Prefontaine Page #3

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I'm gonna marry you.

Less than a year later,

when he found out that I was...

I was gonna get married

in Portland...

he called my mother and said

that I couldn't get married...

because he was still planning

on marrying me someday.

How many runners

we got here today?

Hey, Pre, I'm on deadline.

I said when I'm done.

- What about baseball?

- Yeah.

- See, baseball wouldn't be anything

without running, now would it? - No.

- That's right. Anybody

like football? - Yeah.

Football wouldn't be much

without running, now would it?

- He always made time

for kids. - Sign mine!

- One at a time. - He said he

saw himself in their little faces.

- You got any fast

runners here? - Yeah!

- You got any slowpokes?

- No!

Ah, we'll see.

Don't forget.

Use your upper body.

You've gotta run with your arms,

too, not just with your legs.

That's better, Ricky.

Doin' a good job.

Hey, Speed Racer.

You're not ready

for me yet, kid.

Steve, for the rest of his life...

that little kid would have remembered

the day Steve Prefontaine let him win.

Oh, you can't let a losing mentality

creep in here... ever.

A losing mentality? Against a

nine-year-old? Are you serious?

How do you think

I got this far, Nance?

What do you mean?

Well...

do I look like a runner?

No, you look like

a hammer thrower.

Look at you.

You've got long legs...

a great stride,

you're tall, slender.

You're built like a runner, not me.

Steve.

So, what have I got going for me?

Why does some kid

from Coos Bay...

with one leg shorter than

the other win races?

Let me tell you somethin'.

All of my life people

have said to me...

"You're too small, Pre. "

"You're not fast enough, Pre. "

"Give up your foolish

dreams, Steve. "

But you know what?

They forgot somethin'.

I have to win.

There's no fallback here. No

great stride, no long legs! Nothing!

I'm sorry.

Steve, from the moment I saw you...

you looked like the

best runner ever.

He always had a great need,

ya know.

I mean, just...

just an endless need...

that came from somewhere.

I'm not thinkin' about

makin' the team.

I'm thinkin' about gold in Munich.

What's on the training table

this morning, Galloway?

Hot dogs again.

Breakfast of champions.

Oh, man.

This is bullshit, Frank.

And we're paying for these

wonderful accommodations too.

I met a runner who had to hock his

trophies to pay for his plane ticket.

You'd think they'd at least put

guys up once they got here.

Au contraire, the A.T.U.

and the Olympic committee...

are dedicated to preserving

our amateur virginity.

That's so screwed up.

Somebody ought

to do something.

Frank Shorter is going to Munich!

He'll be our top qualifier

in the 10,000 meters.

Are you paying for your suite

at the Hyatt, Curtis?

Is Dick here sleeping

on your floor?

You're mixing apples

and oranges, Bill.

We couldn't afford to put the

athletes up even if we wanted to.

That's right. Gotta save back some of

those millions you got in the treasury...

so you can send over 100 officials

to Munich in style.

Luckily for you,

your opinions on that...

were overlooked by the selection

committee this year.

Your job is to coach the

team on the track. Period.

Understand?

Maybe I'll have the university

hold back the gate receipts.

Let a court decide

this situation.

No, no.

No, you've got a choice.

You can take us to court...

or you can take the

team to Munich.

What's it gonna be, Bill?

Wilkins up. James on deck.

Gilbert in the hole.

Wilkins' final throw,

175 feet, four inches.

He remains in 12th place.

First call for the 5,000 meter final.

All competitors,

please report to the clerk.

- New and improved.

- Still no one-piece toe?

That's harder than you think.

Nobody makes them one-piece.

These homemade seams are

gonna give me big-time blisters.

Give me the damn shoes back.

Give 'em back! Last damn thing I need

is you out there thinking about shoes.

One-piece toe! When's

the last time you ate?

It doesn't matter. It's all

over there in that trash can.

- You okay?

- I'm all right.

It's weird.

Here I am, just a race away

from making it to Munich...

and suddenly my legs

feel like logs.

That's just nerves.

Think of how nervous Young

is trying to slay you...

a fire-breathing dragon

in your own backyard.

You are going to burn his ass up.

In lane one, bronze medalist

in the '68 Olympics...

the legend, the veteran,

George Young.

In lane two, Washington State's great

four-time N.C.A.A. champion...

Jerry Lindgren.

Boo!

And in lane three, a junior

from the University of Oregon...

three-time N.C.A.A. champion...

American record holder

in the 5,000 meters...

never defeated at Hayward Field,

Steve Prefontaine!

Lap ten of a very fast 5,000.

The race now is between

Pre and Young.

Pre takes the lead!

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

Can the kid break the veteran? One of

the guttiest runners in track history.

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

Little son of a gun's

goin' for the record.

- Kick! Kick! Kick! Kick! Kick!

- Go for it! Go for it!

Prefontaine misses

the world record...

but shatters his own American

record by seven seconds.

Congratulations.

You did it.

We did it.

You still think nobody cares

about the three-mile?

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

I never understood,

son, why you ran.

Now she's a nervous wreck as

soon as you come on to the field.

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

Steve Prefontaine has capped an impressive

week for American track and field.

Prefontaine celebrates

his 21 st victory today.

Pre has won the 5,000, the glamour

event of these Olympic Trials.

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

It was like long ago

Steve had begun...

this incredible dance with

the press and his fans.

Now the music was playing

faster and faster.

How you feelin', Pre?

- I'm feelin' very late.

- Are you ready?

- Ready for what? - Come on, Pre.

You're always good for a quote.

Pre, the experts say you're just a

21-year-old, inexperienced kid...

who's never faced the

top European runners.

Hey, Pre, how do you expect to beat

the best in the world on their turf?

I'm going to run the last mile

under four minutes...

and I dare anybody

to stay with me.

That's crazy!

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

Go, Pre! Go, Pre!

I guess this is good-bye.

I've been dreamin' about this for

so long. Tell me it's really happening.

Look, Steve,

I want you to know...

you're more than

just my boyfriend.

You're my hero too.

I know you're gonna kick ass.

What if I don't?

I don't want to go.

I'm scared.

Only these people will

ever see this live...

but you, along with almost

a billion other people...

are seeing it on television.

Okay, they just cued the doves.

Here they come.

There go the Bavarian doves,

5,000 of them.

They've dubbed this Olympiad...

the "Serene Olympics".

Those are the symbolic colors

of these Olympics...

instead of the Nazi banners

that flew here the last time.

And here they come,

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