In August of 2006, my family and I vacationed on the Oregon coast. We mostly stayed in the Depoe Bay / Newport area, but I requested (okay, demanded) that I make a pilgrimage I had been wanting to make for many years. So one morning I loaded the family into our van and we drove down to Coos Bay to pay a visit to the Prefontaine Museum. It was a relatively small place - basically just a room - but it was worth the trip. I'll admit that I got choked up when I walked into the room. I had my shades on so as to not embarrass myself in front of my family (who didn't really understand the whole "Pre Mystique"). Although I knew who Pre was when I was running back in high school (early to mid 80's), I didn't really know that much about him until the early 90's. No, I don't worship his memory or even idolize him, but I recognize and appreciate the spirit and courage he embodied when he raced. He was truly a "pure guts" runner. May not have been the best in the world, even in his prime, but I would have never bet against him in any race. As an aside, it's exciting to see some American runners starting to show that spirit once again (i.e. Ryan Hall, Kara Goucher, etc).
I've posted some photos from my trip below:
That is so cool. I had no idea who Steve Prefontaine was prior to a year ago and now he is one of my running idols. I lived in Oregon for over two years (Eugene, Bend, Portland) and was never into the running thing back then. Too bad, huh?
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