow. Bill, looks like you got it off a waffle iron.
Bowerman: It’s a very promising configuration. I expect all my runners will try it.
(21:58) SCENE 6: Bowerman is experimenting in the kitchen of his home once again, cooking a urethane
mixture with a waffle iron. Through the haze of fumes this creates, he watches a tape of
Prefontaine breaking the national high school 2-mile record on an old black-and-white set.
Narrater’s voice: Prefontaine, shown here last spring smashing the high school 2-mile record by an amazing
7 seconds in 8:41.6…
Bowerman’s wife arrives with a bag of groceries.
Barbara Bowerman: Oh! Damn it, Bill, not again! I-I promised the kids waffles for Sunday brunch!
Bowerman: Barbara…the kids are over 25 as I recollect. May-maybe they won’t be traumatized if you serve
them pancakes.
Barbara Bowerman (opening a window): Those chemicals are simply overwhelming. They can’t be good for
you. What are you watching?
Bowerman: The kid from Coos Bay that Dellinger recruited.
Barbara Bowerman: Pretty impressive, isn’t he?
Bowerman: Well he’s a front-runner, and he may get away with it in high school, but at the international
level of competition it’s a disaster.
Barbara Bowerman: Well…tell him not to do it. Isn’t that what coaching is for?
Bowerman (muttering): Yes, dear.
Narrator’s voice: Last spring, Prefontaine smashed the high school 2-mile record by an amazing 7 seconds…
14
(22:56) SCENE 7: Back at the Oregon athletic facilities, Pre eases a large Toledo scale on a two-wheel cart
down a flight of stairs, accompanied by Bowerman. An arrow on the wall points upward to
McArthur Court. The two are locked in a discussion about race tactics for the upcoming meet.
Bowerman: Steve, grant me those Stanford 3-milers are no slouches, especially that fella Kardong.
Prefontaine: Don Kardong? Well he’s not bad (chuckles).
Bowerman: It takes 8% more energy to lead than to follow. Front-runners cut the wind for everybody
behind them and then die in the stretch. In a close race, a front-runner never wins.
Prefontaine: Well, he’s not that good, either, Bill.
Bowerman (directing Pre to the weight room): OK, I’m gonna want it up there against the window. So what
are you trying to do? Help him out? Give him a handicap?
Prefontaine: No! I hate those people back there suckin’ on me!
Bowerman: Then why do you let ’em?
Prefontaine: Bill, when you set the pace, you control the race.
Bowerman (sarcastically): Yeah – and the hare controls the hound. Indulge me here, will ya? Saturday,
start off easy for once in your life. 69s for the first mile. Then drop to 67s for the second, and then,
depending on where ya are and how you feel...
Prefontaine (dismissively): Well I won’t know that ’till I get there and I’ll figure it out then.
Prefontaine gives Bowerman a slap on the back.
Bowerman: While you’re doin’ that, why don’t you also figure out what university you expect to be running
for next week.
Bowerman hands Pre a couple notebooks and a pen that he has been holding behind his back all the while,
then walks away, towards his office.
Prefontaine: Bill, has it ever occurred to you there’s such a thing as over-coaching?
Bowerman (grinning): Yeah. I’m against it.
Bowerman then closes the door to his office, which reads “WILLIAM J. BOWERMAN, HEAD TRACK COACH” in
gold letters outlined in black. Mac Wilkins, who has observed the whole exchange, begins to laugh.
Prefontaine: Shut up, Mac.
(24:47) SCENE 8: Hayward Field, on a beautiful spring day. It’s the first meet of the 1970 season, vs.
Stanford. The Stadium scoreboard time-of-day clock reads 3:56:52, and the right side is adorned
with an ad for “OSAGA SPORT SHOES for the human race”
Moore: Is there any particular plan here? Steve going out fast, burning Kardong early?
Bowerman, clad in a green blazer, gold tie, and Tyrolean hat, replies with an air of confidence.
Bowerman: Steve’s going out in 69, no faster.
15
Starter: All right runners, gather in here for instructions. I’d like you to stand one stride behind the line. The
commands’ll be “runners to your marks” and “set,” and then I’ll shoot the gun. Good luck to y’all.
Hayward Field announcer: The 3-mile is underway.
The crowd is largely indifferent, most engaging in conversation without paying much attention to the action.
Hayward Field announcer: High jump bar’s been raised to 6’7”. Next up...Kip Leonard of Stanford.
Barely 120 meters into the race, Pre’s “compulsion” to race out front, from the start, like he was “trying to
get away from something,” takes over as he bolts from the pack, accompanied by the guitar solo from Joe
Walsh’s “County Fair.” Immediately, the crowd starts to take notice.
Hayward Field announcer: Prefontaine moves to the early lead in the 3-mile.
Spectators: Wow, look at that. That freshman’s Steve Prefontaine.
Bowerman, who had been filming the race, lowers his camera as he watches Pre defy the race plan.
Hayward Field announcer: First call for the mile relay, first call.
Crowd: Go, Ducks! Go, Steve! Yeah Prefontaine! Come on, Ducks!
Roscoe Devine and Bob Peters are lounging at the steeplechase water jump. Devine is stretched out on a
green Oregon towel, dangling his feet in the cool water.
Peters: So you’re not runnin’ the relay?
Devine: Naw, we’re way up on ’em.
Suddenly Prefontaine blows by alone, with a sizable lead already.
Peters: Well – where’s everybody else?
Devine: Holy shit.
Prefontaine passes the finish line to find Bowerman glowering at him.
Moore: This is not a 69.
Hayward Field announcer: Prefontaine’s first lap – 64 seconds.
Voice at concession stand: Let’s go check this out.
Hayward Field announcer: That’s-that’s world-record pace.
Hayward Field announcer: Oregon’s Bob Woodell is on the long jump runway.
As Woodell begins his run-up, Russ Francis nonchalantly wanders across the long jump runway with his arms
draped across his javelin. Indifferent to Woodell, he is transfixed by Pre’s audacious running.
Official: Runway!
Woodell: Jesus Russ, I’m trying to jump here!
16
Francis continues past unapologetically, then thrusts his spear into the ground as Pre passes by.
Hayward Field announcer: In the 3-mile, it’s Prefontaine leading, with Don Kardong second.
Moore (shouting split time at Pre): 4:18…4:18!
As Pre passes the finish line, Bowerman turns his back on his defiant prodigy, a posture he maintains
throughout the rest of the race.
Hayward Field announcer: Steve Prefontaine’s time at the mile – 4:18! Two more and the Oregon freshman
will be close to the American 3-mile record.
Trackside official: Two more like that and he’ll be in Sacred Heart Hospital.
Moore: 8:45 Steve! 8:45!
Moore to Bowerman (breathlessly): 8:45! He’s never been here before.
Bowerman: Not with another mile to go, no.
Hayward Field announcer: Now at the discus ring, leader, Mac Wilkins.
Crowd: “PRE! PRE! PRE!...”
Bowerman: Are they sayin’ the rube’s name?
Dellinger: Could be.
Bowerman (disgusted): Aww!
Hayward Field announcer: Mac Wilkins’ last throw: 197’6”. A collegiate best this year.
Wilkins raises his arms in triumph, but the crowd takes no notice of his accomplishment. Unappreciated, his
expression changes to a look of wounded pride and disgust.
Bowerman: The crowd shouldn’t be doin’ that – they’re only encouraging the little showboater.
Dellinger (sarcastically): We could always try tellin’ ’em to stop.
But as Pre maintains his lead, the chanting of “PRE! PRE! PRE!” only grows louder with each successive lap,
accompanied by rhythmic foot-stomping that seemingly threatens to bring down the old, green wooden stands.
The two combine to produce an infernal din, and by the end of the race, the stadium is in near-bedlam.
Hayward Field announcer: Prefontaine timed at 13:12.8. That’s the fastest 3-mile in the world this year.
Prefontaine: You all right, Bill? What? What are you trying to tell me?
Bowerman (shouting to be heard): Take your victory lap before they tear the stadium down! Go on!
Pre crosses in front of a finishing runner, heads back up the track, waves, then pauses to behold what hath
been wrought: an adoring mob, separated from him only by a 3-foot chain link fence. The musical
soundtrack shifts to the lone trumpet of John Williams “Summon the Heroes,” reminiscent of something from
Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”. Pre runs back down the track, slapping hands and waving
to the crowd in acknowledgement.
17
Rarely, if ever, have an athlete and a venue had quite the relationship that Prefontaine had with Hayward
Field and its fans. This is its seminal moment, and the bond would only grow over the next five years: with
his front-running style and straightforward personality, Pre, the son of a sawmill laborer and a German war
bride, embodies the hard-working men and women who fill the stands. In turn, he would come to adopt as
“Pre’s People” not just those who turned out to cheer him, but everyday Oregonians from all walks of life.
Bowerman: Little rube’s a performer.
Dellinger: Little rube’s a star. So much for coaching.
Bowerman: Bill, For Saturday’s goal-setting session, make Pre my last appointment, okay?
(29:58) SCENE 9: On her dorm-room bed, Mary Marckx sits tailor-fashioned, taking notes from a textbook.
From the room’s second-story window, we see Prefontaine’s turquoise-and-white ’55 Chevy
convertible roll up. The horn toots twice, and Marckx’s roommate, clad in one towel with another
one on her head, gets up from a similar pose, looks out the window, then heads quickly to an
adjoining bathroom and closes the door behind her. Shortly there is a knock at the door.
Marckx: Come in.
Prefontaine enters, steps inside, then stops, seemingly stunned to see Markx suddenly before him once again.
Prefontaine: I’m sorry. I’m…uh…lost.
Marckx: Hmph. Well at least you found your way to McArthur Court.
Prefontaine: You remembered that?
Marckx (softly): Mm-hmm.
Prefontaine (walking across the room): I’m Steve...
Marckx: Steve Prefontaine. Mary Marckx. Nice to meet you.
Prefontaine: Mary, I have been looking for you for months.
18
Marckx (amused): You have? Mmm. Well what are you doing here today? You’re obviously in the wrong
room.
Prefontaine: There was an assignment that, um…
A blow dryer starts up in the adjoining bathroom.
Prefontaine: I can do it later. (He yanks her off the bed and to her feet) You wanna grab a cup of coffee?
Marckx: Ah, wait a minute!
Prefontaine: What?
Marckx: Look, I don’t even know you.
Prefontaine: But you just said you did.
Marckx: I know I just…did...but…I’m...
Prefontaine: But what?
Marckx: I’m not even dressed.
Prefontaine (smiling): Sure you are. Come on. Come on. Come on-come on-come on.
Marckx: Why are you in such a hurry?
Prefontaine: I’m not, I just love coffee.
Marckx: I don’t even have shoes on.
(31:20) As Lee Michaels “Do You Know What I Mean” bursts to life, the scene shifts to downtown Eugene,
where Pre carries a stack of four pairs of blue Adidas Gazelles from a shoe store to the café next door, past
a trio of wide-eyed, giggling coeds. Like a latter-day Prince Charming, he launches into a full-blown fitting
session, oblivious to the fact that he has most of the other patrons as an audience.
Prefontaine: How’s this one feel?
Marckx: Yep. It’s fine. Good.
Prefontaine: Don’t say it if it doesn’t fit.
Marckx: It fits, it fits!
19
Marckx (lowered voice): Would you mind getting off your knees?
Prefontaine: Better?
Marckx (smiling unenthusiastically): A little. Look Steve, you know I can’t allow you to buy me these shoes
for me. I mean, I don’t even know you.
Prefontaine: But I get ’em for free.
Marckx: That’s not my point. So what were you doing at the dorm, anyway? Hmm? Go on.
Prefontaine: Well, I told you, I had to pick up an assignment before...I…I think I’m crazy about you, Mary.
Marckx: Why?
Prefontaine: Why is anybody crazy about anybody?
Marckx: Well I asked why you’re crazy about me.
Prefontaine: There’s just somethin’ about you that I recognize.
Marckx: Like “Haven’t we…met somewhere before?”
Prefontaine: No. That we haven’t met before, but I feel we have. Like you’re a stranger, but you’re uh,
familiar.
Two coeds come by…
Girl #1: Hi Steve.
Girl #2: Hey, Steve, great race. Lookin’ good.
Prefontaine (softly): Thanks.
