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No matter how many times I read this book, I feel inspired! Oct 22, 1999 (13 of 13 found this helpful)
Next to my Mother who raised me Steve Prefontaine is my only hero. For the last 23 years I've been a distance runner and there's been plenty of days when it hasn't been easy. But everytime I pick up this book and read a few pages I'm out the door before I know it. This book isn't just about the greatest distance runner that the US ever produced. It's about believing in yourself and giving all you have no matter what you do in life. I have an old copy that sits on my desk and no matter how many times I read it I'm still inspired. Steve Prefontaine lives on through this book. It tells the story of not only his triumphs on the track but off it as well. His legacy are the people who he touched and embrace what he stood for, courage.
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i am only 15 and once i started reading, i couldn't stop Nov 8, 1999 (13 of 14 found this helpful)
I loved this book and it is very easy to read. This book up to today is still my favorite
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The Art Of The Run Oct 9, 1997 (11 of 12 found this helpful)
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift"--Steve Prefontaine. In his work 'Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend", author Tom Jordan skillfully weaves this nexus quote, along with numerous other anecdotes and observations from Pre's contemporaries, to form a rich and informative tapestry in words of the life of Steve Prefontaine. Jordan's narrative is a balanced blend of objective race results and the subjective, and at times highly emotional, recollections of the people who knew Pre the best; his friends, family, and, perhaps most importantly, his competitors.
From his humble origins in Coos Bay, Oregon to his untimely death in a 1975 car-crash, the book follows Pre through his workouts and training, his glory days at the University of Oregon, his 4th place finish at the 1972 Munich Olympics, his battle against "shamateurism" and the Amateur Athletic Union, to his work for the then fledgling Nike. In the end, the reader is left with the images of both Steve Prefontaine the runner---spirited, fiery, and driving---and Steve Prefontaine the man---caring, dedicated, energetic, and independent.
This book will be enjoyed by both runners and non-runners alike. As Pre said: "Some people create with words, or with music, or with brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run...it's style...it's being creative." Tom Jordan's work not only captures the essence of the revolutionary Steve Prefontaine but also ultimately measures up to his lofty paradigm.
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Review of Tom Jordan's book Pre! Apr 18, 1998 (5 of 5 found this helpful)
Tom Jordan's book Pre: the story of america's Greates Running legend Stever Prefontaine, is a very inspiring story of the life, and tragic death of one of the greatest American distance runners ever. The book starts before Steve (as he was called then) even began running. In Jr. High when he saw the High School cross country team runn by he said "What kind of crazy nut would spend two or three hours a day just running?" Soon he became hooked on running. And the story takes off from there.
Tom Jordan's writing in places still gives me chills every time I read parts of the book. The description of Pre's Olympic 5000m final is one of these sections. Even after reading the book over ten times, I still get chills reading the chapter on this race.
if it was possible, I would have rated this book a 15, but the scale only goes up to 10. If you are a runner of any kind, even a sprinter, or someone who jogs evey morning, and could never break 9 minutes for the mile, I would suggest reading this book. Perhaps it will inspire you to run faster, and set a new PR.
I'm going to end this review with the same sentance that Pre used to end talks to children: "To give anythig less than your best is to sacrafice The Gift."
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a nice recap of Pre's career Jan 20, 2003 (7 of 8 found this helpful)
This is a rather slim biography of American distance runner Steve Prefontaine. He died when he was only 24, but he held every American record between 2000 meters and 10,000 meters. He had not yet hit his prime. Even 25 years after his death, he still inspires runners today.
This volume is not so much a biography of his life as it is a recap of his running career. This book was published before either Prefontaine or Without Limits had hit theaters. While examining the career of Pre, we see a much clearer picture of who he was and we see facets of Pre that the films did not show (as well as things that the films got wrong). While he did have problems with the AAU (somewhat glossed over in the book), he did get to race against some of the top international competition that the movies claim he never raced against (except for the 1972 Olympics). In fact, he did race against Viren and other top athletes over in Europe.
This is a short book, less than 200 pages, and I'm not sure it would be interesting to anyone not interested in running already. But for me, a former collegiate cross country runner....i really enjoyed this book.