All language subtitles for Prefontaine-1997

[ Announcer ]
If He Can Hold This Pace,

Prefontaine Will Own
The Ncaa Indoor Record.

[ Crowd Cheering ]

Here Are The 5,000 Meter
Final Results:

First Place With A New American
Record, Steve Prefontaine.

[ Cheering ]

No One Within 60 Yards As
Pre Wins His 21st Straight Win.

[ Heavy Breathing ]

[ Man ]
Pre Turned Distance Running
Into A Blood Sport.

You Want To Know What He Meant
To Folks Around Here ?

What Was It The Hippie Kids
Used To Say Back Then ?

You Just Had To Be There.

[ Man ] We Raised Steve
The Way Most Folks In Coos Bay
Raised Their Kids.

We Just Tried To Give Him
The Kind Of Life That
We Never Had Growing Up.

But Steve Was
A Different Kind Of Kid.

[ Boy ]
Nine, Ten,
Eleven, Twelve...

13, 14, 15...

16, 17, 18...

19, 20, 21, 22,

23, 24--

[ Boy ] You Go First.

[ Boy #2 ] It's Buck's Turn.
I Went First Yesterday.

That Was Off
The Dinky Little Bridge.

What's The Matter ?
Are You Scared, Buck ?

What The Hell
Is Pre Doing ?

How'd He Get Up There ?

Go Ahead, Pre, Jump.

Yeah. Go, Pre !

Shut Up !

Come Down, Pre, Before You
Get Yourself Killed.

[ Shouting ]

[ Shouting Continues ]

Cool !

My God !

Yeah ! Yeah !
Whoo-Hoo !

[ Chuckling ]

[ Coach ]
You Ready To Play ?

Yeah !

Okay. Dick's Catcher.
Bobby, Take Second.

Jimmy, Center Field.
Buck, You're My Pitcher.

Pre.
First Sub In.

Jeff, Third Base.
Joe, Right Field.

You'll Get In, Pre.

Let Go, Buck.

Let's Go, Guys.

[ Coach ]
Take The Field, Boys.
Let's Go !

[ Man ]
Pre Did Love Sports, But...

He Was Like, Four-Eight.

He Weighed 90 Pounds.

He Had Really Shaky
Hand-Eye Coordination.

[ Cheering, Applauding ]

It Seemed Like
The Less He Got To Play,

The More He Felt
He Had To Prove.

Prefontaine !
Kickoff Team !

- Go Get 'Em, Pre !
- [ Whistle Blowing ]

Go, Pre, Go !
Go, Pre, Go !

[ Groans ]

[ Whistles Blowing ]

[ Man ]
Once He Started Running,
I Guess He Never Stopped.

[ Tv Announcer ]
Here Is Jim Ryun,
Beginning To Move Up Now,

This Is The Race He's Been
Preparing For Since He Was
A High School Sophomore.

I'm Going To Munich.

Is That So ?

The Munich Olympics
Four Years From Now ?
I'm Gonna Be There.

In Munich ?

Relax, Elfriede.

Let The Boy Dream.

- In Germany ?
- I'm Goin' And Nobody's
Gonna Stop Me.

First It Was Football,
Now This.

Getting Up At Dawn
To Run Before School.

I Thought That The Neighbors
Must Think...

I'm A Crazy German Woman
To Let My Son Do This.

Keep Your Speed
Constant, Ellie.

I Had An Itch
On My Gas Foot.

[ Woman ]
He Was My First Real Boyfriend.

He Was Hot Stuff.

[ Laughing ]

Hey, Don't
Kill Me, Now.
Come On.

I Didn't Have Any Idea
What I Wanted To Do
When I Was Growing Up.

But He Knew.

Steve, Grab The Level
And Check This For Me,
Will You ?

Ray, Your Son Sure Kicked
That North Bend Boy's
Behind Last Week.

- How Bad You Beat Him ?
- Not That Bad.
Maybe Half A Lap.

You Let Him
Off Easy, Ray.

Not My Son. Okay, Steve.
Bring That Two By Four
Over Here.

Yeah, Keep Runnin,' Kid,
So You Don't Have
To Spend Your Life...

Shaggin' Two By Fours
For Your Old Man.
[ Laughing ]

All Right, Hold It Steady.

[ Hammering ]

We Heard About This Small Kid
From Coos Bay Who Could Run.

A Kid We Had To See.
A Real Fire-Eater.

[ Gun Firing ]

After He Broke All Those
National High School Records,

College Scouts Came
Like Bees To Honey.

Uh-Uh.

Thanks, Coach.

Steve ?

Steve Tells Me
You're Quite An Architect.

[ Chuckles ]
No, Actually,
I'm Just A Carpenter.

I'll Be Honest
With You, Ray.

Architects... [ Chuckles ]
They're Overrated In My Book.

Have You Seen
Steve's Scrapbook ?

No, Ma'am.
Not, Uh--

Not Lately.

[ Mother ]
Steve !
[ Speaking German ]

Hello, Again, Pre.

Where's Bowerman ?

He Sends His Apologies.
It's Hard For Him To Get Away.

To Make The Trip.

Plenty Of Other Head Coaches
Have Gotten Away.

Steve.

He Did Ask Me, Though,

To, Uh... Give You
A Personal Letter.

That's All Right.
I've Got Milk Crates
Full Of 'Em.

Come On, Son.

Not, Uh... Like This One.

That's Hot Off The Press.

[ Man ]
Dear Pre, If You Want To Come
To The University Of Oregon,

There's No Doubt In My Mind...

You'll Be The Greatest
Distance Runner In The World.

Please, Don't
Wrinkle It, Steve.

I Want It
For The Scrapbook.

♪ [ Radio: Rock 'N' Roll ]

[ Whooping ]

No More War ! No More War !

Hell, No ! We Won't Go !
Hell, No ! We Won't Go !

♪ Some Folks Are Born ♪

♪ Made To Wave The Flag ♪

♪ Ooh, They're
Red, White And Blue ♪

Any Question Of Violence On The
University Of Oregon Campus...

Is In The Hands
Of President Clark And
The Police Department Of Eugene.

If They Want Violence, They Will
Start Violence. We Will Not.

I Shall Take What Action
Is Necessary To End It.

Whether It's Disciplinary
Or Police Action.

♪ It Ain't Me
It Ain't Me ♪

♪ [ Continues ]

♪ Some Folks Are Born
Silver Spoon In Hand ♪

[ Horn Honking ]

♪ But When The Tax Man
Comes To The Door ♪

♪ Now Their House
Looks Like A Rummage Sale ♪

[ Turns Radio Off ]

[ Man ]
He Definitely Wasn't
What Anyone Expected.

It's The Beverly Hillbillies.

[ Chuckling ]

You've Gotta Remember,
Back Then...

Most Of The Best Distance
Runners On The Team,

In The Whole Country,
Were These Middle-Class
Or Upper-Class Kids.

Hey, Guys.
Steve Prefontaine.

Hey, I'm Mac.

Hey, Mac.

Hi. Pat Tyson,
Your Roommate.

I Moved In Yesterday.

Hi, I'm Ellie.

Ellie Mae ?

No, Just Ellie.

Thomas Becker.

That's Right.

Saw You Run That 3:57.4
Last Summer.

- Personal Best, Right ?
- Yeah.

- Man, That
Was Really Smokin'.
- I'm Flattered.

I'm Going To Beat
That Time This Year.

