I took a group to Pre's Rock the day before the 2013 Prefontaine Classic. Rhoda Krause, a reporter for KMTR at the time, had a camera and asked to do a quick interview. The story aired that evening and Rhoda wrote the following article.
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EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) - TrackTown USA owes much of its fame to Steve Prefontaine. His legend still lives on, and those who knew him in the 1970s before his death still keep him in their memories.
The annual Prefontaine Classic kicks off this weekend, and fans from all over the world are stopping to visit Pre's memorial rock. The rock is on Skyline Drive in Eugene, and it marks the spot where Pre died 38 years ago in a car crash. He was driving home after a party when his car flipped over as he went around a curve, pinning him underneath.
One of Pre's track teammates, Steve Bence, went to the rock memorial today. Bence says the day Pre died, the two of them spent time together. Bence went to Pre's house early on to play cards. Later in the day, both of them participated in a track meet - Bence's last meet as a senior, and Pre's last meet ever.
That night, Pre went on to a party, but Bence went home to study for a final examination he had the next morning. At 6 am, Bence woke up to a phone call with the news that Pre had died. At first, Bence said he did not believe it could be true.
"I remember it was just a beautiful day out," Bence said. "Walking to class to take the final exam, everything seemed like normal. And to me, it was just like the whole world had changed. And it was just this empty feeling. I expected rain, clouds, something. And everything around me just looked like nothing had happened. And I just had this total conflict."
Bence says even 38 years later, he will never forget his memories with Pre.
One fan drove down from Everett, Wa. to see the Prefontaine Classic for the first time. Tom Osterwald says even though Pre's story is tragic, his legend lives on. Osterwald says seeing Hayward Field and the rock memorial is something he has always wanted to do.
"It's just a thrill," Osterwald said. "Yesterday I just couldn't believe it. We were here on this anniversary, which was just very special."
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