This is the best book that I have ever read. His life is just really interesting to me. It might be because im a runner too, but i dont care. All the things that he does. Like how he just starts to run becasue he cant play football with the other kids. Also how he says when he is in high school that he is going to go to the Olympics. He Is an insperation to many runners. With him dying so young just makes his story all the more tragic. His tenacity is what I most like about him. How he says that he doesn't go out to race to win the race, but to see who has the most guts. I always wished that i could be like Pre, but he was just a star beyond me. Every time I race I think of his famous quote, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." That just inspires me to work harder and run faster. It is just a great book to read.

A good book and overview of Prefontaine's life and the one you will see in quality running stores. Very good capsule on his life and racing competition with a great set of pictures. However, Pre is such a fascinating subject whose rash and bold method of running also ocurred during the peak of the Amnerican running boom that there never seems to be enough information or pictures of him. I keep thinking someone will write another deeper book. Jordan's book is well worth reading and possibly the best book on Pre but the obvious problem was Pre's life was
was too short with a lot more to give. You always will feel like you're missing another chapter, literally as his life ended so prematurely. As far as Europe goes, he had lots of development success running other events such as a 3:53 mile and with more time and if the AAU provided more athletic support, he appeared to be refining his skills for a great run in 1976. Wouldn't it be great if Track and Field News got serious and with their archives got a full blown biography about his life, wins and losses, and provided an indepth collection of racing pictures perhaps in a coffee table size book where the pictures would literally leap out at you? Losses, although rare such as Dick Burkle's great indoor upset and Pre's difficulty with Brendan Foster with an illness issue, were still interesting adding to charcter development. There has to be the that one great book coming. By the way, Booklist's review refers to Pre's barely missing a medal in the Munich Olmpic 5,000 meters as the "two mile run"?!

For five years, no American runner could beat him at any distance over a mile. But at the age of 24, with his best years still ahead, long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine finally lost. Driving alone at night after a party, Prefontaine crashed his sports car, putting a tragic, chocking end to the life and career of one of the most influential, accomplished runners of our time. More than 20 years later, Pre continues to influence the running world. From his humble origins in Coos Bay, Oregon, Pre became the first person to win four NCAA titles in one event. Year after year, he was virtually unbeatable. Instead of becoming one of the new breeds of professional track athletes, Pre chose to stay amateur and fight for the adequate funding he felt American amateur athletes deserved. A man of incredible desire and energy, Pre trained relentlessly. In his drive to be the best, he spurred others to do their best. As one racer said, "He ran every race as if it were his last." But Pre not only touched runners, his exciting racing technique as well as his maverick lifestyle made him a favorite of the fans. A race with Prefontaine in it was automatically an event. His brief but brilliant life is the tale of a true American hero. I really enjoy running so that's why I liked this book a lot, it was very interesting too. It talks about his whole life from when he went to high school to when he went to the Olympics. It also has a lot of pictures of him too. I really recommend this book it's really good, if you want to learn about a person who became a legend you should read this book. If you really like running this is the perfect book to read.

This book took a very interesting subject and made it a bore. The book is basically a record of the times Pre ran in each of his races. Besides a few anecdotes there is no real background into his life. Instead of this book I would watch one of the movies made about him to gain some insight into the person.

The book "Pre" by Tom Jordan is a very good book that I think many people should have the pleasure of reading. If anyone knows the story of Steve Prefontaine and would like to know more about him, this is definitely the book to read. It goes into detail about his whole life, and it talks of his many struggles and many successes in the sport in which he dominated, which is running. This book also lets you know "Pre" in a deeper sense. Once you have read this book you will feel that you actually know the "Greatest running legend of all time", and that is why this book is so great. In this book it also shows you that being a star athlete isn't all that glamorous as you would imagine. "Pre" didn't live in a fancy house, but in a trailer park when he was going to the University of Oregon, and also all the attention that you might think would be great wasn't all that welcome by Steve. In fact he didn't really like it because he seems like a mellow guy that didn't really like the spotlight very much.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has heard of the greatest runner of all time because it gives you a more in depth look at the sport of running and its many struggles, and few successes. Also, if you are involved in the sport of running in any way this is a good book because you should really get to know and understand the person who pretty much single handedly made the sport of running in America what it is today.