[ Tires Skidding,
Horn Honking ]

Man, If It Wasn't
For Runnin',

I'd Be Dodging Bullets
In 'Nam Instead
Of Training For Munich.

Munich. As In Olympics ?
Three Years From Now ?

Yeah.

The Only Way
I'm Getting To Munich Is
If I Buy A Plane Ticket.

[ Crowd ] Hey, Hey, U.S.A., How
Many Kids Did You Kill Today ?

Look At This.

They'd Be The Casualties
Back In Coos Bay.

Hey, Hey, U.S.A.,
How Many Kids
Did You Kill Today ?

[ Chanting Continues ]

Oops.

Hey, Pre. The Sidewalk's
Over Here. Pre !

[ Tires Squealing ]

[ Horns Honking ]

- [ Woman ] Hey !
- [ Chuckling ]
Peace.

[ Honking Continues ]

Do You Realize, Ellie, That I've
Been Reading About This Place
Since I Was In Junior High ?

The Road
To Olympic Gold.

[ Giggles ]

[ Prefontaine ]
Track Capitol, U.S.A.

The House
That Bowerman Built.

You Really Know
How To Sweet-Talk A Girl.

I'll Be Coming Down
That Backstretch,

Burning All Eight Cylinders,

A World Record In My Hand,
Blowing Past All
The Competition,

The Crowd Cheering Me On.

I'll Look Up In The Stands,

And There You'll Be.

Yeah, On My Way
To The Bathroom.

[ Laughing ]

[ Laughing ]

You're Dead !

[ Giggling ]

I Always Gotta
Keep Me Humble, Huh ?

Mm-Hmm.

Which Is Why I'm Gonna
Have To Marry You Someday.

Yeah. Someday.

Someday Soon.

Did I Say What Field
Are We On ?

Track Capitol,
U.S.A.

[ Tires Squealing ]

That's Right,
You Son Of A Bitch !
You'd Better Drive Away !

Last Goddamn Time
You'll Clip My Box !

- Coach Bowerman ?
- Don't Ever Call Me "Coach".

Had An S.O.B. For A Coach.

Still Hate That Word
To This Day.

Um, Mr. Bowerman.

Or "Bill" Would Be Fine.

Come On, Rube.
Give Me A Hand Here.

[ Shuts Motor Off ]

I'm, Uh--
I'm Steve Prefontaine.

You Don't Say, Rube.

That's It. Hold It
Right There.

Now, What Are You
Doin' Here ?

I Heard You
Wanted To See Me.

I Mean, What Are You Doin'
Here At The University ?

Well, You Said In Your Letter
You'd Make Me The Best Runner
In The World.

Letter. You Think
I Wrote You A Letter ?

That's Dynamite.

Uh-Huh.

Just Enough
To Get The Bastard's Attention.

Hell Of A View,
Wouldn't You Say ?

Yeah,
It's Beautiful.

You Know, Back Home
I Have This--

This Magazine With
A Picture Of You,
And, Uh--

Stay Right Here.

[ Door Creaking ]

[ Woman ]
What Are You Doing
Out There ? Bill ?

Bill ! You Better Not
Have My New Waffle Iron !

Go ! Go !

[ Sizzling ]

Why Don't You Go Set Down,
And Take Your Shoes
And Socks Off ?

So You Want
To Be A Miler.

I Am A Miler.

Funny Thing, When
I Saw You In Corvallis,
You Won The Two-Mile.

Well, I Won The Mile
As Well.

But You Set A Record
In The Two-Mile.

Give Me Your Foot Up Here.

I'm Going To Run A 3:49 Here
By My Junior Year.

That's Two Seconds
Under Ryun's World Record.

How You Gonna
Do That, Rube ?

I'm Gonna Run
Three Seconds Faster
Every Year.

Well, Then I Guess We'd
Better Get Started Right Away.

Tomorrow, 6:00 A.M.,
At The Track.

[ Sizzling ]

You Mind If I Ask
What You're Doin' ?

No, I Don't Mind At All.

[ Distant Explosions ]

[ Boy ]
You Son Of A Bitch !

Have Some Of That.

6:00 A.M., Rube.
You Ready To Run ?

I Just Need A Minute.

Make Sure You're
Stretched Out.

The Reason Lord Nelson Never
Lost A Battle Was 'Cause He
Showed Up 15 Minutes Early.

You'll Be Outta Here
In Less Than Four.

Can't Run
Without Proper Shoes.

Jesus, Bill.

Hell Of A Pair
Of Shoes.

You Run Like
A Prizefighter, Rube.

You Mad
About Somethin' ?

Am I Mad About Something ?

I Only Design 'Em
To Last One Race. Just Fell
A Lap Short With That Pair.

What Was My Time ?

4:03,
Give Or Take.

Pretty Good, Pre,
Without Competition.

[ Exhaling ]
And Without Shoes.

You'll Be Running
In The Three-Mile
For The Team, Rube.

What Did You Say ?

Your Kick Is Not
Fast Enough For The Mile.

I'll Prove You Wrong.

Doubtful, Rube.
Highly Doubtful.

Aw, Jesus, Bill.

He'll Get Over It.

The Mile Was Everything
Back Then.

The Glamour Event
Of Track And Field.

Every Kid Comin' Along
Fool Enough To Take Up
This Crazy Sport...

Wanted To Be
The Next Jim Ryun.

Forget Jim Ryun,
He's Done.

I'm Gonna Be The First
Steve Prefontaine.

It Must Be Nice
To Wanna Be Yourself.

Like I Can't Run With Him ?

Pre, Becker's
The Conference Mile Champ.

Watch It, Freshman.
There's A No-Race Policy
During Practice.

Fine. Don't
Race Me, Then.

[ Shouting, Applauding ]

He's A Cocky
Little Mother.

I'd Like To Bottle It
And Force-Feed It
To The Rest Of You Guys.

[ Crowd Cheering ]

[ Announcer ]
Wendy Ray. Kugn, Live.

Calling The Last Lap Of This
Lively Twilight Meet Mile.

[ Cheering ]

Pre Is Kicking Hard
Down The Homestretch.

[ Cheering Continues ]

Here Comes Becker.

It's A Battle Now Between Becker
And The Freshman Phenom.

[ Cheering ]

Ranking Senior
Thomas Becker Wins It,

Outkicking Steve Prefontaine
Down The Stretch.

Don't Even Say It.

You Are A Damn
Fine Miler, Rube.

I Beat Him Before;
I'll Beat Him Again.

Oh, I Know You Will.

This Isn't About
Beating Becker.

Becker's Never Gonna Be
The Best, And You Won't
Settle For Anything Less.

With Your Gas Tank
And Your Guts, You
Could Own The Three-Mile,

Make It Your
Goddamn Plaything.

Nobody Cares
About The Three-Mile.

Why Don't You Give 'Em
A Reason To Care ?

Hey, Felix,
Come Here.

♪ [ "Baba O'riley" ]

Back Then, Everyone Had
Either Dope Or Beer.

Pre's Drug Was Winning...
At Everything.

[ Shouting, Cheering ]

♪ Out Here In The Field ♪

♪ I Fought For My Meals ♪

She's Beautiful.
I Love You ! I Love You !

[ Ringing ]

♪ I Don't Need To Fight ♪

♪ To Prove I'm Right ♪

[ Coughing, Gagging ]

[ Crowd Cheering ]

♪ I Don't Need
To Be Forgiven ♪

♪ Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah ♪

You're The Only Person
I Know Who'd Buy A Gold Mg.

