Legacy of running legend Steve Prefontaine a testament to fleeting potential of youth

The feeling you get while pausing at a narrow pass on a winding road overlooking the Willamette Valley on a sweltering day in Eugene, Ore., is one of quiet contemplation.

A visit to "Pre's Rock" is, for some of us who spent their teenaged years in the 1970's, like a pilgrimage to a magical place.

This is where American running legend Steve Prefontaine died in a car crash in 1975. He was, at the time of his death, preparing for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

"Pre," as he was known by track fans who lionized him, was only 24 years old and held every American record between the 2,000 and 10,000 metres. He was a local kid from a working-class family in nearby Coos Bay, Ore., who revolutionized athletics and captured the imagination of generations of runners who followed him.

"Steve Prefontaine was an idol of mine when I was growing up," offered Jerry Kooymans of Bracebridge, Ont., one of a large group of people we encountered who had been drawn to this modest memorial.

"I had his poster on the wall of my dorm room at Princeton University and every day when I went out to run, I'd look at that poster and he just inspired me so much. I wrote in my high school yearbook that I wanted to meet Steve Prefontaine in person someday. Hopefully it would be on the starting line at the Olympics in Montreal. It never came to be unfortunately."

"Pre's Rock" is adorned with running shoes, race numbers, singlets, and medals that folks from all over the world have left in admiration of what Prefontaine meant to them personally. They wear t-shirts that bear his likeness and get their pictures taken kneeling beside the plaque embossed with the image of the determined and striking athlete who, over time, has become a cult hero.

It is a soulful