Prefontaine

If you don’t know who Steve Prefontaine is now is the time to find out. One of greatest runners of all, he is also the the standard bearer for all American runners.

But he is far more than that. His attitude about competition – about life – are a road map for success.

Maybe not the kind of success that ends with a trophy (although he ended with his fair share), but a more profound success. The kind that allows you to look others squarely in the eye. The kind that guides you through life. The kind that others want to be around.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed by life or find myself drifting into the world of Eeyore, I remember Pre. Here’s some of his more memorable quotes:

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.

I’m going to work so that it’s a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it.

Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it.

And my personal favorite:

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