[ Laughing ]

What's Wrong
With A Gold Mg ?

You've Got To Have
A Gold Medal To Go With It.

Soon Enough.

He Was Like A Rocket Breaking
Free Of The Earth's Gravity.

Get Down Here !

Nothing Could Touch Him.

[ Cackling ]

[ Groaning ]
Goddamn It !

You Okay ?

[ Breathing Heavily ]

[ Crowd Cheering ]

Pre Is Leading
The N.C.A.A. Final On A Foot
With Ten Stitches In It.

- [ Cheering ]
- [ Shutters Clicking ]

Here Comes Bjorkland,
The Defending
Three-Mile Champion.

Looks Like He Smells
Blood, And Dick Berkeley's
Going With Him.

The Freshman, Steve Prefontaine
Regains The Lead.

Go ! Go ! Go !

Come On !

Steve Prefontaine
Is The Three-Mile Champion...

In One Of The Most Electrifying
Performances In A Long Time.

[ Overlapping Voices ]

One At A Time !
One At A Time !

Pre, How'd You Feel
About The Race ?

If I'd Gone Out Stronger,
I Could Have Set
An American Record Today.

You're Disappointed ?
You Set An N.C.A.A. Record.

I Can Run Better.
A Lot Better.

But I Need Better
Competition To Do It.

[ Overlapping Voices ]

What About The End ?
You Must Have Had Doubts...

When Bjorkland
And Berkeley Came
At You Like That.

Never. What, I Ran Too Flat
For The Last Two Laps ?

Let Me Tell You Something.
Nobody-- Nobody's Gonna
Outkick Me.

[ Overlapping Voices ]

I Gotta Go Take Care
Of My Foot, Guys. Thanks A Lot.

That Was
A Very Impressive
Performance, Rube.

I Just
Ran My Race.

I'm Talking About The Way
You Ran Your Mouth.

Pre, You're Gonna Have
Every Runner In The Country
Looking To Gun You Down.

Bring 'Em On.

♪ I Don't Need To Fight ♪

♪ To Prove I'm Right ♪

♪ I Don't Need To Be Forgiven ♪

♪ Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah ♪

I Thought He Was, Basically,

A Talented Little Pissant
From The Day I Met Him.

As Far As He Was Concerned,
It Was Like No One Else
On The Team Existed.

[ Announcer ]
In The Discus Circle,
Oregon Sophomore Mac Wilkins.

[ Man ] Let's Go !

[ Woman ]
All Right, Mac !

[ Groaning ]

[ Cheering ]

That's Easily The Best Throw
Of Wilkins' Career.

It's Beyond The 190-Foot Mark.
Should Qualify Him
For The Olympic Trials.

[ Cheering ]

And Guess Who Just
Entered The Field ?

[ Crowd Chanting ]
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre !

[ Mac ]
I Started Calling Him "World",
Short For "World Famous".

That Meet, I Also
Won The Shot Put.

I Scored Ten Total
Points For The Team.

I Mean, Pre Won His Race.
It Was No Record Time
Or Nothing.

He Scored Five Points.

But Did It Stop Him
From Running Three
Victory Laps ?

Or Hogging The Headlines
In The Papers The Next Day ?

It Didn't Matter
How Many Events I Won.

He Always Had To Be The Man.

♪ If You Get Down ♪

Big Mac !

♪ And You Get Confused ♪

♪ And You Don't Remember ♪

♪ Who You Been Talkin' To ♪

Route Change.

Pre--

♪ Concentration ♪

A Little
Privacy, Please ?

Hi.

Hi.

I Love Your Stride.

Yours Isn't
Too Bad, Either.

[ Pre ] New On Campus ?

[ Woman ]
I'm A Freshman.

What's Your Name ?

Nancy Alleman.

Steve Was Nothing Like
I Had Expected Him To Be.

He Never Even Told Me
Who He Was.

I Didn't Tell You
Because...

[ Sighs ]

You Know, I Wanted You
To Like Me For Me.

I've Heard Things
About You.

Well, That's Just
With Guys I Run Against.

I'm Not That Bad A Guy.

I'm Sure.

So, You Raced The 5,000
For The Girls' Team ?

And The Two-Mile Relay.

Ever Since High School.

I Could Really
Do Something With You.

What's That
Supposed To Mean ?

I Mean As A Runner.

Ellie. Ellie, No.

The Guy's Car Is--
It Stalled.

[ People Laughing, Talking ]

And Double-Parked.
I Gotta Tell Him.

Steve, He Would Lie
Because He Didn't Want
To Hurt Anyone.

But What He Didn't Realize
Was That... His Lying,

It Hurt
A Hundred Times Worse.

You Don't Have
To Sneak Around On Me
Anymore, Mr. Big Shot.

This Is Ridiculous.
I Was At The Library.

Now Go Screw All The
Rich Little College Girls
Your Heart Desires.

Wait A Second.
Where Are You Goin' ?

I Came Here For You.
Nothing Else But You.

Look-- But You Can't
Do This, Ellie.

I'm Gonna Marry You.

Less Than A Year Later,
When He Found Out That I Was--

I Was Gonna Get Married
In Portland,

He... Called My Mother And Said
That I Couldn't Get Married..

Because He Was Still Planning
On Marrying Me Someday.

[ Chuckles ]

[ Voices Overlapping ]

How Many Runners
We Got Here Today ?

Hey, Pre, I'm On Deadline.

I Said When I'm Done.

What About Baseball ?

[ Children ]
Yeah.

See, Baseball Wouldn't Be
Anything Without Running,
Now Would It ?

No.

That's Right.
Anybody Like Football ?

Yeah.

Football Wouldn't
Be Much Without Running,
Now Would It ?

- [ Nancy ] He Always
Made Time For Kids.
- Sign Mine !

One At A Time.

He Said He Saw Himself
In Their Little Faces.

You Got Any
Fast Runners Here ?

Yeah !

You Got
Any Slowpokes ?

No !

Ah, We'll See.

Don't Forget.
Use Your Upper Body.

You've Gotta Run
With Your Arms, Too,
Not Just With Your Legs.

That's Better, Ricky.

Doin' A Good Job.

Hey, Speed Racer.

You're Not Ready
For Me Yet, Kid.

Steve, For The Rest
Of His Life...

That Little Kid Would Have
Remembered The Day Steve
Prefontaine Let Him Win.

Oh, You Can't Let
A Losing Mentality
Creep In Here... Ever.

A Losing Mentality ?
Against A Nine Year Old ?
Are You Serious ?

How Do You Think
I Got This Far, Nance ?

What Do You Mean ?

Well,

Do I Look Like A Runner ?

No, You Look Like
A Hammer Thrower.

Look At You.

You've Got Long Legs,

A Great Stride,
You're Tall, Slender.

You're Built Like A Runner,
Not Me.

Steve.

So, What Have I Got
Going For Me ?

Why Does Some Kid
From Coos Bay...

With One Leg Shorter
Than The Other Win Races ?

Let Me Tell You Somethin'.

All Of My Life People
Have Said To Me,

"You're Too Small, Pre."

"You're Not Fast Enough, Pre."

"Give Up Your Foolish Dreams,
Steve."

But You Know What ?
They Forgot Somethin'.

I Have To Win.

There's No Fallback Here.
No Great Stride,
No Long Legs ! Nothing !

I'm Sorry.

Steve, From The Moment
I Saw You...

