(Above: Nearly a half-century after legendary runner Steve Prefontaine died, young athletes still visit the memorial at the spot of his death to pay homage and leave mementos in his honor; photo by Paul Carter.)

By Randi Bjornstad

Probably like many people who lived in Eugene on May 30, 1975, I vividly remember standing in my kitchen, holding a cup of coffee, staring out the window in disbelief as I tried to absorb the news that pre-eminent runner Steve Prefontaine was dead.

Just hours after a track meet in which he ran and won — no surprise — his signature 5,000-meter race, the 24-year-old left a post-meet party in his little MG sports car, missing a tight curve on Skyline Boulevard near Eugene’s Hendricks Park, flipping his little MG sports car over and becoming pinned beneath it. He died at the scene.

Steve Prefontaine’s appeal is still so strong that 47 years after his death, an eBay listing offers an original copy of that day’s Eugene-Register-Guard, with an asking price of $474.95.

There have been many rumors about what really happened — some say another car came up the wrong side of the street forcing Prefontaine to swerve into the rocky embankment to avoid it, others surmise that he’d had a few drinks during the evening and may simply have lost control on the turn — and the truth remains elusive.

However, Pre’s lasting appeal and enduring fame do not. His modest small-town upbringing, feisty personality, genuine concern for the futures of children, kindness for other athletes, and overwhelming ability and hard-won accomplishment persist to this day, 47 years later.

A tribute in music

Now, when the iconic Prefontaine would have been 71 years old — and who knows what he might have accomplished the intervening years — the Eugene Symphony offers a tribute to him that includes an original musical work by Oregon composer David Schiff, accompanied by a multimedia presentation of Pre’s life and running career.

The performance was intended to debut in August 2021 in conjunction with the World Track and Field Championships scheduled for Eugene then, but like so much else was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Schiff’s composition explores a variety of themes, but works backward through Prefontaine’s life, beginning at Pre’s Rock, the monument that marks the place of his death and where young athletes who compete in Eugene still make their pilgrimage and leave mementos ranging from flowers to running shoes. It then traces his life back through his professional running career to his college and earlier years when he was growing up in Coos Bay on the Oregon Coast.

The presentation illustrates Schiff’s original music with a multimedia presentation that includes video, still photographs, quotations by Steve Prefontaine as well as statements by others about him, and tributes from people throughout the country who remember his character and lasting contributions.

Creators of this tribute in addition to composer Schiff  include longtime sports journalist Curtis Anderson, Oregon Contemporary Theatre’s producing artistic director Craig Willis, Eugene Symphony’s music director and conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, the symphony’s executive director Scott Freck, and Steve Prefontaine’s sister, Linda Prefontaine.

This performance, titled Prefontaine, is a world premiere. The symphony also will perform Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

Eugene Symphony presents Prefontaine

When: 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, 2022

Where: Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Center (7th and Willamette streets), Eugene

Tickets: $10 to $68, available at the Hult Center box office, 541-682-5000, or online at hultcenter.org/

 

Steve Prefontaine’s mother, Elfriede, during a visit to Pre’s Rock, where her son lost his life, in 2004; photo by Paul Carter.