Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine helped inspire the "running boom" in the 1970s along with contemporaries Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. Born and raised in Coos Bay, Oregon, Prefontaine was primarily a long-distance runner who once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters.[1] Prefontaine died at the age of 24 in a car accident. Source: Wikipedia