You Looked Like
The Best Runner Ever.

[ Sighing ]
He Always Had A Great Need,
Ya Know.

I Mean, Just--
Just An Endless Need...

That Came From Somewhere.

I'm Not Thinkin'
About Makin' The Team.

I'm Thinkin'
About Gold In Munich.

What's On The Training
Table This Morning, Galloway ?

Hot Dogs Again.

Breakfast Of Champions.

Oh, Man.

This Is Bullshit,
Frank.

And We're Paying
For These Wonderful
Accommodations Too.

I Met A Runner Last Night Who
Had To Hawk His Trophies Just
To Pay For His Plane Ticket.

You'd Think They'd
At Least Put Guys Up
Once They Got Here.

Au Contraire, The A.T.U.
And The Olympic Committee...

- Are Dedicated To Preserving
Our Amateur Virginity.
- That's So Screwed Up.

Somebody Ought
To Do Something.

[ Cheering ]

[ Announcer ]
Frank Shorter
Is Going To Munich !

He'll Be Our Top Qualifier
In The 10,000 Meters.

Are You Paying For Your Suite
At The Hyatt, Curtis ?

Is Dick Here Sleeping
On Your Floor ?

You're Mixing
Apples And Oranges, Bill.

We Couldn't Afford
To Put The Athletes Up
Even If We Wanted To.

That's Right. Gotta Save
Back Some Of Those Millions
You Got In The Treasury,

So You Can Send
Over 100 Officials
To Munich In Style.

Luckily For You,
Your Opinions On That...

Were Overlooked
By The Selection Committee
This Year.

Your Job Is To Coach
The Team On The Track.
Period.

Understand ?

Maybe I'll Have The University
Hold Back The Gate Receipts.

Let A Court Decide
This Situation.

No, No.

No, You've Got A Choice.

You Can Take
Us To Court,

Or You Can Take
The Team To Munich.

What's It
Gonna Be, Bill ?

[ Crowd Cheering ]

[ Announcer Speaking,
Indistinct ]

Wilkins Up. James On Deck.
Gilbert In The Hole.

[ Groans ]

[ Audience Sighing ]

Wilkins' Final Throw,
175 Feet, Four Inches.

He Remains In 12th Place.

[ Groaning ]

[ Announcer ]
First Call
For The 5,000 Meter Final.

All Competitors
Please Report To The Clerk.

- New And Improved.
- Still No One-Piece Toe ?

That's Harder Than You Think.
Nobody Makes Them One-Piece.

These Homemade Seams
Are Gonna Give Me
Big-Time Blisters.

Give Me The Damn Shoes Back.

Give 'Em Back ! Last Damn
Thing I Need Is You Out There
Thinking About Shoes.

One-Piece Toe ! When's
The Last Time You Ate ?

It Doesn't Matter.
It's All Over There
In That Trash Can.

You Okay ?

I'm All Right.

It's Weird.

Here I Am, Just A Race Away
From Making It To Munich,

And Suddenly My Legs
Feel Like Logs.

That's Just Nerves.

Think Of How Nervous
Young Is Trying
To Slay You,

A Fire-Breathing Dragon
In Your Own Backyard.

You Are Going
To Burn His Ass Up.

[ Audience Clapping ]

[ Announcer ]
In Lane One, Bronze Medalist
In The '68 Olympics,

The Legend, The Veteran,
George Young.

[ Crowd Applauding ]

In Lane Two,
Washington State's Great
Four-Time N.C.A.A. Champion,

Jerry Lindgren.

[ Mixed Booing, Cheering ]

Boo !

And In Lane Three, A Junior
From The University Of Oregon,

Three-Time N.C.A.A. Champion,

American Record Holder
In The 5,000 Meters,

Never Defeated
At Hayward Field,
Steve Prefontaine !

[ Cheering, Applauding ]

Lap Ten Of A Very Fast 5,000.

The Race Now
Is Between Pre And Young.

[ Hand Clapping, Chanting ]

Pre Takes The Lead !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Can The Kid Break The Veteran ?
One Of The Guttiest Runners
In Track History.

[ Chanting Continues ]
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Little Son Of A Gun's
Goin' For The Record.

Kick ! Kick ! Kick !
Kick ! Kick !

Go For It ! Go For It !

[ Chanting Continues ]

[ Cheering, Shouting ]

[ Whooping, Cheering ]

Prefontaine Misses
The World Record,

But Shatters His Own
American Record
By Seven Seconds.

Congratulations.
You Did It.

We Did It.

You Still Think
Nobody Cares
About The Three-Mile ?

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

I Never Understood,
Son, Why You Ran.

Now She's A Nervous Wreck
As Soon As You Come
On To The Field.

[ Chanting Continues ]
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Steve Prefontaine Has
Capped An Impressive Week
For American Track And Field.

Prefontaine Celebrates
His 21st Victory Today.

Pre Has Won The 5,000,
The Glamour Event
Of These Olympic Trials.

[ Audience ]
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

[ Nancy ]
It Was Like Long Ago
Steve Had Begun...

This Incredible Dance
With The Press And His Fans.

Now The Music Was Playing
Faster And Faster.

How You Feelin', Pre ?

I'm Feelin'
Very Late.

Are You Ready ?

Ready For What ?

Come On, Pre. You're
Always Good For A Quote.

Pre, The Experts Say
You're Just A 21-Year-Old,
Inexperienced Kid...

Who's Never Faced
The Top European Runners.

Hey, Pre, How Do You Expect
To Beat The Best In The World
On Their Turf ?

I'm Going To Run
The Last Mile
Under Four Minutes,

And I Dare Anybody
To Stay With Me.

[ Man ]
That's Crazy !

[ Reporters Chattering ]

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

I Guess This Is Good-Bye.

[ Sighing ]

I've Been Dreamin'
About This For So Long.
Tell Me It's Really Happening.

Look, Steve,
I Want You To Know...

You're More Than
Just My Boyfriend.

You're My Hero Too.

I Know You're
Gonna Kick Ass.

What If I Don't ?

I Don't Want To Go.

I'm Scared.

[ Tv Announcer ]
Only These People
Will Ever See This Live,

But You, Along With Almost
A Billion Other People,

Are Seeing It On Television.

Okay, They Just Cued The Doves.
Here They Come.

There Go The Bavarian Doves,
5,000 Of Them.

[ Second Announcer ]
They've Dubbed
This Olympiad...

[ Speaking German ]
The "Serene Olympics".

Those Are The Symbolic Colors
Of These Olympics,

Instead Of The Nazi Banners
That Flew Here The Last Time.

And Here They Come,
The United States Of America.

Great Uniforms This Year,
Aren't They ?

Look.

There's Steve Prefontaine,
One Of America's Best Hopes
For A Gold Medal.

And There's Art Walker,
The Triple Jumper.

You Guys See
That Swedish Long Jumper ?

What Do You Think, I'm Blind ?

She Sure Wasn't. The Way
She Was Checking Out Every Guy
In The U.S. Delegation.

For Real ?
God Bless America.

That's Right.

Auf Wiedersehen.

♪ Oh, Say Can You See ♪

Identification.
Identification.

♪ By The Dawn's Early Light ♪

♪ By The Twilight's
Last Gleam-- ♪

Give It Up, Galloway.

If You Get On The Medal Stand,
Just Move Your Lips.

Home Sweet Home.

[ Sighing ]

What Did They Have,
5,000 Doves ?

800 Dancing Girls ?

At Least We Know What They
Spent Their Money On.

