Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Rekindling the Flame

“You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."

Steve Prefontaine



As part of rekindling the flame, my passion for running, I spent 2 nights last week watching the movies Prefontaine and Without Limits, both on the life of Steve Prefontaine.

During the 1970's, there was no runner that captured the heart of running enthusiasts like Steve Prefontaine. Sure, Frank Shorter may have won the 1972 Olympic Marathon that helped to spark the "marathoning craze", but Pre as he was known to most people, ran each race like it was his last. In regards to why he raced so hard, Pre was quoted as saying, "somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it."

Who knew that some guy from Coos Bay, Oregon would help to spark the embers of another runner 30 years later?

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