…and as they pass, Mary’s eyes wander over the blue Adidas that both are sporting.
Prefontaine: Mary –
Marckx: Yeah?
Prefontaine: So, uh, what do you think about me?
Marckx: Well, (sighing) ohhh…I don’t really think you’re my type.
She takes off the shoe, shrugs as if to say, “sorry,” hands it back to Pre, and walks out.
(33:38) SCENE 10: A beautiful spring day on the patio of Bill Bowerman’s home, with a magnificent
panoramic view overlooking the McKenzie River. The cheery conversation of songbirds and the
scream of an eagle can be heard in the background. Pre approaches tentatively as Bowerman,
sitting at a picnic table, jots several columns of figures on a yellow pad.
Bowerman: Ah, Pre…there you are. Why didn’t you speak up?
Prefontaine: I didn’t wanna disturb you.
20
Bowerman: You like disturbing me. You do it so well. Sit down. Sit down, Pre.
Pre waits patiently as Bowerman finishes up his calculations.
Bowerman: You know, Pre, it’s spring,
Prefontaine: Mm-hmm.
Bowerman: I sense this is your week to chase the ladies.
Prefontaine: Do you object to that Bill?
Bowerman: No, so long as you catch ’em quick. It’s chasin’ ’em that wears a body out. 13:12 for uh, the 3-mile.
You satisfied?
Prefontaine: I’m satisfied I did the best I could on Saturday.
Bowerman: I think you could’ve gone 6 seconds better. First quarter cost you.
Prefontaine (intrigued): How do you figure…?
Bowerman: 4:18 was too quick for the first mile, so you dropped to 4:27s for the last two. If you’d gone out
slower, say a, 4:24, you could’ve repeated the 4:24 and come home in 4:18, made your last lap your
fastest. That would’ve added up to 13:06, compared with the 13:12 you ran – your need to take the lead
from the start cost you a good 6 seconds.
Pre gives the pad a cursory scan. Incredulous, but unwilling to argue with math he does not understand, he
plops the pad down in front of Bowerman with a smile.
Prefontaine: Ah…OK.
Bowerman (sighing): Pre, the Olympics are in two years. Blink of an eyelash. You’ll face the best middledistance runners in any games I can recall. Ian Stewart...
Prefontaine: Yeah, Kip Kieno, Gammoudi...
Bowerman: They all have strong kicks. Any of them been near you on Saturday, theyd’ve had you dead to
rights on.
Prefontaine (voice rising): Well maybe on Saturday Bill, but not two years from now.
Bowerman (sighing): Pre, can I ask you a question, off the record?
Prefontaine: Were we on the record, Bill?
Bowerman: Where does this compulsion come from?
Prefontaine (voice rising further, growing more agitated): What compulsion?!
Bowerman: Front-running.
Prefontaine: Look, Bill...running any other way, is just plain chicken shit!
Bowerman: Chicken shit?
21
Prefontaine: Chicken shit! What else do you call layin’ back for 2½ miles, and then stealin’ a race in the last
200 yards?
Bowerman: Winning!
Prefontaine: Well I don’t want to do that.
Bowerman: You don’t want to win?
Prefontaine (gesturing, pointing for emphasis, nearly shouting): I don’t wanna win unless I know I’ve done
my best, and the only way I know to do that is to run out front and flat out ’till I have nothing left!
Winning any other way is chicken shit!
Pre turns 90°, lifts the picnic bench he has been sitting on a few inches between his legs, and slams it to the
ground, punctuating his declaration. A rapid beating of wings ensues as several frightened birds flee the
scene, followed by a pause as both men stare off in different directions.
Bowerman (sighing): What do you think a track coach does, Pre?
Prefontaine: He teaches you how to run.
Bowerman: Run what? A factory? A bowling alley?
Prefontaine: A race.
Bowerman: In order to...?
Prefontaine (quietly): Win it.
Bowerman: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that’s pretty much what I thought, too. I don’t understand you, Pre.
Prefontaine: Well…if it’s any help Bill, I don’t understand you either.
(37:40) SCENE 11: Framed against a huge green scoreboard proclaiming “HOME OF THE DRAKE RELAYS
AMERICA’S ATHLETIC CLASSIC,” meet qualifiers from the Oregon track and field team are warming up.
The scoreboard reads “EVENT 20 THREE MILE RUN,” “RECORD 13:33.8,” and “TIME OF DAY 5:43”
Stadium announcer: Testing, testing, testing. On behalf of Drake University and Des Moines, welcome…
Oregon relay team: Stick! Stick! Stick!
Stadium announcer: …competitors to the 1970 National Collegiate Track and Field Championships. A record
741 athletes from 110 universities have qualified this year, therefore some extra…
Mac Wilkins, Russ Francis, Roscoe Devine, and Bob Peters are lounging on the pole vault pit. Peters, as
always, is reading the Bible softly to himself. Meanwhile, Pre is doing various running drills.
Francis: What you think you’re gonna throw tomorrow?
Wilkins: Farther the better, right?
Bowerman: Gentlemen! To the gym!
His workout cut short, Pre is annoyed.
22
Prefontaine: Not much of a workout, Bill
Bowerman: Hay’s in the barn, Pre. Any work you do today is just takin’ it away from the race, tomorrow.
Dellinger: Awright gentlemen, the race for team title’s gonna’ to be tight.
As Dellinger continues, a rather lithe coed, dressed in cutoff jeans and a t-shirt tied at her midriff, begins
doing split jumps on a trampoline behind the bleachers. Pre, the highest up, has the best view.
Dellinger: I think it’s gonna be won by the team that scratches and claws for every unexpected point. So
we’re gonna enter the 440 relay.
Overwhelmed, Pre falls back with a loud “thunk.”
Bowerman: Something wrong Pre? Pre?
Prefontaine: No! No, I just ah…felt a little dizzy.
Bowerman: I keep tellin’ you people, this heat can fool ya. You’ve gotta stay hydrated. Pre, go grab
yourself a drink.
Prefontaine: Sure thing Bill.
Devine suppresses a smile as Pre exits for refreshment.
Dellinger: Anybody else need a drink?
(39:04) Later that evening at the team motel, Pre is entertaining a guest in bed, amidst sweet giggles and sighs. Barry
White’s “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” sets the mood.
Iowa’s Finest: Wow. That is some rug burn, cutie. You got ’em on both knees?
Prefontaine: Ah, yeah…I guess so.
Iowa’s Finest: We’ve got to protect those babies, don’t we?
Prefontaine: Well, um…we could try using the bed.
Iowa’s Finest: Oh…mmm…I got a better idea.
She moves to the floor, does a handstand, then splits her legs in a “V”.
Iowa’s Finest: OK, c’mon, get over here…show me what you got.
Meanwwhile, Bob Peters has been wandering around outside, reading the Bible as he walks. As he
approaches the door of room 7, he is reading from John 12:35 or 1 John 2:11:
Peters: “For he that walketh in darkness...For he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Walk where we have the light, lest darkness come upon you… For he that walketh in darkness knoweth
not whither he goeth.”
Peters opens the door and is nonplussed, then amused by what he sees.
Iowa’s Finest: Who’s that?
Prefontaine: Shut the door!
23
Peters: Oh, excuse me!
He backs out, closes the door, but then feels compelled to apologize for the interruption.
Peters: Really sorry!
Prefontaine: Shut the door!
Their position suddenly collapses amidst laughter.
Iowa’s Finest: It’s okay, sweetie. You’re just better on your knees than on your hands. Oh…
A large gash has been opened up between the toes of Pre’s right foot.
Prefontaine: Bowerman’s going to kill me.
Iowa’s Finest: Who?
A short time later, the hour of reckoning is nigh, as Bowerman administers to the wound, and other team
members survey the damage.
Wilkins: How the hell did this happen?
Prefontaine: I was asleep and I got up to go to the john, tripped on the couch and hit that heater.
Devine: How many stitches?
Prefontaine: Just s…six.
Bowerman: Twelve. Where were you, Bob?
Peters: Uh, I was at the um...
Prefontaine: Bob went to take a walk, so…right?
Peters: I was at the ah...um…ah, I was at um…
Prefontaine: Is there any word on how many entries there are in the 3-mile?
Devine: 16. So what?
Prefontaine: So there’s no heats, which means I don’t have to run until the final, which is nearly – it’s 3 days away!
Devine: You’re not serious.
Prefontaine: Since when?
Devine: Run? You can’t even walk. What kind of painkillers they give you anyways?
Bowerman: Awright Gentlemen, clear outta here. You too, Bob.
Devine: Kiss Nationals goodbye.
Francis: There goes the team title, right down the toilet.
24
Bowerman: Shut the door!
Wilkins: Why don’t you run the 3-mile, Russ?
Prefontaine: Bill, we need my 10 points, to win the Nationals.
Wise to what had really happened, Bowerman pulls out a pair of pink silk panties that were hidden
underneath the bedspread, and holds them up. Pre tries to say something, but nothing comes out.
Bowerman: 3 miles of pounding on a hard asphalt track can tear your foot in two.
Prefontaine: It won’t.
Bowerman: Rube, you’re in my care.
Prefontaine: You don’t know what it’ll do to my foot if I do run...but you know what it’ll do to me...if I don’t.
You gotta to let me try, Bill.
(42:36) Down the final straight of the 5,000 meters, Pre outsprints Kardong, Garry Bjorklund, and a runner
from Washington State, then collapses on the infield and is administered to by Bowerman and Dellinger.
Stadium announcer: With that win, Steve Prefontaine has clinched the 1970 NCAA Championship for Bill
Bowerman’s Oregon Ducks!
Prefontaine: I did what I said I was gonna do.
Kardong: Well, at least I made you work for it, Steve.
Kardong’s congratulations turn to shock as Pre’s shoe is removed to reveal the bloody mess inside.
Kardong: Jesus Christ! You ran like that? Steve, you are crazy!
Bowerman: Oh yeah. Ah-you don’t need to look at your time, it was a meet record. Get a stretcher.
Dellinger: Get a stretcher!
A montage shows Pre breaking the tape in numerous races through the 1971 AAU championships, along
with the cover story about him from the June 15, 1970 issue of Sports Illustrated.
Voiceover: That’s 17 straight races that Steve Prefontaine has won.
(44:13) SCENE 12: Clad in blue jeans and a denim jacket, Pre holds court on the balcony of McArthur
Court, as three coeds dressed in halter tops desperately try to get his attention.
Girl #1: Pre…Pre…Pre! PRE!
Girl #2: We got tickets to Three Dog Night next week. You wanna come?
Prefontaine: Gee, I’m uh, goin’ to Finland for a week, sorry – I’ll call you when I get back.
Mary Marckx happens by, dressed conservatively in tan slacks and a brown jacket. Once again, her eye runs
over the blue Adidas Gazelles that each of the three girls is wearing. Marckx smiles and rolls her eyes.
Prefontaine: Mary! Mary!
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Marckx (chuckling): Still in the shoe business, I see.
Prefontaine: I’m willin’ to give it up whenever you say.
Marckx: I told you, Steve, you’re not my type.
Prefontaine: My type? My type! What is it with the girl ?! Heads up-heads up! Fellas – watch it! Don’t
make me come back for you.
Pre makes a quick exit in pursuit of Marckx, sprinting through a nearby cemetery. He catches up with and
confronts her.
Prefontaine: Why not?
Marckx: What?
Prefontaine: Why. Not?
Marckx: Well I’ll tell you why not. You know you left my roommate hung out to dry, for one thing, Steve –
you never bothered to tell me your date was with her.
Prefontaine: It wasn’t a nice thing to do and I’m sorry.
Marckx: Well don’t apologize to me, apologize to her.
Prefontaine: I will, and then will you go out with me?
Marckx: Jeez, are you looking for rejection?
Prefontaine: No.
Surprised by Pre’s self-assured reply, Marckx’s tone begins to shift. Jefferson Airplane’s “Comin’ Back to Me”
begins playing in the background.
Marckx (intrigued): How’d you get here so quick, anyway?
Prefontaine: Impressive, huh? I took a shortcut. I do workouts, uh…through here. I know everything there
is to know about this place. You’re sitting on a Civil War monument.
Marckx: Yeah, right!
Prefontaine: Take a look.
Marckx: You really do work out here, don’t you?
Prefontaine: Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you.
Marckx is taken aback and somewhat uncomfortable as Pre reaches for the tiny gold cross around her neck.