Look On The
Bright Side, Guys.

To Clean It, All
We Need Is A Fire Hose.

[ Laughing ]

Jesus.

[ People Chattering ]

♪ [ Indistinct ]

[ Car Horn Honking ]

[ Ringing ]

Mark Spitz Has The Lead.
Here Comes Hayden Locke
In The Middle.

Over Here In Lane Eight,
It's John Murphy,
Putting On A Sprint.

John Murphy Coming Hard
In Lane Eight.

Murphy's After Spitz !
It's Too Late. The Winner Is
Mark Spitz ! He's Got Six !

And He's Got A New
World And Olympic Record.

There Is Time For The Russians
To Go To Their Big Man,
Alexander Belov.

They're Going To Try.

[ Cheering ]

[ Buzzer Ringing ]

Alexander Belov !
And This Time It Is Over.

First It Was Indicated
The U.S. Had Won 49-48.

That Looks Like The Final Score,

Although There Is A Big Rhubarb
Going On In Front Of The Bench.

No, No, No.
I'm Serious. Come On.

Guys Who Are Trying To Double Up
On The 5,000 And 10,000 ?

Bedford ? Yifter ?
Lasse Viren ?

I'm Not Worried
About Them.

Shh.

The Race Is In The Bag.

What The Hell
Are You Drinkin', Pre ?

Last I Looked, Bedford
Was The World Record Holder.

Viren Just Set
A World Record In
The Two-Mile Last Month.

Viren's Been Running
Good Races, True. True.

But When I Make My Move
With A Mile To Go,

It's Gonna Be "Whoosh" !

And Those Guy's Will Feel
Like They Hit A Stone Wall.

[ Chuckles ]
"Whoosh" ?

"Whoosh".

[ Voices Overlapping ]

Frank Shorter Of The United
States Is Still Hanging Back.

You're Watching The 10,000
Meter Final Live On A Beautiful
Sunny Day In Munich.

There Goes Viren, Down.

Gammoudi Trips Over Him
And Falls Off The Track.

Man. Tough Break.

Not For Shorter !
[ Chuckles ]

Come On, Frank.
Time To Make Your Move.

Don't Count Viren Out Yet.

[ Announcer ]
...Less Than Three Laps To Go.

Amazing ! After Falling, Viren
Has Quickly Rejoined The Pack
And Is Now Moving Into Fifth.

Jesus, What A Talent.

Yeah, It's The Best
That Money Can Buy.

What's That
Supposed To Mean ?

He's Like A Lot
Of The Top Europeans.

He's Got A Fake Government Job
That Doesn't Cut Into
His Training Regime.

Got An Entourage
Of Doctors And Trainers
Wherever He Goes.

But They're Not Athletes
Over Here, Man. It's Like
They're National Treasures.

I Don't Know. Looks Like
A Goddamn Stallion To Me.

And Now, After Six Miles,
Here They Go.

Passing Slower Runners.
The Three Of Them Going
For The Gold.

This Is Unbelievable.

He's Going After The Record.

The Finnish Flag's
Still Flying.

Here Comes Punamitz,
After Viren.

Look At Viren Accelerate.

And Viren's Going To Hold It !

Lasse Viren The Winner, 27:38.

That Breaks The World Record
Of 27:39.4--

[ Second Announcer ]
By About Half A Second.

I'll Tell You, Jim, There's
One Man In These Stands...

That Had Better Be Worried
Having Watched This Race,
And That's Steve Prefontaine.

The World Record Of Ron Clarke
Had Stood Since 1965.
There Was Frank Shannon.

Look At This. Here's
A Bit Of Real Olympia.

A Kid, A Blond-Haired Boy
With The Finnish Flag
Leaping Over The Barrier--

[ Chattering ]

Viren !

Look.

Hey, Pre, Come Here,
Quick. I Need You.

God, He Makes
Other Guys Look Like
They're Standin' Still.

Exactly. Stand Still.
Don't Move.

To Folks Up There Watchin',
It's Just America's Greatest
Distance Runner...

Conferring With
His Two Coaches.

[ Urinating ]

Down Here, It's You
Two Guys Covering Me
While I Take A Leak.

This Isn't
Eugene, Bill.

I Need A New Race Plan.

Relax, Rube.

Goddamn It, Bill.
I'm Serious.

Look, If You Were Running
The 400 Against Viren,

We Could All Join Hands
About Now And
Have A Good Cry.

You're Runnin' The 5,000.

Listen To Me, Rube.
On Saturday, His Posse
Won't Mean Squat.

Bedford'll Go Out Fast
And You'll Stay Right
On His Butt.

By The Time You Get Ready
To Take Over, Viren's Legs
Will Be Crap.

The Only Kick He'll Have
Left Is The One You Give Him
In The Ass On Your Way By.

[ Crowd Cheering ]

[ Announcer ]
Look At Viren Accelerate !

[ Announcer #2 ]
And Viren's Gonna Hold It.

That Breaks The
World Record Of 27:39--

[ Distant Laughter ]

[ Chattering ]

[ Gunshot ]

[ Gunshot ]

[ Phone Rings ]

Hello ?

Hello. Is This
The U.S. Complex ?
Please, Is This--

Who The Hell Is This ?

Shaoul Adami. Something
Horrible Is Happening.

I Know It. Please.
I Need Your Help.

[ Gunshots ]

[ Gasps, Shouts ]

What's Going On ?
Where Are You ?

I Need You. Run ! No !

Run ! No ! No !

[ Gunshots Continue ]

No !

Hello ? Hello ?

I've Got An Extreme Emergency.
Get Me A Number Inside
Of The American Embassy.

Right Away, Damn It !
Do It Now !

[ Gunshots ]

[ Newscaster ]
This Is An I.T.N. News Flash...

From The Olympic Village
In Munich, Where Arab Gunmen--

The Peace Of What Have Been
Called The "Serene Olympics"...

Was Shattered Just Before
Dawn This Morning--

[ Man On P.A. ]
Arriving Passengers,
Do Not Be Alarmed.

Wurde Ein Amerikaner
Getoetet ?

Nein, Esraeli.

[ Newscaster ] Arab Terrorists
Went To The Headquarters
Of The Israeli Team...

And Immediately Killed One Man,
Moshe Weinberg, A Coach.

Two Shots In The Head,
One In The Stomach.

[ Newscaster ]
The Guerillas Are
Demanding The Release...

Of 250 Arabs
Held Prisoner In Israel...

And Have Set Noon As
The Deadline For Their Release.

They Had Set
A Deadline Of Noon,

Saying That They Were Going
To Kill All Of Their Hostages
At That Time.

That Deadline,
Obviously, Has Passed.

There Are Men With Guns,
Beginning To Train Those Guns...

On The Rooms Where The Two Heads
Were Sticking Out A Moment Ago
Of The Arab Guerilla Lookouts.

One Man With Binoculars--

Has Anybody Here
Seen Mark Spitz ?

[ Together ]
No.

Where In The Hell
Is Spitz ?

How Many Jewish Athletes
Do We Have On The Team ?

[ Newscaster ]
This Is Happening Now, If You
Can Possibly Believe That.

A Crowd Estimated
At 75,000 To 80,000 People...

Has Gathered,
Awaiting The Outcome Of This.

Here Are The Men
With What Appear To Be,
I Suppose, Submachine Guns.

These Are The Germans.
They Are The Men Trying
To Free The Israelis.

