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Pre's Rock is located in Eugene, Oregon & is the site of where American long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine died in a vehicle accident on May 30, 1975. Prefontaine competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, but landed into 4th place at the Men's 5000 Metre race as he struggled during his last steps to which Scottish runner Ian Stewart narrowly beat him for bronze. Devastated by the loss, he later enrolled at the University of Oregon & in spare time began to train even harder for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Unfortunately on May 30, 1975, after leaving a party to drive a friend Frank Shorter to Kenny Moore's home, he descended down this road (Skyline Boulevard) in his gold 1973 MGB convertible when it crossed the center line & jumped the curb, impacting this rock wall. The vehicle flipped & trapped him underneath, causing him to suffocate to death by the time paramedics arrived. He was buried at Sunset Memorial Park in Coos Bay where he was from, another memorial service at Hayward Field in Eugene drawing in thousands.
Today a memorial is located at the site, the inscription dedicated in December 1997. He remains a major influence to the running community & for those involved in the Olympic Trials or Prefontaine Classic - this site still very much a popular pilgrimage for athletes & non-athletes around the world. At the time of his death, he held every American outdoor track record ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 meters.
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.