Prefontaine: It’s okay, just looking. Ohh, that’s pretty.
Marckx (softly): Thank you.
Prefontaine: You want to walk, don’t you?
Marckx: Sure.
26
Prefontaine: Are you Catholic?
Marckx (defensively): Lots of people are.
Prefontaine: Well lots of say they are, but I bet you really are.
Marckx: I’m not sure I understand what you mean. Am I being flattered or insulted?
Prefontaine: Oh no, I wasn’t insulting you. It’s the hardest thing in the world to believe in something. If
you do, it’s a miracle.
They continue walking…Pre helps Marckx carry her books, but drops one as she hands them over.
Prefontaine: “Modern Behavior.”
Marckx (laughing): We can drop those by the dorm.
And later on, without the books, they continue to walk and talk.
Prefontaine: There’s always someone trying to talk you out of what you believe in. Anybody, everybody.
Your own mother.
Marckx: Why is that, do you think?
Prefontaine: All I know, is that if you do believe in somethin’, you tend to make people very very nervous.
Marckx: Do you believe in God?
Prefontaine: I believe in myself.
Suddenly they fall into a passionate kiss…
Marckx: I mean it. You’re not my type.
…she tries to push him away, but he only smiles and pulls her closer. She is at once drawn to his selfconfidence, yet wary of his advance.
(48:44) Early the following morning at Pre’s trailer after an evening of beers and a late-night movie, Pre and
Marckx are making out on a couch…
TV announcer: This ends the KBAL broadcast day. This is KBAL, Eugene, Oregon.
Suddenly Marckx pushes Prefontaine away and sits up
Prefontaine: What’s wrong? Mary? Mary? Can you say somethin’? Please. Anything?
Prefontaine: Can you talk now? Can I get you somethin’? Some water or coffee?
Marckx: Woah-no.
Prefontaine: Listen, I can tell you right now, I certainly didn’t mean to upset you like this.
Marckx: Oh, it’s okay.
27
Prefontaine: No, it’s not okay.
Marckx: Yes, it is. It wasn’t you, it’s-it’s me.
Prefontaine: What do you mean?
Marckx: You made me feel too much, and I can’t handle it.
Pre begins kissing Marckx in apology but she pushes him away, and he sits back.
Marckx: Please, please, please... Are you okay?
Prefontaine: Mmm – how do you mean?
Marckx: Guys get sick from stopping like that, don’t they?
Prefontaine: Yeah, they do. They can.
Marckx: Look…I don’t think we should see each other again. I believe in waiting, and I’m not going to sleep
with you, and I’m not going to change. We’ll just keep…doing this to each other, over and over. I know
it’s stupid, and it isn’t fair – for either one of us. So I – think you should go out with other girls.
Prefontaine: I do that already.
Marckx: So keep doing it.
Prefontaine: I’d rather go out with you. Any way we can do it.
Marckx: I just don’t think we should…I…I
Pre tenderly wipes her tears away.
Prefontaine: I’m going to Finland. Will you see me when I get back?
Marckx: When are you leaving?
Prefontaine: Tomorrow, after the workout. Hey think of it this way, maybe I’ll change.
Marckx: Are you always so positive about everything?
Prefontaine: Consider the alternative.
Marckx: I do.
Prefontaine: In other words, you plan on being disappointed.
He pulls her closer and they embrace.
Prefontaine: I’m not going to disappoint you.
He kisses her numerous times in apology, and she begins to laugh a bit.
Prefontaine: Come on. I’ll get you back to your dorm.
Marckx: OK.
28
(52:42) SCENE 13: After a trans-Atlantic flight on a Boeing 747, a contingent of U.S. athletes including
Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Kenny Moore, Bob Peters, Mac Wilkins, and Don Kardong arrive at
Helsinki/Vantaa airport. As they board a vehicle resembling an old, converted school bus marked
“FINN AERO TOURS,” they watch an Olympic official squire an attractive blond into a waiting RollsRoyce limousine.
In voiceover, Prefontaine reads a letter to Mary Marckx, who reads as the midsummer Oregon sun
dances on the waters of the lake beside her:
Dear Mary,
Every blond head in Finland reminds me of you, so, I pretty much think of you constantly. Except of
course when I’m pissed off about this tour. It’s run by the AAU…the Amateur Athletic Union, our national
governing body. Its head honcho, Colin Ponder, keeps us amateur and uncomfortable, while he hits on
airline stewardesses and goes first-class all the way.
Any American gets caught accepting more than a redeye plane ticket, a bad hotel, and 3 bucks a day, and
Colin will “sanction” us, which means he calls us professional athletes, and kills our Olympic eligibility.
So-called amateurism is the biggest, most hypocritical crock of horseshit in American sports. We’re so
much worse about it than the other countries, and nobody in America is worse about it than Colin Ponder.
On the tour bus, our new legal eagle, Frank Shorter, showed Kenny and me a directive where Colin
actually ordered us to switch meets, when the reason for this whole trip was to hunt down and beat a
couple Finns who have the best times in Europe.
Pre crushes up the letter and flips it aside.
Prefontaine: We signed on to race Viren and Vaatinen in Oulu, not a bunch of pussies in Helsinki.
(53:58) The scene shifts to the AAU Tour in Oulu, Finland, on July 28, 1971. Prefontaine, Shorter, Moore,
and other athletes for the upcoming event sit chairs arranged in a circle on the infield, stripping off their
warm-up suits and readying their shoes as they wait to be introduced. Pre exchanges a friendly glance with
Lasse Viren, who is sitting just a few feet away.
Prefontaine: There’s the asshole.
Shorter: What asshole is that?
Prefontaine: Colin Ponder, the asshole who ordered us not to run this race.
Moore: Has he said anything about us being here?
Prefontaine: Not a word.
Moore and Pre share a laugh, even as two Finnish officials confer with each other.
Finnish track official #1: Prefontaine?
Finnish track official #2: [unintelligible in Finnish]
Finnish track official #1: [unintelligible in Finnish]
The younger of the two men heads for the American athletes.
Finnish track official #1: You have no Finnish? Speak Finnish?
29
Shorter: No.
Finnish track official #1: Français?
Shorter (in French): A little.
Finnish track official #1 (in French): Good. (hands Shorter a piece of paper) There is a problem.
Shorter (speaking rapidly): “Frank Shorter, Kenneth Moore, and Steve Prefontaine forbidden from running in
Oulo. They are required to run in Helsinki.”
Prefontaine: No.
Finnish track official #1: Oui.
Prefontaine: No.
Finnish track official #1: Oui.
Prefontaine: Uh, we’re going to run here, today, in Oulu, against Vaatinen and Viren. In Oulo.
Finnish track official #1 (shrugging): Uh, no-no, Helsinki.
Prefontaine: Oulu!
Finish track official #1 (sternly): Helsinki.
Pre stands up to confront the stubborn official.
Prefontaine: They’re about to start our race, okay, so listen to me, you bureaucratic dipshit! [He snaps his
fingers in front of the official’s face] We came all the way from Eugene, Oregon to run against those two
guys, here, NOT A BUNCH OF PUSSIES IN HELSINKI!
Shorter stands up and intervenes…
Shorter (in French): Mr. Prefontaine believes the competition will be slightly less distinguished in Helsinki.
Finish track official: [reply in French]
Prefontaine: Colin Ponder did what?
Shorter: He-he sanctioned us and contaminated them. Anyone who runs against us will lose their
international eligibility.
Shorter: Ah wonderful.
Prefontaine: You’re not God!
Ponder: He’s crazy.
Pre begins advancing towards Ponder, who retreats with a phony smile plastered on his face, feigning naiveté.
Prefontaine: This is not even your country! And you don’t pay taxes here, you don’t vote here!
Moore attempts to restrain Pre, motioning for help from Shorter as Pre’s outrage continues to rise.
30
Ponder: What’s he talkin’ about? What’re you talkin’ about?
Prefontaine: You make me ashamed to be American!
Ponder: What’re you talkin’ about?
Prefontaine: You don’t have the right to run their races AND RUN OUR LIVES!
Pre lunges at Ponder, who turns, runs into a table of medical supplies, falls to the ground, then jumps up to flee.
Prefontaine: YOU’RE NOT GOD, YOU OVERBEARING ASSHOLE!
Shorter: Pre!
Prefontaine: GET OFF ME!
Pre shakes off the restraints of Moore and Shorter, setting off in furious pursuit of the now-terrified Ponder.
Shorter: Pre! Pre, calm down! Pre! Pre!
(56:17) SCENE 14: The U. of O., one week later. Pre enters the sauna and begins splashing copious
amounts of water on the sauna rocks.
Wilkins: Jesus, Pre, what the hell are you trying to do?
Prefontaine: Sweat.
Francis (sarcastically): Yeah, it wasn’t hot enough for him in Finland.
Wilkins: World’s latest press conference. World here says he’s ashamed of bein’ an American.
Wilkins calls Pre “World,” as in “world famous.”
Prefontaine: You believe everything you read there, Macker?
Francis: Well what did you say?
Prefontaine: I just said that the AAU should’ve been shitcanned in 1920, and we don’t need them. They
need us.
Francis: They don’t need us. They got us.
Wilkins: The AAU’s our governing body, World. You organize against them, you can kiss the Olympics
goodbye.
Prefontaine: Shorter found out why they shifted us to the Helsinki meet – Colin Ponder extracted a little fee
from the Helsinki promoter in order to guarantee our appearance.
Wilkins: How much?
Prefontaine (sneering laugh): Tell ’em, Frank.
Shorter: Uh, between me, Pre, and Kenny, $10,000.
31
A whistle of appreciation goes up.
Francis: What?
Prefontaine: And they give us $3. a. day. – for everything! But we know that better competition means
bigger gate receipts. So we just point out to the foreign meet promoters, that the AAU is not only shitty,
for our competition, it’s shitty for their box office – and money talks, louder than the AAU guys, and in any
language.
Pre once again douses the sauna rocks with numerous ladlefuls of water.
Bowerman: Contentious little rube, isn’t he?
Suddenly, like an aroused bear, Bowerman sits up with a long, guttural moan. He had been lying partially
hidden behind Francis and another athlete, unnoticed by Pre, and seems to emerge from nowhere.
Prefontaine: Ya fuck! I can’t believe you would sit back there, not say anything, and then be that dismissive
about this!
Bowerman: I’ve been battling those freeloaders all your life and then some Pre, and guess what? You and
the AAU have a lot in common.
Prefontaine (shouting): Oh, bullshit! In what way?
Bowerman: Resistance to change. They don’t want to stop shitting on you any more than you want to
change the way you run, ’cause it hurts to change, doesn’t it, Pre?
Prefontaine: I wouldn’t know.
Bowerman: Doesn’t it hurt to change?
Suddenly Bowerman presses his keys, as hot as the sauna’s air, against Pre’s leg. Pre grimaces and squirms
without pulling away. Bowerman exits after a few seconds, leaving Pre chagrined, with a sheepish grin on
his face, not yet quite comprehending that he just had passed a rite of initiation.
(59:03) SCENE 15: A video montage of Prefontaine winning races (some of it actual footage), and
interacting with the press as well as fans (back at The Pad), conveys his continued success and
growing popularity.
Prefontaine: What are Viren’s chances against me?
Journalist: Long-term goal still the ’72 Olympics?
Prefontaine: Yes, long-term goal is still, ’72 Olympics.
Prefontaine: [unintelligible] with that guy, what’s your name? I like your shirt.
Fan (laughing): Go, Pre!
Voiceover: Here we go. He’s really finding out about his strengths and weaknesses now, and he’s run the
rest into oblivion. 8:27.1…
In the final scene, Pre dons a “STOP PRE” t-shirt proffered to him and salutes the adoring Hayward Field crowd.
32
(59:33) SCENE 16: Pre and Marckx go for a light jog along an Oregon beach.
Marckx: You don’t really believe you can do anything.
Prefontaine: Absolutely.
Marckx: Fly a plane?
Prefontaine: Well sure, if I wanted, you…you read the manual, get the best teacher, and…take off! (Pre
spreads his arms, imitating an airplane).
Marckx (laughing): Steve, not everything can be learned, you know, I mean some things take talent.
Pre stops, grasps Marckx lightly from behind, and faces her intently.