[ Helicopter Hovering ]

[ Dog Barking ]

[ Man Speaking German ]

[ Soldier Speaking German ]

They Suspended The Games.

Burke Just Told Us.

[ Sighs ]
I Guess Murdered Athletes
Don't Make For Good Sport.

It's The Right Thing To Do.
We Should All Go Home Now.

Oh, I Don't Know.
I Know This Is Awful To Say,

'Cause I Feel Terrible
For Those Guys Over There,

But Right Now All I Can
Think About Is How Hard
I've Worked To Get Here.

I Feel Ripped Off, Man.

Is That Where
You're At, Pre ?

[ Newscaster ]
It's Dark. It's 23 Minutes Past
Seven In The Evening,

And Inside That Little Block
Are Ten Israelis;

One Of Them
Believed Dead,

The Other Nine Said
To Be Standing In A Circle,

Hands Tied Behind Their Back
And Lashed To Each Other--

Come On, Pre.

Grab Your Stuff.
You're Staying With Me Tonight.

[ Indistinct Shouting ]

Steve ! Steve !

[ Man ]
Steve !

I'm Okay.

I Was So Worried.

On The Plane It Was
So Awful, So Awful.

The Guards Won't Let Us In.
Oh, Steve !

[ Speaking German ]

It's All Right.
I'm Okay.

Pre, Can You Give Us
A Sense Of The Mood Inside--

Goddamn It !
Leave Me Alone !

[ Newscaster ] We're Heading
To The Olympic Village.

One Of The Helicopters
Now Proceeds Out Over
The Olympic Site.

[ Indistinct Shouting ]

You Cannot Exit This Gate.
You Must Leave The Area
Immediately.

I'm Sorry.
I Gotta Get Him Out Of Here.
He'll Be Staying With Me.

I'll Call You
At The Hotel, Mom.

[ Newscaster ]
The Israeli Hostages
And The Arab Commanders...

Who Have Held Them Hostage
For This Entire Day...

Has Now Left, Gone
To A Makeshift Helicopter Pad At
The Back Of The Olympic Village.

[ Alarm Ringing ]

I've Just Been Told
That The German Police...

Thought They Had
The Arabs Isolated,

Opened Fire On Them,
Whereupon, Reportedly,

The Arabs Threw A Hand
Grenade Into The Helicopter,

Ohhh.

Blowing Up The Helicopter
And Killing All The Hostages.

All Of The Hostages Are Dead,

Most Of The Arabs Are Dead,
Three Of Them Are In Hospitals,

What Happened ?

And One Of Them
May Still Be On The Loose.

It's Over.
Everybody's Dead.

They're All Gone.

The Israeli Olympic Team
Is Destroyed--

Much Of It,
Some Of Their Officials.

But What Will Happen To
The Games Of The 20th Olympiad ?

None Of Us Know What Will Happen
To The Course Of World History.

[ Sobbing ]

♪ [ Singing In Hebrew ]

I Know This Is Hard, But
You Gotta Put This Behind You.

Behind Me ?
The Games Are Over.

The Games Will Resume.

Yeah, Right.

They'll Resume, And They'll
Run The 5,000 Meters.

So What ?
I'm Not Running.

Calm Down.

Calm Down ?

Come On, Can't You See ?

It's All Ruined Now.

With The "Happy Games."
What A Joke !

I've Been Dreaming
About This Since I Was 16.

This Is Not How
It's Supposed To Be !

They'll Start Back Up
Tomorrow Or The Day After.

That's Great. Great.

That's Just Great.

Over The Dead Bodies
Of Those Athletes,

We're Gonna Go On
Like Nothing Happened.

Run Races
And Salute The Flag !

Pre, Look At Me.

You Think That Viren
And Yifter And Bedford
Are Talking Like This ?

You Think They're Wringing
Their Hands And Packing
Their Bags Over This Thing ?

They Came Here To Win
A Goddamn Race !

Now, Maybe Viren's
A Sensitive Humanitarian
Back In Finland,

But Right Now I'll Bet
There's A Little Voice
In His Head, Saying,

"Hey, I Just Got
An Extra Day's Rest
For The 5,000."

An Extra Day's Rest ?

That's Not Fair.

Pre, Listen--

Wait A Second !

They Can't Let Any Of The
10,000 Guys Off The Hook--

Pre, Listen To Me !

Now, You've Got
To Keep Your Focus !

You're Running Phenomenal
Intervals Right Now,

And Believe Me,
Those Guys Know It Too.

They're Afraid Of You.
Don't Be Afraid Of Them.

I'm Not Afraid Of Them.

I'm Not Afraid Of Anybody.

One Day Away
From The Biggest
Race In Your Life,

What's Going
Through Your Mind ?

I Just Want To Run My Race
And Get It Over With.

Still Predicting
Victory ?

Pre ?

I'm Just Doing
The Best I Can.

[ Newscaster ]
The Basketball Federation
Has Upheld...

Russia's Controversial
Victory In Basketball.

Things Continue To Go Downhill
For The United States In Munich.

[ Crowd Cheering ]

[ Crowd Cheering ]

[ Door Opens ]

All Competitors
For The 5,000 Meter Race,
Your Event Is Next.

Make Sure Your Numbers Are
Visible On The Front Of Jersey
And Right Hip Of Shorts.

Make Sure Your Numbers
Are Clearly Visible On Front Of
Jersey And Right Hip Of Shorts.

Officials Will Check
Your Number At The Entrance
To The Stadium.

[ Crowd Cheering ]

[ Crowd Cheering, Chanting ]

[ Newscaster ]
This Unquestionable,
I Would Say, Erich,

Is The Quality Field
Of The Olympics.

There Are, Perhaps, Seven,
Eight, Nine Or Ten Men
In This Field...

[ Cheering ]

That Could Easily
Take The Gold Medal.

Prefontaine
Told Me The Other Night,
Or About A Week Ago,

"What I'm Gonna Try To Do
Is Work It Out So It'll Be
A Pure Guts Race At The End.

And If It Is, I'm
The Only One Who Can Win."

[ Cheering ]

[ Crowd Cheering On Tv ]

I'd Like To Make This Statement:
I Think Steve Prefontaine...

Will Be The Olympic
5,000 Meter Champion.

I Think He Will Break The
World's Record Of 5,000 Meters,

But I Think He Will
Have To Do It In Montreal.

[ Booing ]

Because Today,
Steve Prefontaine, 21 Years Old,

Is Running Up Against
The Very Big Boys.

All Right,
You Know The Plan:

You're Gonna Draft
Behind Bedford Until
The Last Three Laps,

Then You're Gonna Go Out
And Take Over The Race.

Kick The Crap In All Those
Damn Kickers' Legs, Pre.

Feel Like Someone Threw
A Shot Put Down Your Throat ?

It'll All Go Away
When The Gun Sounds.

[ Sighs ]
I Can't Look.

He'll Do Fine, Elfriede.
He'll Do Just Fine.

[ Newscaster ]
There They Are At The Line.

There's No Field More Talented
Than The Field That Is Running
In The 5,000 Meters.

[ Announcer ]
Auf Die Platzen.

[ Gunshot ]

[ Rhythmic Applause ]

[ Erich Segal ]
A Very Slow Pace, Jim.

Sixty-Nine-Second Quarters.
A Very Slow Pace.

This Kind Of Slow Pace
Favors The Finishers...

