Talk:Steve Prefontaine

RE: The quote attributed to Prefontaine: "No matter how hard you train, Somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, Somebody will run harder. No matter how hard you want it, Somebody will want it more, I am Somebody." Similarly, the quote which precedes it: "The only good pace is suicide pace, and today's a good day to die" is equally specious.

Over the last 15 years, I have read virtually every biography, magazine article and website on Pre and the running scene during his career, and I have never come across these remarks before. Without a source, my suspicion is that these are not, in fact, statements made by Prefontaine, and suggest removing them.

while i am no means as well quailifed as you say you are, i think Pre has taken on somewhat of a larger than life role and while i have only heard the "No matter how hard..." attributted to Pre in a couple places i agree that be removed till more research can be done however with the "only goold pace is a sudcial pace" that i have seeen in a number of places all the way to Pre fan site online to Cross Country team shirts. So i think it may be like George Washington's i cannot tell a lie quote that may or may nor have really happen but it makes for a good story...

have sourced one quote so far. as soon as I find the sources for the rest I will include their title and isbn.

Unsourced

edit

Wikiquote no longer allows unsourced quotations, and they are in process of being removed from our pages (see Wikiquote:Limits on quotations); but if you can provide a reliable and precise source for any quote on this list please move it to Steve Prefontaine.

  • A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.
  • The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die.
  • A lot of people run to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.
  • Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, "I've never seen anyone run like that before." It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative.
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