Prefontaine: Woah. Lemme tell you somethin’. Talent is a myth, Mary. There’s a dozen guys on the team
with more talent in their little finger.
Marckx: Then how come you can beat ’em?
Prefontaine: Little secret I learned a long time ago, in Coos Bay. In the woods.
Later that evening on the same beach after sundown, Pre and Marckx relax by a small fire. Jefferson
Airplane’s “Comin’ Back to Me” begins to play softly.
Marckx: So what’s your little secret?
Prefontaine: Ohh, man.
Marckx: The one you learned a long time ago.
Prefontaine: I can endure more pain than anyone you’ve ever met. That’s why, I can beat anyone I’ve ever
met. You don’t believe me?
Marckx: I do. Steve, what happens if you don’t win in Munich?
Prefontaine: Hey, hey – that’s just not possible.
She looks into his eyes, wondering how he might handle any failure.
(1:01:12) SCENE 17: Back at Pre’s trailer, he and Marckx are fixing a meal on the patio next to the river,
both clad in matching t-shirts from the 1972 Drake Relays as Bowerman appears, himself
resplendent in blue jeans, a plaid shirt, and cowboy hat.
Prefontaine: Hey, man, where the hell did you come from?
Prefontaine: Steve, that’s a terrible way to greet someone, especially Mr. Bowerman.
Bowerman: Not bad, rube. Steak on food stamps?
Prefontaine: Barbecued catfish.
Marckx: You like to stay?
Prefontaine (quizzically): Hmm?
33
Bowerman: No, thank you Mary. I’d just like a word or two with your friend here.
Marckx (tapping Pre lightly on the rear): Go on. Go on.
Prefontaine: What’s goin’ on, Bill?
Bowerman (grinning): George Young is in town.
Prefontaine: So?
Bowerman: Well he holds the world’s record for 2 miles, Pre.
Prefontaine: Well, I think we’re runnin’ the 5,000 at the trials, Bill. (Bowerman chuckles) What, you don’t
think I can beat George Young?
Bowerman: He has one hell of a finishing kick. Now you’re not going to run away from George Young, not
by running out in front, flat out.
Prefontaine: Ohh, shit! We’re back to front-running again?!
Bowerman: Nothin’ would please George Young more, or the crowd. You’d give them the performance they
want and him the one he expects.
Prefontaine: Well, you can call a race any goddamn thing what you want, but I wouldn’t call it a
performance.
Bowerman: What would you call it?
Prefontaine: A work of art.
Bowerman: If you can’t beat George Young, you can’t win at Munich. Beatin’ George Young is gonna take
some kind of time.
Prefontaine (throws his hands up in resignation): OK, what kind of time?
Bowerman hands Pre an envelope with some figures written on the back:
64
63
62
60
12:55
+28
13:23
THREE
MILES
5,000
METERS
Intrigued, Pre’s tone and attitude are rapidly transformed.
Prefontaine: 13:23. 13:23? You-that’s 7 seconds faster than the American record – my American record.
Bowerman: Your American record.
Prefontaine: How do I do that?
34
(1:03:15) The scene shifts to Hayward Field for the 5,000 meter run at Olympic Trials, where the race got
underway at 5:44 PM. Entrants include Dick Buerkle, Tarry Harrison, Glenn Herold, Leonard Hilton, Sid Sink,
and Tracy Smith. Against an audio background of an accelerating heartbeat and ticking stopwatch, Pre and
George Young are locked in a duel.
Bowerman (voiceover): You wear him out. Descending series. Negative splits.
The lap counter snaps to “5”…
Hayward Field announcer: Prefontaine’s lap time – 65 seconds.
Bowerman (voiceover): Gradually, go a little faster than he thinks he’s going. By the time he realizes what’s
happening, he won’t have enough left to hurt you.
…then to “4”…
Hayward Field announcer: Prefontaine’s time for that lap – 64 seconds.
…and then “3”…
Hayward Field announcer: Prefontaine’s lap time – 63 seconds.
“PRE!, PRE!, PRE!,” the crowds begins to shout, stomping rhythmically.
Charlie Jones: Steve Prefontaine and George Young have broken away from the field – that means that
Prefontaine will make his first Olympic team and George Young will make his fourth, as the top three
finishers will be going to Munich.
Hayward Field announcer: 62 seconds.
Fred Long: It’s not enough for Prefontaine to simply qualify, he has been gradually increasing the pace, he is
trying to run away from George Young.
Charlie Jones: Now, less than 2 laps to go, it is Prefontaine, a stride out in front of George Young, and they
have broken away from the pack.
The bell rings as a guitar riff starts to build.
Hayward Field announcer: Pre’s lap time – 59 seconds.
Long: Cranking it up, cranking it up, and now he’s building a lead, and the strategy is working. Prefontaine
has broken George Young.
35
Jones: In front of this sell-out crowd at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. They’re on their feet, cheering
the hometown favorite, and he is running away from George Young! Steve Prefontaine wins the Olympic
trials and qualifies for his first Olympic Games.
Pre acknowledges the crowd and heads to the perimeter fence for the congratulations of his teammates.
Wilkins: Man, way to go!
Jones: Steve Prefontaine sets a new American record of 13:22.8.
Bowerman hands Pre the same envelope on which he had written lap splits and predicted a time of 13:23.
Pre looks at the paper, then at the scoreboard as Bowerman beams with self-satisfaction.
Hayward Field announcer: Steve Prefontaine’s time of 13:22.8 is a new American record by 8 seconds!
(1:06:04) SCENE 18: Actual close-up footage of the 1972 Munich Olympic torch-lighting ceremony is set
to Leo Arnaud’s “Bugler’s Dream” (Olympic Theme, 1958), then the scene shifts to the arrival of
the U.S. team at their living quarters in the athletes’ village.
Bowerman: Down the hall and up the stairs!
With a worried look on his face, Bowerman inspects the dorm’s lobby.
Bowerman: What happened to security on these elevators?
German Olympic official (smugly): We removed them. Not necessary.
Bowerman (incredulous): Really?
German Olympic official: Yes. Finished.
Bowerman: Not necessary.
Bowerman (walking over to Dellinger): Bill, call the embassy and get Marine guards on these elevators
around the clock, no matter what.
Dellinger: Bill, That might offend the Germans and piss off the Olympic Committee, don’t you think?
Bowerman: Let ’em be offended. It’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.
(1:07:40) Several nights later, in a tortured dream, Pre is pursued once again by his childhood tormentors.
The background of a heartbeat accelerates and transposes into the thwop of a helicopter passing Pre’s
room. Awakened by this sound and blinded by a spotlight, Pre stumbles into the athletes’ lounge.
Prefontaine: Hey, what’s goin’ on?
Young: We don’t know.
Peters: I can’t even get the TV to work.
Bowerman (speaking rapidly): Gentlemen, it appears some Arab gunmen have taken over the Israeli
compound, we’re waiting for more information, in the meantime, our quarters are sealed off, so clear off
the balcony and stay put until further notice.
36
Soon the TV is working and everyone is watching the drama unfold. Subtitles are provided for the Germanlanguage voiceover to actual footage of the unfolding drama” “These bloody events ended at approximately
5:00 am this morning with two Israelis being shot to death. The fate of the remaining nine Israelis is still
unknown.”
Prefontaine, who spoke German before he learned English, begins translating.
Prefontaine: Golda Meier just requested that the games be suspended.
Moore: Well, what’s the point in competing now, anyway?
Prefontaine: Wait a minute-wait a minute. He said the hostages are gonna be...released in exchange for a
plane for the terrorists. It’s over. That’s it.
Peters: Thank God!
Voice (unidentified): Man, I’m hitting the sack.
Moore: Guys, wanna give me some help cleaning this up, please?
Shorter (slapping Pre’s thigh): Get some sleep.
Later in the evening, Bowerman gently awakens Pre, who has fallen asleep in the lounge.
Prefontaine: Oh, I’m sorry. Ah…I had to clean up the place, it was a mess. I’ll go to bed now.
Bowerman: The German police tried an ambush at the airport – all the lsraelis have been killed. I’m sorry.
“Yitgadal Veyitkadash,” performed by the Israel National Choir, begins playing in the background,
accompanied by still black-and-white photographs and the rattle of a machine gun.
Back at the athletes’ dorm, Bowerman addresses the team:
Bowerman: This killing of Israeli athletes is an act of war. And if there’s one place…that war doesn’t belong,
it’s here. For 1200 years, from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D, your fellow Olympians laid down their arms to take
part in these games; they understood there was more honor in out-running a man, than in killing him. I
hope the competition will resume, and if it does, you must not think that running, or throwing, or jumping,
is frivolous. The Games were once your fellow Olympians’ answer to war. Competition. Not conquest.
Now, they must be your answer.
Prefontaine, staring intently into Bowerman’s eyes, now has an added and powerful motivation.
(1:11:46) The scene transposes to the Olympic Stadium. After a suspension of several days, IOC President
Avery Brundage has declared that “The Games must go on.” The men’s 5,000 meter run is about to start.
German stadium announcer: David Bedford. Ian Stewart. Juha Vaatinen. Mohammed Gammoudi. Lasse
Viren. Emiel Puttemans. Harold Norpoth. Steve Prefontaine.
BBC announcer: 13 runners in this Olympic final.
37
Peters: The plan same plan as the trials?
Bowerman: Conserve the first 2 miles, go hard the last one, watch out for Gammoudi.
Wilkins: Why? What’s Gammoudi do?
Bowerman: Elbows.
BBC announcer: In fact, that is Alvaro Selgado. Halle of Norway next. Viren of Finland, the Olympic 10,000meter champion and world-record holder.
Back at the Pad, Mary Marckx, Russ Francis, Roscoe Devine, Don Kardong, and the rest of the loyal crowd is
glued to the tube.
Fred Long: Earlier, when I talked to both Stewart and Prefontaine, I asked them how they thought the race
might unfold.
Prefontaine: Um, I’d like to work it out so in…in the end, um, it comes down to a pure guts race. If it is, I’m
the only one who can win it.
Marckx smiles with pride, mixed with apprehension, at Pre’s bravado. All focus on the start as the longanticipated moment is finally at hand…the starter’s gun cracks and the race gets underway.
BBC announcer: 12½ laps of the track. McCafferty coming across from the outside, it’s Norpoth on the
inside. Ian Stewart there for Great Britain.
Charlie Jones: Lasse Viren, one of the strong favorites, just tucks himself into last place, and the American,
Steve Prefontaine, is running in the middle of the pack.
Long: But at this point, Charlie, everyone’s bunched together because the pace is pedestrian.
38
BBC announcer: So this is slow, in fact. They’ve jogged-jogged half a lap, and McCafferty leading for Great
Britain. But – no one can afford to allow this to go on until the later stages of the race, because everyone
fears the blistering finish of the European champion, number 225, Vaatinen, the blond Finn.
BBC announcer: It’s McCafferty and Norpoth together. Ian Stewart on the outside, Eisenberg and
Prefontaine together, 4th and 5th. The first lap – very, very slow. Still, the race has barely started.
Tripping over themselves in their anxiety to find a position.
Gammoudi shoves Pre from behind.
Long: No athletes study each other like distance runners. They’ll try to be stoic, all except Prefontaine. It’s
as if he takes the pain personally and is offended by it.
BBC commentator: Well, Vaatinen must be loving this. The strain on these runners, wait-waiting and waiting
for somebody to break must be appalling, and the cracking point will surely come soon. Vaatinen, with a
blistering finish, is like the Duke of Plassitoro, leading from behind.
Wilkins: Who’s the Duke of Plessitora?
Bowerman: Oh Jesus, Mac, who gives a shit?
BBC announcer: And surely, somewhere, someone must go.
The lap counter reads “5” (2,000 meters to go) as the pack passes by the finish line.
Bowerman: Well Pre’s ready to, but he’s trapped.
BBC commentator: The-time at 3 kilometers is 8:20.2, they’re 150 yards slower than Ron Clarke when he set
his world record. The suspense must be appalling among those who haven’t total confidence in their
sprinting ability.
BBC announcer: Sviridov, the Russian, going in front for the second time. All that pushing as they all try to
cover. And it’s not a significant change of pace.
Suddenly Pre makes a break from the pack.
Bowerman: But it’s given Pre his opening!