Like Ian Stewart,
Lasse Viren--

[ Erich Segal
Continues On Tv ]

Where Is Bedford ?
David Bedford Of Britain ?

Bedford's Always
Been A Front-Runner,
But He's Way Back.

[ Jim Mckay ]
Only Six Laps To Go, Erich.

[ Erich Segal ]
This Is A Little Dangerous,

Even For Steve Prefontaine,
To Let It Go This Slowly.

This Is Not Good.

If It's So Slow,
Why Doesn't Pre
Just Take Over ?

'Cause Then Everyone Will
Just Draft Right Behind Him.

Leading Drains You
More Than Following.

I've Never Seen Pre
Do Anything But Lead.

[ Panting, Grunting ]

Go, Steve !

Sixty-Seven On That
Last Quarter.

The Kickers Are
Licking Their Chops.

[ Erich Segal ]
Now Prefontaine Moving Up.

And Steve Prefontaine
Is Going To Take The Lead.

[ Jim Mckay ]
One Mile To Go.

Four Laps To Go.

Steve ! Steve !
Steve !

[ Indistinct Shouting ]

[ Erich Segal ]
Viren Is Moving Up
On The Outside.

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre !

[ Erich Segal ]
Here's Viren Going For The Lead.

[ Jim Mckay ]
This Is When Viren
Makes His Long Drive.

[ Erich Segal ]
This Could Be The Break
From The Other Group.

You Have Viren,
Punamitz, Stewart,
Gammoudi And Prefontaine.

No Man At The Age Of 21
Has Ever Won...

This Long, Tough
And Thinking Man's Race,

The 5,000 Meters.

[ Erich Segal ]
Prefontaine Going
For The Lead Again.

[ Jim Mckay ]
Just 600 Yards To Go, And He's
Trying An All-Out Kick.

Come On, Pre !

Look At That Magnificent
Little Son Of A Bitch.

He Knows He Can't
Out-Kick Viren, So He's
Going To Sprint 600 Yards.

[ Erich Segal ]
Pre Is Running A Gutsy Race.
What A Kick He's Putting On.

[ Indistinct Shouting ]

[ Jim Mckay ]
It's Gonna Be A Last Lap Fight.

It Seems Impossible That
Prefontaine Can Out-Kick
Viren Or Gammoudi.

Viren ! Viren !

[ Erich Segal ]
Viren Is Going For His Second
Gold Medal Of The Games.

Mohammed Gammoudi
Is Right With Him.

[ Jim Mckay ]
And So Is Steve Prefontaine !

The Kid Is Showing
All The Guts In The World.

Go, World !
Kick Their Asses !

[ Erich Segal ]
He's Hanging In There
With The Kickers.

Prefontaine Going
For The Lead With Gammoudi.

You Can Do It !
Come On !

Viren Is Still There.

[ Jim Mckay ]
It's Coming To You Live
From The Munich Stadium.

Nobody In The World Knows
How It's Going To Turn Out...

Until That Last Stretch,
Coming To The Last Turn.

[ Erich Segal ]
Here Comes Prefontaine !

Let's Go !
Come On, Baby !

[ Erich Segal ]
And Here It Comes.

The Brit's Try To Pass
Prefontaine For The Bronze.
It's Going To Be Close.

[ Panting ]

[ Crowd Cheering On Tv ]

[ Jim Mckay ]
That Man Is One Of The World's
Greatest Runners In A Long Time.

At The Age Of 23, Lasse Viren,
The Policeman From Finland,
Has Won It.

[ Reporter ]
How Do You Feel About Winning
Two Gold Medals ?

He Ran His Heart Out.

He Ran His Heart Out.

Let Him Go.

[ Crowd Cheering, Chanting ]
Viren ! Viren ! Viren !

Viren ! Viren !
Viren !

Viren ! Viren !
Viren ! Viren !

Viren ! Viren !
Viren ! Viren !

[ Announcer On Tv ]
This Is The Way It Ended...

Almost Four Years Ago
On That Night In Mexico City.

Pre ?

Oh, No !

Come On, Let's
Get You To Bed.

I Want To Stay Here.

Come On. You Need
A Night's Sleep.

No. It's My Fault.

You Can't Stay Here
In The Kitchen.

It's My Fault !

I Fucked Up !

It's Not Your Fault.

It Was In '66-'67,

'67-'68.

[ Sighs ]
I'm Sorry.

[ Sobbing ]

Bedford Never
Went Ahead.

Son Of A Bitch Has
Been A Front-Runner
His Whole Life.

He Wimps Out Now.

I'm Such A Fuckin' Loser.
I Fucked Up !

You're Not A Loser.
You Ran Your Heart Out.

[ Continues Sobbing ]

You Got To Try
And Let It Go, Pre.

[ Sighs ]

Go, Pre.

Go, Pre.

[ Sighs ]
Go, Pre.

[ P.A., Indistinct ]

Welcome Home.

Hi, Baby.

There's No Fans
Out There, Are There ?

No.

Any Reporters ?

No One Knows You're Back.
You Okay ?

Yeah, I'm All Right.

Really, I Am.

I'm Very Proud Of You, Steve.
The Whole Town Is.

[ Scoffs ]

Yeah, I'm Sure. They'll
Probably Name A Street After Me.

Call It "Fourth Street."

[ Grunts ]

Hey ! Pre !

Hey, Mac.

I Saw Your Race.

Somebody Forget To Tell
You Guys The Season's Over ?

Something's Happened To Mac.
Must've Bumped His Head
Or Something.

He's Lookin'
Awfully Good.

You, On The Other Hand,
Look Like Shit.

When'd You Get Back ?

Tell Me The Rumors
Aren't True, Bill.

Which Rumors ?

This Is No Time
To Retire.

You Know, Someone Once Said,
"He Who Runs Against Time...

Has An Adversary
Not Subject To Casualties."

I'm 62. I'm Gettin'
Too Old For All This.

[ Sighs ]
That's Bullshit.

You're The Best
Damned Coach In The World.

Who Presided Over The Worst
Performance Of A U.S. Team
In Olympic History ?

That Wasn't Your Fault.

After All That Happened,
You Couldn't Run
Those Races For Us.

We're The Ones
That Blew It.

I Blew It.

You Could've Run
For The Bronze.

You Could've Run
For The Silver.

You Ran To Win.

I Couldn't Ask More
Than That From An Athlete.

It's Funny.
These Days...

I Don't Know If I
Want To Train Like Hell And
Kick Lasse Viren's Ass...

Or Stay In Bed.

Look, You're Not Some Rube
From Coos Bay Anymore.

Nobody's Gonna Wipe Your Behind
Or Warm Your Milk.

We're Past All That Now.

If You Want To Run,
You Run.

If You Don't,
Then You Walk Away From It.

Nobody Can Coach
Desire, Pre.

[ Mac Running, Grunting ]

Ellie !

♪ [ Country ]

I Like Your Hair That Way.
It Makes You Look Older.

I Mean, Uh,
In A Good Way.

[ Laughs ]

Yeah, You Don't
Look Like A Boy From
Coos Bay Anymore Either.

When We First Came Up Here...

I Thought That Was The Way
It Was Gonna Be.

You And Me, Forever.

Things Definitely
Don't Always Turn Out
The Way You Expect Them To.

You Know ?

I've Been Reading
About Your Running
In The Paper.

[ Laughs ]
You're Reading
The Sports Pages ?

Yeah.

After We Broke Up,
I Resented It Even More.

