Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was a renowned American middle and long-distance runner. He participated in the 1972 ‘Summer Olympics,’ and at one point, held the American record in 7 different distance track events, from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters. Generally referred to as “Pre” by runners and fans, Prefontaine attended ‘Marshfield High School’ and performed well on the tracks, breaking 19 national high-school records and setting a national high-school record in the 2-mile race. He resolved to receive training from the renowned coach Bill Bowerman and enrolled at the ‘University of Oregon,’ although many top colleges across the US were keen to have him on their respective teams. He won four consecutive 3-mile titles and became the winner of three ‘Division I NCAA Cross Country’ championships. He missed a medal at the 1972 Olympics by a close margin. He was eyeing the 1976 ‘Montreal Olympics,’ but he unfortunately died in a car accident at gae 24. Known for his extremely aggressive "front-running" racing style, Prefontaine is still considered among the greatest runners America has produced in the game’s history. His career was said to have inspired the 1970s "running boom," to some extent.