BBC announcer: Prefontaine coming through. So the American now committed. Really burly for a middledistance runner. Cocky American really, who believes in himself utterly.
The crowd at The Pad breaks into applause. The intermediate time with 4 laps to go is 9:26.4
Long: There goes Pre. Maybe this is the race.
Jones: Steve Prefontaine of the United States has taken the lead, Ian Stewart comes right behind him, and
then it is Bedford.
BBC announcer: Prefontaine, another athlete who can’t leave it late. A long-distance driver, really, who’s got
to go for home. And this is surely being left…to the fastest miler. Prefontaine believes it’s him.
Bowerman: Now we’ll see.
Long: Prefontaine didn’t exactly keep his pre-race plans secret. He’s begun a mile-long drive to break the
best runners in the world.
39
Cheering erupts at The Pad.
BBC announcer: The American in front, almost a cult in the U.S., he’s sort of an athletic Beatle. There are Tshirts around, “Go Pre.”
Jones: Can anyone hold the lead that long?
Long: I don’t know. It’s the toughest way to win there is. He’s burning more energy than anyone else out
there.
Jones: The race for the gold medal starts here.
BBC announcer: Prefontaine leads. The Europeans say he hasn’t really been in a war yet, but this boy’s got
utter belief in himself. And he’s inexperienced enough in many ways, not to know how good the others are.
And they come up with 2 to go, Viren, who’s a similar runner to Prefontaine states his intention now.
McCafferty suffering and Bedford suffering…
Peters and Wilkins look at Bowerman with concern.
Bowerman: It’s fine. Pre can draft on Viren and recharge for one last move.
BBC announcer: A lap-and-three-quarters left. And they have left this one for the fastest finisher. The Finn,
the world-record holder at 10,000 meters, the gold medalist already, leads. Viren, there’s been a certainty
about his running in the past 6 weeks that’s almost made winning seem inevitable.
Back at The Pad, the mood has shifted to subdued concern. Marckx nervously taps the arm of Russ Francis.
Jones: 2 laps to go, Viren takes the lead.
Long: Coaches will tell you, you have one chance at the lead. Prefontaine has to beat the odds. He has to
stay with Viren.
With 600 meters to go, Pre charges to the front and the Pad erupts!
Jones: He’s got the turn and the lead. Prefontaine is in front for the second time.
BBC announcer: The chunky American, driving for home. Viren following, and Ian Stewart not covering
Gammoudi – Gammoudi goes third and here comes Ian Stewart now.
Jones: The 3 medals are between these 5 men. What price has he paid?
Long: A tremendous price, Charlie, but his strategy is now obvious – he wants to be the last man on his feet
at the end. He has said before: “There may be men out there who can beat me, but they’re going to have
to bleed to do it.”
BBC announcer: This time, the bell.
Jones: Lasse Viren now moves up and challenges Prefontaine.
Long: And he’s going by, and at this point, one lap to go, instincts take over.
Bowerman: Viren’s gone too soon – Pre can hang and wait!
40
BBC announcer: ’Round the bend, and into that back straight. A long straight they’re facing for the last time
on this, the final lap.
Long: There’s little strategy in this last lap, but it’s just going to be more of, who can survive this 4-lap-fromthe-finish run by Steve Prefontaine. Gammoudi – he’s going for the win. Prefontaine goes by. He has to
get by before the turn.
Cheering at The Pad reaches a crescendo.
BBC announcer: And the American attacks on the outside, but Gammoudi responds. Viren there, and these
three now, 7-8 meters clear of Ian Stewart, and these are the medal men. 200 meters left. The
champion, Gammoudi, leads. Viren moves up inside Prefontaine. The Finn and the American, gathering
for the final attack.
Long: Can’t do it!
Jones: Lasse Viren challenging Prefontaine from the inside. As they now come off the turn, Gammoudi has
the lead, and here comes Viren!
Long: And they’re all running at top end, there are no more gears, Charlie. This is as fast as these men can go.
The Pad is held in the grip of silence as the end stage of the race plays out…
Jones: Off of the final turn, 100 meters to go. Lasse Viren has taken the lead.
BBC announcer: Viren goes for home, Gammoudi is bankrupt! So is Prefontaine! And the Finn, pulls in now
for his second gold medal – and Stewart with a late run! The Finn wins, Gammoudi second, Stewart gets
the bronze. Prefontaine dies in the final strides – fourth, Puttemans fifth, Norpoth sixth, Halle Norway
seventh...Sviridov eighth…
Bowerman: He ran his last mile in 4:04.
Dellinger: What more could he have done?
Long: Prefontaine endured a slow early pace and he made all those moves. With a mile to go, with 600,
with 300, and Viren took everything he threw at him, and still won. Two outstanding efforts. One man
made the race, and another man won it.
Back at The Pad, suspense has given way to shattered disbelief.
Jones: Fred, it was really a great race.
Kardong: Mary, when you see Steve, congratulate him for me, will you? He ran one of the greatest races
I’ve ever seen.
Jones: Lasse Viren is a deserving champion.
As the Finnish National Anthem plays in the background, Pre retreats to a stadium access tunnel from which
he watches Viren’s victory lap. The Finn pauses to shake hands with some fans, makes eye contact with
Pre, and nods in respect. Devastated, Pre closes his eyes.
41
(1:21:55) SCENE 19: Set to Blind Faith’s “Can’t find my way home,” the scene fades into the same
waterfront shot of Coos Bay as in Scene 3, then transposes to a close-up of Pre’s trailer, where the
phone – which partly obscures a copy of Life magazine that reads “The Haywire Olympics,” with
Frank Shorter on the cover – rings unanswered. Nearby outside, Pre sits atop a sand dune; he has
retreated completely into himself, and scenes of the race play out as the announcer’s call echoes in
his mind: “The Finn pulls in now, for his second gold medal. And Stewart with a late run! The Finn
wins, Gammoudi second, Stewart takes the bronze. Prefontaine, dies in the final strides, fourth...”
A while later, Mary Marckx pulls up in her light blue Ford Fairlane, Oregon license plate BHN 523.
Unaware, Prefontaine appears at the door to feed his new housemate.
Prefontaine: Hey Lobo, how about a quick...
Pre notices Marckx and is taken aback.
Prefontaine: This is Lobo.
Marckx: You don’t answer your phone anymore.
Prefontaine: You want some food? Come on, right here. Come on.
Prefontaine: Care to come in? Gotta get ready for work.
Pre strips off a ratty “PROVIDENCE” sweatshirt…
Marckx: So where are you working?
…and exchanges it for one that reads…
Prefontaine: The Pad.
Marckx forces a smile and looks away.
Prefontaine: Why – what’s wrong with that?
Marckx: Oh, nothing.
Prefontaine: That didn’t look like nothing, Mary.
Marckx: I-I’m not here to fight, Steve, so...
Prefontaine: Oh, sorry. Why are you here?
Pre spreads his arms as if to sat, “Well???”
Marckx: Your pictures and your awards, there’s nothing about you here anymore.
Marckx: Honey, you were great in Munich.
Prefontaine: Hmm-mm. Viren was great, I was fourth.
Marckx: You can beat Viren.
Prefontaine (snorts ruefully): Really? Who told you that?
Marckx (softly): You did, Steve.
42
Prefontaine: Well, I guess you shouldn’t believe everything you hear. Come on. I’ll walk ya’ out.
After Pre’s cynical rejection of her earnest confidence and gentle reminder, Marckx is left with no choice but
to agree.
Marckx (whisper): Sure, why not?
(1:25:03) SCENE 20: As Cream’s “I Feel Free” plays in the background, a busy night at The Pad sees the arrival
of a older visitor with an unmistakable profile, who surveys the scene as Pre makes his entrance.
Prefontaine: Why is everyone is standing around?! Nobody’s drinking? Two Buds! Two! Two! Who else
needs something?
Suddenly Pre recognizes Bowerman standing before him.
Prefontaine: Jesus! Bill, what brings you by?
Bowerman: Same as everybody else. Excuse me. I heard Steve Prefontaine was working here.
Prefontaine: Oh, yeah? Well I’m told he prefers it to livin’ on food stamps.
Bowerman: Yeah but did you have to put your picture on the wall?
Prefontaine: Shit! (to co-worker) Hey will you cover for me? You wanna meet me out back?
Prefontaine (defensively): We-what is this? I gotta make a living!
Bowerman: Nobody in Oregon can influence kids more than you can, Pre. So get yourself another job.
Prefontaine: One that’ll pay the rent and let me compete with foreign athletes who don’t have to work
anywhere but on the track?
Bowerman: I haven’t noticed you workin’ out all that much. You know the greatest race I ever saw you run?
Munich. I was never prouder of anything than the effort you made that day. You couldn’t have done
more than you did.
Prefontaine: Bill, IBowerman: Rube – you won the trials in 13:22, five seconds faster than Viren at Munich. That would’ve
beaten him by 30 yards. It’s hard to believe you never even thought about it.
Prefontaine: OK. So um…if I’d gone out faster, I wouldna’ gotten boxed, and I mighta’...
Bowerman: And you blame me.
Prefontaine: Do you blame yourself?
Bowerman: That’s a constant, Pre. At your level of competition, anyone can win on any given day, and not
necessarily the best man. Losing a race isn’t your problem, Pre. Front-running isn’t your problem!
Prefontaine: OK, so what’s my problem, Bill?
Bowerman: Vanity!
Prefontaine: Vanity?
43
Bowerman: Your insistence that you have no talent is the ultimate vanity! If you have no talent, you have
no limits. It’s all an act of will, right Pre?
Prefontaine: I couldn’t do what I thought I could. (shouting) Can we just leave it at that?!
Bowerman: Rube, I got news for you! All the will and hard work in the world isn’t gonna’ get one person in a
million to run a 3:54 mile, that takes talent, and talent in a runner is tied to very specific physical attributes!
Your heart – can probably pump more blood than anyone else’s on this planet, and that’s the fuel for your
talent. Your bones in your feet – it’d take a sledgehammer to hurt ’em, and that’s the foundation of your
talent, so your talent is not some disembodied act of will, it’s literally in your bones, so it’s got it’s limits. Be
thankful for your limits, Pre, they’re about as limitless as they get in this life. Good night.
Prefontaine (momentarily overwhelmed, stammering): Ju-ju-just a minute, Bill, just a fucking minute, do
you-do you really believe you know everything there is about me? Did it ever occur to you that I might
know something about myself that you don’t? You vain, inflexible son of a bitch. You don’t know me any
better than you know yourself. And you’re never gonna’ change you, Bill.
(1:28:58) SCENE 21: At the Bowerman home, the sublime view of the McKenzie and the bliss of songbirds
stand in contrast with Bowerman’s mood: the challenges of the Munich Olympics (where, in
addition to dealing with the Israeli hostage tragedy, he shouldered blame for numerous things
that went wrong) and now the falling out with Pre all weigh on him as he gives his annual
speech to new team members the following February (1973):
Bowerman: Men of Oregon, I invite you to become students of your events. Running, one might say, is
basically an absurd pastime upon which to be exhausting ourselves.
Bowerman’s delivery is labored, and after while, there is whispering in his audience when a visitor appears.
Bowerman: Gentlemen, if I’m boring you –
He turns around to see Pre dressed in his letterman’s sweater.
Prefontaine: I’m sorry, Bill, I just – I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was…I was just wonderin’ if ah…wanted to
ask you if you wouldn’t mind if I worked out with the team?
Bowerman walks over to Pre, greeting him with a handshake.
Bowerman (softly): You’re always welcome here, Pre.
Suddenly, the tempo and conviction of his speech pick up noticeably.
Bowerman: Gentlemen, if you can find meaning in the kind of running you have to do to stay on this team,
chances are you’ll be able to find meaning in that other absurd pastime: life.
(1:30:39) “Tamalpais High” once again sets the mood as a video montage shows Pre running on the beach,
over sand dunes, in deep water, and beside Shorter on the beach once again.
Bowerman: For the time being, let’s not have you working out with the team. You’ll be facing Viren all over
again at the Montreal Olympics. I don’t want you racing anyone now. I just want you running. Now to
explore the limits of the one competitor above everyone else you’ve always loved to face: Steve Prefontaine.
44
(1:31:17) SCENE 22: Sitting atop a sand dune once again, Lobo at his side, Pre is in a contemplative
mood, but his outlook has brightened considerably, as he reads a letter to Mary in voiceover.
