Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The Tao of Steve

The following column first appeared last month (May 14, 2008) in the Freeport Focus and Village Voices newspapers. It is reprinted here in follow up to numerous requests. Thanks for reading.

The Tao of Steve
by
Roland Tolliver


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

gift.” - Steve Prefontaine

I haven’t found that
there are too many heroes in
life. There are a number of
people that have worthy
traits that are worth emulating.
There are those people
that have qualities that make
them stand out in the world,
whether it be in politics,
education, sports, the performing
arts, religion, and in
that all important field of
parenting. There is one person,
though, that I have not
been able to get out of my
head since I was a teen. Over
the years, I have found some
bizarre connection with this
man, who will have been
gone from this live for the
past 33 years this month.
Steve Prefontaine,
known simply as “Pre”
among those familiar with
the man and his life, has
generated untold stories of
his running acumen, guts,
and dedication. He was born
Steve Roland Prefontaine on
January 25, 1951, exactly
seven years to the date of my
own birth. Of course, there
is the strange coincidence
that his middle name and
my first name are the same,
as well. So, perhaps there
was some pre-ordained reason
that I was drawn into the
near mystical fascination
with this Olympic runner
and his short, but productive
life.

It was the summer before
my freshman year in high
school when Pre ran the
infamous 5,000 meters race
in the Olympics in Munich.
These were supposed to be
the “Happy” Olympics with
a return to peace in the
world. These Olympic
Games will always be
remembered for the 13
Israeli athletes and coaches
that were killed by
Palestinian terrorists after
the Israelis had been taken
hostage. A number of the
athletes managed to escape
and hide in the American
dorms. Any innocence of the
Olympics was lost that year
and as recent history has
proven too many times, the
innocence of a terror-free
world is but a dream. Besides
Mark Spitz winning seven
gold medals in swimming,
Frank Shorter winning the
marathon, and Dave Wottle
with his white gold cap coming
from last to first to win
the 800 meter race, there is
only one event that sticks
out in my mind. That was
the gutsy race that Steve
Prefontaine ran in the 5000
meter final, only to finish
spent and in fourth place.

He was young, 21, competing
against much more
seasoned runners, and he
almost won an Olympic
medal. It was then that I
realized that we can’t win all
the time, but that we can
always give a full effort in
whatever we do in life. There
have been a number of times
in life that I thought it
would be easier to just pack
it in and give up, but then I
think back to that summer
and how many obstacle I’ve
overcome in life since then.

One of my life’s highlights
was living in Munich
for a year while I was an
undergraduate student and
one of the highlights of that
year was running a race that
concluded on that same
track that Steve and Frank
and Dave and the U.S.
Olympic team and athletes
from around the world had
competed on. I often go
back to that day in my mind,
knowing that so many people
that have had great
influence on my life are no
longer here, but carry me
through many days as spiritlike
inspirations.

“Run fast. Run strong,”
they say. “Keep going. You
can do it,” they remind me.
“We’re watching over you.
You are not alone,” they
remind me.

Whether it be my uncle,
Wayne, who died in a one
car accident almost exactly a
year after Pre, or my mother,
Mary, who died almost
exactly five years after
Wayne, or Pre, whom I never
had the chance to meet,
there words carry me
through trying times. Their
memories strengthen the
loving and fulfilling
thoughts and words of my
bride and family today. I
have found that while it isn’t
healthy to dwell in the past,
we can meld our history with
our present to sustain us
today and brighten our
tomorrows.

Steve Prefontaine was
not only the greatest runner
in America during his career,
but one who worked equally
hard for equality and justice
among competitive runners
in our country. Many of the
changes he fought for against
the Amateur Athletic Union
eventually came to fruition
after his death. The entire
Olympic process in our
country eventually changed
based on the rights he fought
do diligently for. It is the
essence of making a difference
in one’s life that has
stuck with me as much as his
running prowess has over the
years. It is one impetus for
trying to make a difference
in my community, my
church, in my profession and
within my family.

“Go, Pre!” his fans
would shout at each of his
meets. He wouldn’t be
around to see the books written
about him or the movies
made about his short life. He
would see the minions of followers
that would be
influenced by his accomplishments.

Steve Prefontaine died in a one-car
accident in Eugene, Oregon,
the city of his greatest feats,
early on the morning of May
30, 1975. There are many
theories about the crash, but
the only one who knows for
sure is gone.

No one should be held
up as an idol, but there are
people that influence who
and what we become. We are
all influenced by the people
we meet in life or by the lives
of the people we read or
learn about. For me, I’ve
found myself following the
Tao of Steve for much of my
life and with God’s help
hope to follow it for many
years to come. One day
maybe my children or others
will be inclined to follow the
“Tao of Roland”. Well, anything’s
possible, right?!

Dr. Roland Tolliver is a
freelance writer from Freeport.
He often wonders what it
would have been like to be an
Olympian. He may be reached
at rtolliver@kastlepublishing.
com. You may view more
photos at http://www.pretzelcity.
blogspot.com/