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" If I lose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself. But if it's a slow pace, and I get beaten by a kicker who leaches off the front, then I'll always wonder, 'What if...?' "

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" American athletes, especially distance runners, are at a big disadvantage against the rest of the world. We're expected to live by all the rules, like not being able to coach, but still train and make our own living. "

Steve Prefontaine

Live

Own

World

" Nobody likes tainted victories. "

" Every once in a while I think, 'What am I doing out here running, busting myself up? Life could be so much easier. The other guys are out having fun, doing other things, why not me?' "

" I don't just go out there and run. I like to give people watching something exciting. "

Steve Prefontaine

Run

Just

" To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift. "

" If anybody wants to beat me, let them run a world record. "

" Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement. "

" What does it prove, running in the AAU meet? "

" This is my last year at Oregon, and it means a lot to me. The people have been great to me up there, so if I have to run three races to win the Pac-8 title, I'll do it. Oh, sure, I'll probably be tired, but the people shouting will carry me across the finish line. "

" 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. "

Steve Prefontaine

End

People

" The AAU doesn't care about the athletes; why should I care about them? "

" I used to say, 'Hey, man, what kind of a stupid question is that?' to a newspaperman asking me heavy things right after a race when I'm still in an emotional state. Now I at least try to answer. "

" Did you ever run behind a slow pack? You get a trailing wind and a lot of body odor. "

" Coos Bay is a sports-minded town. You had to be an athlete to be somebody. "

" I have a positive mental attitude, and I think I'm divine, but I also think it takes a heck of a lot of blood, sweat and tears. "

" I know places you better speak low if you've been to college. Men will come across the room and cold-deck you if you hold your glass wrong. "

" What I like most about track is the feeling I get inside after a good run. "

Steve Prefontaine

Run

Good

" If he's having a good day and running the right race, nobody can beat Frank Shorter at 10,000 meters... nobody except me. "

" It's hard to run a mile when you're not a miler and to kick when you've led all the way. "

" Why shouldn't I do what I want to do... I'm an American citizen. "

" If I want to go to Europe and get thrashed by the Europeans, that's my business. Every race I lose I learn from and get tougher. "

Steve Prefontaine

Learn

Business

" People say I should be running for a gold medal for the old red, white and blue and all that bull, but it's not gonna be that way. "

" What I want is to be number one. "

Steve Prefontaine

Want

Number

" I knew I had to show everybody that I could excel at something. But I didn't know what. "

" It's not who's the best - it's who can take the most pain. "

" Something inside of me just said 'Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him,' and I just took off. "

" I'm the one who has made all the sacrifices. Those are my American records, not the country's. "

" You probably choose x-country because you were too small to play football. "

" 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. "

" World records at 19. I don't want that. Later, yes. And when it comes, I'll learn to live with it, but it won't be my first love. "