Dear Mary,
Well, it’s the first day of spring. Munich seems a lot more than six months ago, and you’re on my mind an
awful lot.
Pre finds Mary in church, begins to approach her, then thinks the better of it.
Sometimes I feel I’ll choke on all the things I want to say. I nearly did talk to you yesterday, but you looked busy,
and, the trouble is, since Munich, I’ve hated myself too much to feel I can say anything to someone I love.
I’m running against Shorter in the Restoration…the race at Hayward Field to raise money to keep the old
place from falling apart. It is, after all, my second home.
Steve.
(1:32:14) Shortly later, Pre pays a visit to Bowerman’s office.
Prefontaine: I’d like to ask you somethin’.
Bowerman: OK…
Prefontaine: It’s uh, personal.
Bowerman: Sit down.
Prefontaine: How do you and Barb ah…how do you and Barbara…I mean ah…you ah…you pretty much
believe in the same things?
Bowerman (chuckling): God, Pre, I have no idea. The woman’s a complete mystery to me.
Prefontaine: Well how do you get along so well?
Bowerman: I don’t have to know what she believes in – I believe in her.
As if to shout “Eureka!”, Pre slaps the desk hard.
Prefontaine: Okay…
Bowerman (chuckling): You’re easily pleased, I must say. I ever tell you I liked what you had to say about
using those foreign meet promoters to combat the AAU? That’s not a bad idea.
Bowerman: You all set for tomorrow?
Prefontaine: Yeah, sure. No sweat.
(1:33:25) SCENE 23: Hayward Field, the 3-mile run at the Restoration Meet. The time on the scoreboard
reads 6:36 PM. In addition to those announced below, the scoreboard lists “R. Hannonen,” “T.
McChesney,” and “T. Williams.”
Hayward Field announcer: And representing Oregon International, Eugene’s favorite Norwegian, Arne
Kvalheim! Pac-Eight Champion, former Stanford star, his seventh visit to Hayward Field – Don Kardong!
Former world-record holder for the six-mile, current record holder for the three-mile – Gerry Lindgren!
45
Meanwhile, in the bowels of the stadium, Moore finds Pre losing his lunch.
Moore: Hey, Steve?!
Prefontaine: I’ve been kiddin’ myself, Kenny.
Moore: What are you talkin’ about?
Prefontaine: I can’t run with these guys anymore. Shorter, Lindgren, Kardong…they’re gonna to hand me my head.
Hayward Field announcer: A graduate of Yale...gold medalist in the Olympic marathon...American recordholder at 10,000 meters – Frank Shorter!
Shorter acknowledges the applause, but like everyone else, he is awaiting Pre’s appearance.
Hayward Field announcer: Ladies and gentlemen: Pre.
The crowd starts chanting “PRE! PRE! PRE!” and stomping rhythmically.
Moore: I think that’s you.
The guitar solo from “County Fair” kicks in as Pre bursts onto the track, timing his entrance perfectly. The crowd
goes wild, Pre exchanges a few pleasantries with the other competitors, and the race is joined in progress.
Hayward Field announcer: Pre now moving to the front again…two leaders battling the wind. Kardong running
third. Shorter again takes the lead as the runners continue to battle each other and a strong north wind…
Bowerman is intrigued by the cooperation between Pre and Shorter.
Bowerman: Teamwork?
Moore: Yeah, well, it’s-it’s so windy, Frank agreed to swap the lead with Steve every other lap, you know,
share the work, draft off each other.
Bowerman shoots a skeptical look at Moore.
Moore: What?
Hayward Field announcer: Pre moves to the lead, ahead of Frank Shorter.
The lap counter snaps to “6”.
46
Hayward Field announcer: Shorter again takes the lead as these two runners continue to change the lead
every two laps...
Moore (defensively): He’s doing it.
Hayward Field announcer: Once again, Pre takes the lead.
Moore: OK, now… Frank’s gonna’ to take the lead right here...and then the last lap’ll be every man for
himself.
Hayward Field announcer: Kardong, third.
Prefontaine (shouting angrily): GO ON! RUN!
Moore: Damn it, Frank shoulda’ taken the lead, he’s not doing it. I-there’s no way Steve can fight the wind
for another two laps.
Hayward Field announcer: In the 3-mile, Pre continues to lead. Frank Shorter second, Kardong third.
The bell signals the final lap…
Hayward Field announcer: With 300 yards to go, Shorter making a strong move to the lead. Frank Shorter,
pulling away from the field. It’s Frank Shorter by 10 yards.
Moore: Great. Munich all over again.
But Pre this is Hayward Field, and Pre rallies to catch Shorter at the head of the homestretch. The slowmotion duel in the final 100 meters gives way to the whoosh of a sound vacuum and sudden return to
normal speed that make Pre and Shorter seem to explode through the tape.
Hayward Field announcer: Prefontaine, the winner…followed by Shorter!
Marckx: Yes!
Hayward Field announcer: 12:51, a new American record. The third fastest 3-mile ever run. Finishing third,
Don Kardong has run under 13 minutes for the first time ever.
Prefontaine: Under 13, isn’t that a P.R.?
Kardong: Yeah.
Prefontaine: Congratulations!
Pre acknowledges the crowd, but a look of surprise and confusion crosses his face as he spots Mary making
her way out early. He and Shorter start their victory lap as the scene fades out.
(1:39:13) SCENE 24: The meet concluded, Pre arrives at the patio of the Bowerman home in a
surprisingly pensive mood.
Bowerman: Hey, rube. Want some lemonade?
Prefontaine: No…they’ve offered me $200,000 to turn pro. What do you think should I do?
Bowerman: Well I’m not going to tell you to turn it down. I know what that money could do for you, and
your family.
47
Prefontaine: No Montreal, obviously.
Bowerman: No Olympics, period.
Spotting a new pair of shoes on the picnic table, Pre tosses his keys down, startling Bowerman, then picks
them up for closer inspection, which seems to further unnerve Bowerman.
Prefontaine: Where the hell did these come from? Ah, ha…they’re yours, the rubber spikes.
Bowerman (smiling proudly): Seam’s gone. Took that out for you.
Bowerman: Well they’re made from your last, why don’t
you try ’em on? Stand up on ’em. They fit all right.
How do they feel?
Pre seems almost mesmerized, while Bowerman is on
tenterhooks, awaiting his verdict.
Prefontaine (softly): Ah…sc-’scuse me a minute, Bill.
Pre takes off on a test run, leaving Bowerman hanging.
After a period of time during which Bowerman doses
off, Pre returns.
Prefontaine (annoyed with himself): I’m sorry, Bill, I ah, ran up to the quarry – I forgot about the time.
Pre changes back into his original pair of shoes, saying nothing. Finally, Bowerman can wait no longer.
Bowerman (tentatively): How’d you like ’em?
Prefontaine: You know me Bill, I’ve always been kind of an Adidas freak, but ah…they’re not bad.
Bowerman (wistfully): Not bad.
Prefontaine: Yeah. Mmm. You think you make me a couple pair?
Bowerman: What the hell for?
Prefontaine: Montreal.
Bowerman: Yeah – yeah I think I could probably manage a couple. (chuckling) I’ll never understand you, Pre.
Prefontaine (smiling): Who the hell says you have to? Tell me, what are all these cutouts for?
Bowerman: Oh, kinda my trademark. Stands for Nike and the Goddess of Victory.
Prefontaine: Nike?
Bowerman: Yeah, Greek.
Prefontaine: I like it.
48
(1:43:34) SCENE 25: Pre arrives at a big party at a private home later that night in his butterscotch-colored
MG, with David Bowie’s “John, I’m Only Dancing” playing loudly in the background.
Prefontaine: Thanks guys! Got the beer right there.
Shorter: You gotta get me – you gotta me get me outta here early. I’m dying. My jaw is throbbing.
Prefontaine: Why?
Shorter: My…wisdom teeth were extracted 5 days...
Prefontaine: Oh, right, you can’t stay here!
Suddenly, Russ Francis picks Pre up from behind and lifts him onto the porch.
Francis: You exploded out there today, man.
Prefontaine: Thanks a million. I appreciate it Russ.
Pre spots Mary through a window, talking to Bob Peters.
Prefontaine: I need to talk to you.
Marckx: Well I’m right here.
Prefontaine: Well, wait for me.
Shorter: So, Pre, I’m ready if you are.
Prefontaine: I feel for you, Frank, I’m sorry I gotta…
Shorter: I don’t want your sympathy, I wanna a ride home.
Prefontaine: Okay, one second.
Finally Pre finds Mary, talking to an Oregon alum in a letterman’s jacket…
Prefontaine: Believe it or not, I’ve been lookin’ for you everywhere.
…but as soon as he does, Wilkins and Francis lift him off his feet and carry him away.
Prefontaine: Can you wait a second?
Wilkins: No, we’ve gotta go.
Prefontaine: I’ll be right back, okay?
Shorter: Pre, please don’t leave without me.
A short time later, Mary is still talking to the same Oregon letterman when a door beside her suddenly
opens, and a hand emerges to snatch her inside the bathroom.
It’s Pre, of course, and they immediately begin kissing passionately, with Cream’s “Badge” as background
music. Soon, however, they are interrupted by moans emanating from behind the shower curtain, which Pre
yanks open to find Shorter lying on a several large bags of ice and numbing his jaw with a smaller bag.
49
Prefontaine: Jesus, Frank! A little privacy, please.
Shorter: Pre I’m dying, you’ve gotta take me home.
Marckx: You can always come back, you know.
Pre yanks the shower curtain closed…
Prefontaine (whispering): I will be right back. I’m not going to let you go.
…then open again, grabs Shorter by the shirt, and escorts him out.
Prefontaine: Let’s go, Come on.
Shorter: Good evening, Mary.
Marckx: Good evening…Frank!
(1:45:29) As Pre takes Shorter home, he plies him with a newly-hatched plan.
Prefontaine: So Frank, I’ve made a decision: in the next 3 weeks, I’m gonna break the world record in the
3-mile by 12 seconds.
Shorter (uninterested): Yeah, no kidding?
Prefontaine: You wanna to guess how?
Shorter: I can’t-I can’t.
Prefontaine: Oh, sure you can.
Shorter: No, I-I have no idea.
Prefontaine: Come on, give it a try – give it the old college try.
Shorter: I have no idea. I have no idea. Honest to God, I can’t guess.
Prefontaine: OK (laughing), all right, I’ll tell you. Twelve 63-second quarters. That’s 12:36. 12 seconds
faster than 12:48. How ’bout that?
Shorter merely yawns, making Pre laugh again.
Shorter: All right, thanks, Pre.
50
Prefontaine: Uh-huh.
After arriving at Shorter’s place, Pre exits the MG with the standard technique: he grabs the windshield, hops
up on the seat, then climbs over the door. As Shorter slowly makes his way down a set of steps, Pre does a
few pull-ups on some wooden framework outside the house…
Prefontaine: Oh, so what time tomorrow? ’Member, we’re gonna to run an easy 10?
Shorter: We’ll see.
Prefontaine: 10 o’clock?
Shorter: I said, we’ll see.
Pre hops into the MG and drives off, imagining a world record run, with Elton John’s “Rocket Man” playing in
the background.
Prefontaine: 63 seconds per quarter for 12 quarters is 12:36. 12:36, Steve Prefontaine, world record!
63 seconds, boom!, first quarter. 2:06, boom!, second quarter. 3:09, boom!, third quarter. 8:24 for two
miles…boom! Right there. 9:27 for nine, boom! 10:30 for ten, boom!
Oh, he’s holding on. The clock shows, 11:33, one lap to go. He’s holding on, he’s holdin’ on…he sees it in
front of him. 11:33, he’s got one lap to go, he’s got one lap to go! He’s on world-record pace! 200 meters
to go, Steve Prefontaine...woah!
Suddenly, the headlights of an oncoming car cross the MG’s path. Pre brakes, then swerves hard left and
slams into an outcropping of basalt rock, located at 1614 Skyline Boulevard. The MG flips, and Pre is pinned
underneath. The oncoming car continues on.
(1:48:08) SCENE 26: A telephone call in the early morning hours of May 30, 1975 rouses the Bowermans
from their sleep. Barbara picks up and hands it to Bill.
Bowerman: Yeah.
