The soul of Nike

All the Beatles rolled into one

April 25, 2025

“To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” -Steve Prefontaine

Steve Prefontaine (Pre) was all four Beatles rolled into one, at least for the running world. Steve grew up in a small town in Oregon but was larger than life. After missing the high school state championships his sophomore year, he vowed to never lose a race again. He made good on that promise going undefeated his remaining two years while grabbing the national record for the two miler.

Post-high school Pre went on to run at the University of Oregon and his legend grew. He was known for a blistering pace right from the gun. During his collegiate career he amassed four national titles at the 5k distance and three Cross Country national titles. Steve later took fourth place in the 5k at the Munich games in 1972.

In the build-up to the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal Pre tragically died in a car accident. He was 24 years old. At the time of his death, Pre owned each American record in every race from 2,000 to 10,000 meters.

Nike’s founder Phil Knight still says that Pre’s spirit is the cornerstone of Nike’s soul.

Now go binge and buy a pair of his race worn shoes for a couple hundred thousand dollars.