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Prefontaine Memorial Run returns to coos bay to honor a running legend

The annual Prefontaine Memorial Run, a classic 10K run honoring one of Oregon’s most beloved athletes, is returning to the charming streets of Coos Bay on Saturday, September 21, 2024. The run celebrates Coos Bay’s own Steve Prefontaine, the famed Oregon runner who bolted onto the international running scene and helped ignite a running craze in the U.S. in the 1970s.

 “Steve Prefontaine was a legend in the running world in the 1970s, and Coos Bay is where he was born and where he discovered his gift for and love of running,” said Janice Langlinais, Executive Director of the Coos Bay-North Bend-Charleston Visitor and Convention Bureau, more commonly known as Oregon’s Adventure Coast. “The annual Prefontaine Memorial Run not only honors Pre’s legacy here in his hometown, but it draws runners from around the region, the state and the country to come and experience the joy of running on Oregon’s Adventure Coast.”

The 2024 Prefontaine Memorial Run is a challenging 10K road race around the streets of Coos Bay that finishes on the Prefontaine Track at Marshfield High School following one of Pre’s favorite training routes. The event also includes a 2-mile walk and fun run. The 10K starts at 10 a.m., while a 5K high school team competition kicks off the events at 9:45 a.m.

Other pre-related attractions for runners and visitors include a bronze likeness of the famed distance runner at the Coos Bay Visitor Information Center, the Prefontaine Gallery at the Coos Art Museum, which showcases his awards and memorabilia, and the stunning Pre Mural in downtown Coos Bay.

The Prefontaine run will again coincide with the annual Bay Area Fun Festival, a two-day celebration in downtown Coos Bay filled with live entertainment, a parade, food and drinks, vendors, arts, crafts and the Cruz the Coos classic auto cruise around downtown Coos Bay.

The 2024 Prefontaine Memorial Run

What: A 10K run, with a 2-mile walk or fun run option and a 5K high school competition, in honor of hometown hero and running legend, Steve Prefontaine.

When: 10 a.m. Saturday, September 21. (High school competition begins at 9:45 a.m.; wheelchair runners start at 9:50 a.m.)

Where: The corner of 4th and Anderson in downtown Coos Bay.

Cost: $40 for runners 19 and over before September 17; $50 after that date. $20 for runners 18 and under or those in the 2K walk. $13 per runner for the high school competition.

Registration: prefontainerun.net

For visitors coming from out of town for the Prefontaine Memorial Run, Oregon’s Adventure Coast has lodging options for all tastes, from unique hotels and motels to vacation rentals, RV parks and picturesque campgrounds.

Best running quotes from Steve “Pre” Prefontaine

Today, one of the most iconic runners in American history would have turned 72.

On this day in 1951, one of the most iconic runners in North American history was born. Steve “Pre” Prefontaine from Coos Bay, Ore., became one of the biggest icons in the sport during his time at the University of Oregon in the 70s, where he held seven American records from the 2,000m to the 10,000m.

Today Prefontaine would have been 72, but his life was cut short on May 30, 1975, when he died in a car accident in Eugene, Ore. He was 24 at his death. 

Prefontaine competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and was preparing for the 1976 Olympics with the Oregon Track Club at the time of his death.

The American distance runner will be always remembered for his raw talent, racing style, iconic moustache and motivational quotes. 

Pre’s race tactics were often bold, running hard from the gun instead of having a sit-and-kick mentality. That sort of race mentality is evident in some of his most memorable quotes, which are as follows:

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

“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 an exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.”

“Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, ‘I’ve never seen anyone run like that before.’ It’s more than just a race, it’s a style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.”

“Somebody may beat me, but they’re going to have to bleed to do it.”

“I don’t just go out there and run. I like to give people watching something exciting.”

After his death, three movies were later released based on his storied career: Without Limits, Prefontaine, and Fire on the Track.

Happy 72nd Birthday Pre!

Prefontaine Memorial Run is this weekend

The annual Prefontaine Memorial Run is this weekend, and it has a national flavor this year after the two previous events were canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The event that honors the late Marshfield graduate and running legend Steve Prefontaine starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. It is the 42nd year for the race, which begins in downtown Coos Bay and finishes on Steve Prefontaine Track at Marshfield High School’s Pete Susick Stadium.

Pre set his last American record on that track and 50 years ago competed in the summer Olympics, finishing fourth in an epic 5,000-meter final.

For the third time, the run has been named the national championship 10-kilometer race for the Road Runners Club of America.

The race previously was designated the championship 10K in both 2020 and 2021 and subsequently canceled each year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The RRCA Championship Event Series is one of the oldest distance running traditions in the United States, dating back to 1958, race organizers said. The goal of the series is to shine a spotlight on well-run community-based events, and to promote the sport by recognizing the top performing runners in the open, 40+, 50+ and 60+ age group categories for both men and women.

The Prefontaine Memorial Run begins with a stand-alone high school 5-kilometer cross country race followed by the 10-kilometer community run and a 2-mile fun run/walk. Entrants can register online by logging on to the Prefontaine website at www.prefontainerun.com.

Proceeds from the run help the Prefontaine Foundation accomplish its mission of supporting track and field and cross country athletes through grants to local high schools and scholarships to deserving athletes. The Foundation also sponsors and provides financial support to the Prefontaine Track Club. Several club members competed at the recent Junior Olympics national meet in California.

The Prefontaine Memorial Run is held under the direction of the Prefontaine Foundation with community-based support provided by sponsorships from Tower Ford, Pacific Properties, Banner Bank, Advanced Health, Farr’s Hardware, North Bend Medical Center, Wild Coast Running Company, Vend West Services, Nasburg Huggins Insurance and Nike.