The scene transposes to black-and-white newspaper
coverage of the crash with the voiceover of an AM radio
special bulletin.
Radio announcer: In Eugene Oregon, one of America’s
best hopes for the 1976 Olympics, long-distance runner
Steve Prefontaine, is dead.
Actual footage from “The CBS Evening News” appears.
Walter Cronkite: Steve Prefontaine, America’s leading
long-distance runner, was killed last night in a car
accident in Eugene, Oregon.
As Cronkite’s syncopated delivery continues in the background, Bowerman ever-so-gently places the special
shoes he just made for Pre in a drawer, then closes it softly, forever.
Cronkite: Just hours before his death, the 1972 Olympic runner had taken part in an informal meet at the
University of Oregon, where, during his career, he’d set records in almost every long-distance event.
Around midnight, according to police, he was driving alone in a sports convertible. He was 24.
51
(1:48:56) SCENE 27: The public memorial service for Prefontaine on June 3, 1975. On the infield are
Shorter and Moore, in their Olympic blazers, and Bowerman, standing before a large crowd of
Pre’s teammates, family, friends, and fans.
Shorter: Pre did everything on a track...just about, everything on a track, that a runner can do. One thing
that Pre cherished the most in-in the world he never got, that was the world record at 3 miles. The last
thing that Pre said to me, was that the next time he’d run three miles, he’d do it in 12 minutes and 36
seconds, beating the world record by 12 seconds.
Um, we’re timing the eulogy. We’ll deliver it in 12 minutes, 36 seconds, and then we’ll stop the clock, and
as far as we’re concerned, Pre will have his record.
Bowerman: All of my life, man and boy, I’ve operated under the assumption that the main idea in running
was to win the damn race. Naturally, when I became a coach, I tried to teach people how to do that. I
tried to teach Pre how to do that. (chuckles) Tried like hell to teach Pre to do that, and Pre taught
me…taught me, I was wrong.
Pre, you see, was troubled by knowing that a mediocre effort can win a race, and a magnificent effort can
lose one. Winning a race wouldn’t necessarily demand that he give it everything he had from start to finish.
He never ran any other way. I tried to get him to. God knows, I tried. But Pre was stubborn. He insisted
on holding himself to a higher standard than victory. A race is a work of art. That’s what he said. That’s
what he believed. And he was out to make it one, every step of the way.
Of course, he wanted to win. Those who saw him compete and those who competed against him were
never in any doubt about how much he wanted to win. But how he won, mattered to him more.
Pre thought I was a hard case. But he finally got it through my head that the real purpose of running isn’t
to win a race. It’s to test the limits of the human heart. And that he did.
Nobody did it more often. Nobody did it better.
With 63 seconds remaining, the bell is rung, and the crowd rises slowly to cheer on an imaginary, solitary
runner – head cocked to one side, eyes shooting up the scoreboard clock, brow furrowed with the effort.
John Williams’s “Summon the Heroes” sets the tone once again as Bowerman follows him, in mental gaze,
around the track and through the finish:
Bowerman (voiceover): And we stopped the clock at 12 minutes and 36 seconds, a world-record time with
which Steve Prefontaine would have been well satisfied.
52
(1:53:21) Some notable events in the time since Pre’s death are recounted:
1978
Congress, under consistent prodding of
athletes emboldened by Pre’s struggle,
breaks up the AAU and guarantees athletes’
rights to compete wherever qualified.
The small shoe company that Bowerman
inadvertently began on his wife’s
waffle iron and on the feet of Pre, Moore,
and other Oregon runners is
officially named Nike.
1998
Bill Bowerman continues to advise Nike,
be advised by Barbara, and in his spare
time breed small but occasionally feisty
Dexter cattle on the banks of the
McKenzie River.
Mary Marckx lives and writes in Oregon.
The 5,000 meter American record for
runners 19 and is an impressive
13:39.6. It continues to be held
by Steve Prefontaine.
(1:54:15-1:57:58) CLOSING CREDITS
53
NOTES
Steve Bence was a friend and teammate of Prefontaine’s who served as a consultant to “Without Limits,” and
his personal web site is a fine source of firsthand information about both Pre and the movie, though it lacks the
index of reviews included in an earlier version. The official movie web site can still be accessed at
http://without-limits.com.
Bence discusses a number of instances where the movie is at variance with actual facts, such as events
being combined due to time constraints. Here are a few other things perhaps worth noting:
1. Contrary to what is declared by the announcer, Pre’s 3-mile win at the 1970 NCAA Championships did not
clinch the team title for Oregon, at least not immediately.
In fact, Cal was the team champion that year, but later had the title taken away (see below). Additionally,
Don Kardong placed fourth, not second, and Pre did not collapse dramatically just after finishing.
2. Mary Marckx actually went to Munich and saw the Olympic 5,000 meters in person, not on television back
at The Pad. Liberties may be taken for dramatic license, but this seems unnecessary.
3. Perhaps the most significant alteration of events is the claim that Prefontaine “got boxed” in Munich. This
never happened: in fact, he spent quite a bit of time running wide.
4. The actual license plate of Pre’s MG was BHR 766, as compared to BHK 642 in the movie.
5. The partially obscured quote on the chalkboard outside Bowerman’s shoe-fitting room is a paraphrase of
something Herb Elliot once said: “To run a world record, you have to have the absolute arrogance to think
you can run a mile faster than anyone who’s ever lived; and then you have to have the absolute humility
to actually do it.”
6. Blooper #1: during his talk with the team about haircuts, Bowerman is shown from behind with hands on
hips, but in front view, his hands are clasped behind his back. #2: Bob Peters’ hairstyle – the part and
length – change significantly several times during the Munich scenes. #3: Bowerman apparently waits for
some time as Pre tests his new shoes during a run “up to the quarry,” but the shadows on the patio do
not move significantly between Pre’s departure and return.
7. Bad hair: here are some ways in which character appearances don’t match the actual people too well.
►
Pre’s hairstyles are faithfully re-created for the most part, but the styling is often sloppy, such as after
the Restoration Meet, where it’s a tangled mess.
►
Bowerman’s hair was shorter, and his sideburns were not nearly as full as Sutherland’s who at times
looks like a watered-down Grits Gresham.
►
Dellinger was not balding – he had a full head of hair.
►
Emiel Puttemans had a shaggy head full of curls, not a bowl cut.
►
Gammoudi is portrayed by an African-American who bears a resemblance Tiger Woods; in reality, he
had dark wavy hair, lighter skin, and was much shorter.
►
Harald Norpoth was as thin as a cadaver; the actor playing him is too muscular.
8. More casting and character trivia:
►
Kenny Moore, portrayed by Billy Burke, has a cameo at the post-Restoration Meet party, while Frank
Shorter, portrayed by Jeremy Cisto, plays fictitious Olympic commentator Fred Long, a winking allusion
to Shorter’s marathon career.
54
►
Charlie Jones, a veteran sportscaster who covered track and field for NBC, plays himself, but the Munich
Games actually aired on ABC, and the announcer/commentator team was Jim McKay and Erich Segal.
The latter authored the best-selling novel Love Story and was a recreational marathon runner. Segal was
widely lambasted for his commentary, but at least some of it holds up alright over time; for instance, he
predicted the 5,000 meters pretty well, saying that Pre would win, but in Montreal, four years hence,
since he was competing against “the very big boys” for the first time.
►
Wade Bell, who plays the starter for the dual meet versus Stanford, was the 1967 NCAA, AAU, and
Pan-American Games 880-yard run champion. A three-time All-American, Bell was a member of the
1968 Olympic team and a world-record setting four-mile relay quartet. That same year, Bell set
American records at both 1000 yards and 1000 meters.
►
Bob Woodell, the long jumper who almost runs into Russ Francis, was long gone by the time Pre
arrived at U-O. Woodell’s story is detailed by Kenny Moore in Bowerman and the Men of Oregon:
On May 1, 1966, Oregon long jumper Bob Woodell ’66, with twenty of his frat brothers, was straining
to heave a platform of timbers on oil drums across a muddy lawn and into the Millrace, a languid,
duck-filled campus stream. Sorority women waited to turn it into a float for the annual May Day fête.
The platform unexpectedly rose, buckled, twisted, and toppled. Everyone ran but Woodell. It mashed
him to the gravel. The crowd lifted it off. He could raise his arms but not his legs.
“I was a paraplegic from that moment,” Woodell would say. “Crushed first lumbar vertebra. I spent
seventeen days in Sacred Heart Hospital, a year in Portland hospitals. But before they sent me up
there, Bowerman came to see me. He asked my permission to give a benefit meet for my expenses.
In my drug-induced stupor, I thought he was saying he was doing a barbecue at the house and
passing the hat.”
It was a little more than that. On May 6, 8,000 of the faithful showed up at twilight and paid a dollar
to witness the varsity go against selected alums. Paramedics wheeled Woodell onto the field on a
stretcher, green blankets and white sheets cinched over his chest. Given an ovation, he worked his
arms free and waved and shook hands with the athletes, giving them the strength that only comes
upon us when we are running for a larger good. It was in that atmosphere that freshman Roscoe
Divine, junior Wade Bell, Jim Grelle (’60), and Dyrol Burleson (’62) stepped to the line in the mile.
Bell would recall Bowerman’s prerace instructions: “We’ve done a lot of work to make you ready,” Bill
said, “and you are, so here’s how we’re going to do this. Take over the lead on the second lap and
keep the pace up all the way in.” Senior half-miler Don Scott led early, reaching the quarter in 59.0.
Sophomore Mike Crunican brought them by the 880 mark in 1:59.0. Bell, following his orders, surged
into the lead.
Everyone’s supercharged nerves made for a tightly jostling pack. On the next turn, as they
disappeared behind the stands, Grelle was kicked in the ankle so hard he lost the use of it and had to
drop out. Down the backstretch of the third lap, Divine moved to second behind Bell. Burleson went
with him. From then on, historians agree, the noise of the crowd exceeded any previous sound heard
at Hayward Field.
“Wade made the race,” Divine would say. “He took the whole third lap.” The time at three-quarters
was 2:59.0. “I led all the way to the last backstretch,” Bell would say, “when Burley took off around
me, and then Roscoe.” Burleson won going away in 3:57.3. Divine maintained form and finished in
3:59.1, becoming the second college freshman ever to break 4:00, after Jim Ryun.
Bell, coming off the turn, felt, “I’m not going to make it.” Panic drove him in, in 3:59.8. He was the
eleventh Oregon man to go sub-4:00. The race was so exciting, and for such a good cause, that it
overrode memories of Burley’s 3:57.6 in 1961, and would be for many the emotional beginning of the
Twilight Mile.
55
“At the end Bill gave my family $10,000, and that went a long way,” Woodell would say later. “But the
energy that came from being there so far overshadowed the money that I simply can’t encompass it.
It let me deal with all the issues that lay ahead.”
One of those issues was that he would never walk again. At the time, Woodell was swearing that he
would. When he finally came to terms with reality, Bowerman would be there for him again, to suggest a
line of work: in 1967, Woodell opened and managed The Athletic Department, a Eugene retail store for
Blue Ribbon Sports (later to become Nike), and would later become Nike’s chief operating officer.
►
Bob Peters is a cinematic version of Bob Williams, a nationally-ranked steeplechaser at U-O from 1963-67.
Williams is now an on-line running coach, see http://www.coachbobwilliams.com.
►
Discus thrower Mac Wilkins is famous as the 1976 Olympic champion, the 1984 silver medalist, and
four-time world record holder (including 3 times in one day), but what is less known is that “Multiple
Mac” was also outstanding in the shot put (69’ 1½”), javelin (257’ 4”), and hammer throw (208’10”).
►
Russ Francis, who set the national high school javelin record in 1971 with a throw of 259’ 9”, went on
to a 13-year NFL career as a tight end with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, which
included 3 Pro bowls and one Super Bowl championship.
►
Wendy Ray plays himself as the Hayward Field announcer. An AM radio broadcaster for KVAL Eugene
in his ‘day job,’ Ray called meet action from the early 1960s through the mid ’70s, and became known
as the “Voice of Hayward Field.” “My approach to PA was to say as little as possible, and that of
course has gone by the boards.”
In a 2008 interview, Ray said he first sensed something special happening at Hayward during the
above-described benefit meet for Bob Woodell. “I like to call it a scream, the Hayward Field scream.
It was a high pitched, volume thing that I never heard anywhere else.”
9. From http://www.talk.dyestat.com/showthread.php?t=96393 – take it for what it’s worth:
Posted by: LongRedLine4H
12-31-08, 05:21 PM
“The Duke of Plessitora was a famously homosexual English nobleman (in an era when that sort of
thing was most certainly not dinner table conversation) and a general in the British army.
“He used to like marching behind his soldiers, and often used his position of authority to procure
clandestine affairs with his junior officers – hence, he was famous for “leading from behind.” His
troops, however, loved the Duke despite his “character flaw” (as it was called). It was a very
significant historical instance of a homosexual man finding acceptance because he was good at what
he did (leading armies) that rose above petty prejudices of sexual preference.
“By referring to Viren [sic] as such, David Coleman (the British announcer) was not only making a
cheeky little joke on Viren (“leading from behind”) but also saying “OK, Viren is a guy who does
things differently, but he's so good at what he does that we accept him anyway.
“Pretty deep comment for a throwaway line in a movie, but hey, when Kenny Moore is the
screenwriter, you should expect stuff like that.”
Note: Coleman was actually referring to Juha Vaatinen, not Viren, and furthermore, the comment was
necessarily Moore’s.
56
CALIFORNIA TAKES UD TRACK CROWN
NCAA News, July 1970
Des Moines, Iowa—For the second
consecutive year, sprinters provided the
important points which decided the team title in
the National Collegiate Track and Field
Championships as the University of California
used its points in the short races to take the title
San Jose State raced to a year ago.
Drake University hosted the June 18-20 meet.
Junior Eddie Hart and freshman Isaac Curtis
won first and second place in the l00-yard dash
for 18 of California’s 40 points, and helped the
Bears’ 440 relay team to another first place worth
10 points. The one-two finish in the hundred was
the first ever by two runners from the same
university.
Curtis added a fourth place in the 220 for four
more points.
The sprinters’ efforts pushed Cal to the top
of a close, dramatic race for team honors
which included Oregon, BYU and Kansas,
which tied for second with 35 points,
Washington State (31), Oregon State (30),
UTEP (28), UCLA (27), Villanova (26) and
USC (22), all over 20 points.
California’s actual winning points came in a
field event, when unheralded Rich Dunn triple
jumped 50-53¾ for second place and eight
crucial points. He made the finals on his last
qualifying jump. But the sprinters had built the
foundation for the victory.
It was Cal’s first team title since 1922, the
second year the meet was held.
World Record for Mann
Top individual effort of the three-day meet
was a world-record 48.8 in the 440-yard
intermediate hurdles by BYU’s Ralph Mann,
who won a race-long duel with UCLA’s Wayne
Collett. Though given a time of 49.2, Collett
was close to Mann at the tape. His mark also
bettered the old standard of 49.3, set by Gert
Potgieter of South Africa in 1960.
The next most dramatic moment was missed
by the spectators. It occurred when Kansas’ Jan
Johnson won the pole vault at 17-7, then
narrowly missed on two of his three tries at 18
feet. All this took place in the Drake field house,
however, as an early rain on the final day made
conditions too dangerous to continue the event
outdoors.
Throughout the three-day meet, first one
team then another appeared to be mounting
a challenge for the title. In the end, Cal
seemed to make the most of its opportunities
to score. Pre-meet favorite UCLA was in
trouble from the start when its favored 440relay team failed to complete its first pass
and was eliminated early on Thursday.
New meet records were set by Sidney Sink of
Bowling Green in the steeplechase (8:40.9),
Steve Prefontaine of Oregon in the three-mile
(13:22.0), Bob Bertelson of Ohio U. in the sixmile (27:57.5), and Rick Wanamaker of Drake
in the decathlon (7,406), a new event.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100-Yard Dash — 1. Eddie Hart (California) 9.4;
2. Isaac Curtis (California) 9.4, 3. Jim Green (Kentucky)
9.4; 4. Albert Hearvey (Oregon) 9.5; 5. Willie Turner
(Oregon State) 9.5; 6. Mel Gray (Missouri) 9.5.
220-Yard Dash — 1. Willie Turner (Oregon State)
20.6; 2. Mel Gray (Missouri) 20.7; 3. Mike Goodrich
(Indiana) 20.7; 4. Isaac Curtis (California) 20.8;
5. Jim Green (Kentucky) 21.1; 6. Chuck Smith (Occidental), 21.3.
440-Yard Dash — 1. Larry James (Villanova) 45.5;
2. Tom Turner (Murray State) 45.8; 3. Curtis Mills
(Texas A&M) 45.8 4. John Smith (UCLA) 46.0; 5. Tom
Ulan (Rutgers) 46.0; 6. Edesel Garrison (USC) 46.1.
880-Yard Run — 1. Ken Swenson (Kansas State) 1:46.3;
2. Pat Collins (Oregon State) 1:46.5; 3. Art Sandison
(Washington State) 1:47.0; 4. Mark Winzenried (Wisconsin) 1:47.3; 5. Mathyas Michaels (Cal Poly SLO)
1:47.9; 6. Bob Kaczka (South Carolina) 1:48.6.
Mile Run — 1. Martin Liquori (Villanova) 3:59.0;
2. David Wottle (Bowling Green) 4:00.1; 3. Howell
Michael (William and Mary) 4:01.9; 4. Dennis Savage
(Westmont) 4:02.6; 5. Bill Smart (Washington) 4:02.7;
6. Morgan Mosser (West Virginia) 4:03.5.
Three-mile — 1. Steve Prefontaine (Oregon) 13:22.0;
2. Garry Bjorklund (Minnesota) 13:25.5; 3. Richard
Buerkle (Villanova) 13:27.8;
4. Don Kardong
(Stanford) 13:28.0; 5. Greg Fredericks (Penn State)
13:30.0; 6. Martin Robb (Providence) 13:39.0.
Six-mile — 1. Bob Bertelson (Ohio U.) 27.57.5*;
2. David Hindley (BYU) 28:19.1; 2. Ron Anderson
(Cornell) 28:19.8; 4. Fred Ritcherson (USC) 28:36.8;
5. Ron Stonitch (C.W. Post) 28:40.9; 6. Rick Riley
(Washington State) 28:44.9.
3000-Meter Steeplechase — 1. Sidney Sink (Bowling
Green) 8:40.9*; 2. Jerome Liebenberg (Western
Michigan) 8:44.0; 3. Steve Savage (Oregon) 8:45.6;
4. Ken Silvious (Eastern Kentucky) 8:50.4; 5. Dave
Hindley (BYU) 8:52.6; 6. Dennis Bayham (Miami)
8:56.9.
120-Yard High Hurdles — 1. Paul Gibson (UTEP)
13.6; 2. Marcus Walker (Colorado) 13.6; 3. Ron
Draper (North Carolina Central) 13.8; 4. Godfrey
Murray (Michigan) 13.8; 5. Tom Hill (Arkansas State)
13.9; 6. Jim Bolding (Oklahoma State) 14.0.
440-Yard Intermediate Hurdles — 1. Ralph Mann
(BYU) 48.8*** 2. Wayne Collett (UCLA) 49.2;
3. Wes Williams (San Diego State) 50.3; 4. Jim
Wharton (Idaho State) 50.6; 5. Ron Rondeau (UTEP)
50.7; 6. Jim Seymour (Washington) 51.2.
440-Yard Relay — 1. California (Don Couser, Isaac
Curtis, Dave Masters, Eddie Hart) 40.3; 2. Southern California, 40.6; 3. Indiana, 40.6; 4. Oklahoma State, 41.2;
5. Cal State Long Beach 41.6; 6. Texas A&M, 42.1
Mile Relay — 1. UCLA (Bob Lanston, John Smith,
Brad Lyman, Wayne Collett) 3:06.1; 2. Rice, 3:07.6;
3. Tennessee, 3:07.8; 4. Oregon, 3:08.1; 5. Abilene
Christian, 3:08.5; 6. Murray State, 3:08.9.
57
Javelin — 1. Bill Skinner (Tennessee) 270-8; 2. Bill
Schmidt (North Texas) 262-11; 3. Gary Feldman (Washington) 262-6; 4. Roger Collins (Clemson) 254-5; 5.
Bob Koubola (Pittsburgh) 251-2; 6. Bob Wallis (Army)
246-6.
Shot Put — 1. Karl Salb (Kansas) 63-10¼; 2. Dave
Murphy (USC) 63-8; 3. John Van Reenen (Washington
State) 63-6¼; 4. Steve Wilhelm (Kansas) 61-6; 5. Mark
Ostoich (UCLA) 60-1¼; 6. Brian Caulfield (Utah State)
60-0.
Discus — 1. John Van Reenen (Washington State)
190-9; 2. Fred De Bernardi (UTEP) 189-8; 3. Karl
Salb (Kansas) 188-5; 4. Doug Knopp (Kansas) 185-1;
5. Gary Wolf (Oregon) 178-9; 6. Dave Murphy (USC)
178-7.
Hammer Throw — 1. Steve De Autremont (Oregon
State) 203-9; 2. De Witt Davies (Dartmouth) 195-8;
3. Dirk Narcessian (Rhode Island) 192-11; 4. Al Schotterman (Kent State) 192-7; 5. Bill Dinneen (Dartmouth)
192-1; 6. Bill Penny (Kansas) 190-8.
Pole Vault — 1. Jan Johnson (Kansas) 17-7; 2. Altti
Alarotu (BYU) 17-0; 3. Paul Heglar (UTEP) 17-0;
4. (Tie) Casey Carrigan (Stanford) and Jeff Sakala
(UCLA) 16-0; 6. Dave Roberts (Rice) 16-0.
High Jump — 1. Pat Matzdorf (Wisconsin) 7-1; 2. Peter
Wright (Washington State) 7-1; 3. Willie Sojourner
(Weber State) 7-0; 4. Ken Lundmark (BYU) 7-0;
5. Christer Ceilion (BYU) 7-0; 6. Cary Haupert
(Indiana) 6-11.
Long Jump — 1. Arnie Robinson (San Diego State)
25-10½; 2. Bouncy Moore (Oregon) 25-6; 3. Preston
Carrington (Wichita State) 25-5½; 4. Jerry Proctor
(Redlands) 25-4; 5. Henry Jackson (Western Kentucky) 25-2; 6. Tom Smith (Oregon) 25-1½.
Triple Jump — 1. Mohinder Gill (Cal Poly SLO) 51-9;
2. Rich Dunn (California) 50-5¾; 3. Bryant Salter
(Pittsburgh) 50-5¼; 4. Barry McClure (Middle Tennessee) 50-3¾; 5. Larry Vanley (UTEP) 50-2¾; 6. Al
Lanier (Cincinnati) 49-8½.
Decathlon — 1. Rick Wanamaker (Drake) 7,406;
2. Jorma Vesala (Cal State LA) 7,199; 3. Mike Wedman (Colorado) 7,045; 4. Fred Dixon (Cal State LA)
6,854; 5. Douglas Wells (Utah) 6,817 6. Ron Bajema
(San Diego State) 6,812.
* Meet Record
**New Event, Meet Record
***World Record
TEAM STANDINGS
1. California . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2. Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
BYU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
5. Washington State . . . . . 31
6. Oregon State . . . . . . . . 30
7. Texas El Paso . . . . . . . . 28
8. UCLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
9. Villanova . . . . . . . . . . . 26
10. Southern California . . . 22
11. Bowling Green . . . . . . . 18
12. San Diego State . . . . . . 17
13. Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . 16
14. Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Note: Cal was later stripped of the team championship when the NCAA ruled that sprinter/hurdler Issac Curtis
had been ineligible to compete.
A good high school sprinter, Curtis had a great first year at Cal, running almost equal to Eddie Hart, sometimes
ahead of him. At the NCAAs, he placed 2nd in the 100 yard dash, 4th in the 220, and ran the second leg of the
winning 440 relay – a total of 22 points that Cal had to forfeit.
When there are eligibility disqualifications after the meet, the NCAA’s policy is to simply vacate the affected places
– no one moves up into those spots and team scores (except for the ones who lose points due to the DQs)
remain as they were at the end of the meet. Curtis’s marks still stand in the meet results, but the team’s victory
does not.
Curtis never ran track again for Cal, transferring to San Diego State, where he focused on football before going
on to an NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals.
58