I Thought, If He Hadn't
Have Done All That,

Then We Would've
Just Stayed In Coos Bay And
Lived Happily Ever After.

[ Sighs ]

But Then I Watched
Your Olympic Race On Tv,

And I Realized...

That's Really
What You Love.

That's Really
Who You Are, Steve.

[ Birds Chirping ]

[ Applause, Cheering ]

[ Bill Dellinger ]
Well, It Took A While,
But Pre Bounced Back.

Hell, He Had
A Great Senior Year.

[ Announcer ]
Steve Prefontaine,
University Of Oregon Senior,

Wins His Fourth Straight
N.C.A.A. Title...

And Breaks His Own
American Record Again.

[ Bill Dellinger ]
But Something Was Missing.

You Know ?
Something Was Different.

That Spark He Had
Before Munich Was Gone.

[ Newscaster On Tv ]
Although The Words May Be--

[ Man ]
Let Me Get Another One
Down Here.

[ Man #2 ]
Hey, It's Not Every Day You Get
Big Track Stars Serving Beers.

Hey, Pre,
You Still Running ?

Of Course He Is, You Idiot.
He Has To Go To Montreal
And Kick Some Serious Butt.

Put Things Right After
What Happened In Munich.
Right, Pre ?

Am I Right, Pre ?

[ Newscaster On Tv ]
The Transcripts Themselves Do
Not Make Things Perfectly Clear.

Get You Something ?

[ Man ]
A Bottle Of Bud.

[ Newscaster On Tv
Continues, Indistinct ]

I'm Michael Harron.

There Is Testimony
To Support John Dean's Version--

[ Steve's Voice ]
"To The President Of The A.T.U.:

A Representative Of The New
Professional Track League
Has Recently Approached Me."

I'm Prepared To Offer You
More Than I Paid Keno, Ryun,

Seagren And Lee Evans
Combined.

Two Hundred Thousand
Dollars.

Two Hundred Thousand ?

"I Feel For Me To Continue Now
As An Amateur,

"I Must Get The Support
And Experience...

"I Need To Win
In Montreal In '76.

"I Love My Country, But Does It
Love Me Enough To Allow Me...

"To Compete In Finland
Against My Real Competition ?

"Please Let Me Have A Chance
To Become The Best,

"So I Can Bring Home
The Gold.

I'm Waiting On Your Answer.
Sincerely, Steve Prefontaine."

Screw 'Em !

What's It Say ?

They're Gonna Make Me Run
In Russia Instead Of Finland.

Tell 'Em To Shove It
And Go Race Viren Anyway.

If I Don't Run Their Bullshit
Tv Money Meets In Russia,
Cunningham Says...

They're Gonna Suspend Me From
Any International Competition
For A Whole Goddamn Year.

What ?

Yeah.

People Say I Should Be Running
For The Gold In Montreal.

For Good Old
"Red, White And Blue."

But Where Has It Gotten Me ?

Living Hear On Food Stamps,
Begging For Crumbs
From The A.T.U.

I Never Protested.
I Always Saluted The Flag.

But What About
At Montreal ?

Right Now I Feel Like Saying,
To Hell With Montreal.

To Hell With Love Of Country.
I'm Lookin' Out For Me.

Right Now I Feel Like Saying,
To Hell With Montreal.

To Hell With Love Of Country.
I'm Lookin' Out For Me.

[ Newscaster ]
An Angry Steve Prefontaine
Lashes Out--

Two Beers.

Don't Want 'Em.

That's A Buck.
You Ordered 'Em.

Changed My Mind.

It's Okay.
We Can Still Pay.

Forget That.
I'm Leavin', Man.

To Hell With
The Country, Huh ?

Maybe He's Just Scared
That He'll Tank Again
Like He Did In Munich.

Well, To Hell With Him.

Hey, Come On !
Take It Outside !

I'll Kill Ya !

[ Man ]
You're A Loser !

[ Bartender ]
Get The Hell Out !

[ Man ]
You're Goin' Down, Man !
You're A Loser !

[ Sighs ]
What's Wrong ?

Be Honest With Me.

Out There At The Meets--

Tell Me The Truth--

Do I Still Look
Like A Runner ?

Oh, God, Steve.

What Is It ?

I Keep Thinking, Uh...

What If I Don't Win
In Montreal ?

It's Like...

Deep Down...

I Want To Turn Pro
Not For The Money,

But So I'll Never
Have To Face Viren Again.

Didn't You Say Once That
When A Guy Gives You
His Best Shot...

And You Beat Him Anyway,
That You Own Him ?

I Didn't Give Him
My Best Shot In Munich.

Exactly.

He Doesn't Own Me.
I Got Boxed In At The Last Turn.

I Know That.

[ Sighs ]

I Can't Beat Viren...

If I Can't Race Him, Nancy.

[ Sighs ]

Hey, Pre ! Pre !
How's Your Training Going ?

Why Don't You Guys
Go Buy Somebody Else
For A Change ?

Are You Anxious To Get Back
To Europe This Summer And Get
Another Crack At Viren ?

The Only Way I'm Gonna Get
Near Viren Is If He Takes
His Summer Vacation Here.

Personally, I'd Like
To Give Viren A 5,000-Meter
Tour Of Hayward Field.

[ Laughing ]

[ Newscaster ]
Listen Up, Pre Fans.

Members Of The
Finnish National Team...

Have Formally Accepted
An Invitation...

From Steve Prefontaine
To Come And Compete...

Against The Oregon Track Club
At Hayward Field This Summer.

Athletes Can't Go Off
Half-Cocked...

Inviting Foreign Teams
Into The U.S. For Meets.

Only The A.T.U.
Does That.

What ?
Go Off Half-Cocked ?

We Control The Issuance
Of All Travel Permits
For The Purpose--

Travel Permits
Of U.S. Athletes, Not Foreign.
I've Read The Guidelines.

Well, If You, Uh,
Read The Guidelines,

Then You Know
That If You Promote
An Unsanctioned Meet,

You Can Kiss Your
Amateur Status Good-Bye.

So, What's It Gonna Be ?

Race Viren In Oregon...

Or Race Him In Montreal ?

Is This America Or What ?
How Can They Threaten
Athletes Like This ?

I Just Don't Want To
Lose My Amateur Status.
I've Worked Hard.

So You Want To Take On
The Whole A.T.U. ?

Yeah.
We Call Their Bluff,
Plain And Simple.

Look, Mac...

Do You Want That Finn
Discus Guy Or Not ?

I Want Kahma.

And I Want Viren.

This Will Be Our Only Chance
To Face Those Guys
Before Montreal.

If We Do This,
There Won't Be
Any Montreal.

It's Pretty Risky,
Pre.

[ Bartender ]
Hey, Pre, A Little Help Here ?

I'm Going Ahead.

You're Either With Me
Or You're Not.

[ Man ]
Two More Beers, Please.

Great. Thanks.

Jesus, Bill.

Doc Said It Was A Seizure.

Guess I've Sniffed Too Much
Shoe Glue Over The Years.

I Passed Out Right Here
On The Floor.

Nerve Damage, He Says.

You Gotta Stop
With The Shoes.

I'm Well Ventilated Now.
Don't Worry About Me.

According To The Newspapers,
You Got Plenty Of Worries
Of Your Own.

A.T.U.'S Making Everybody
Really Nervous, Bill.

I Could Use Your Help.

I'm Retired.

Wait A Second.
What Did You Used To Say ?

"It's Hard To Slay A Dragon
In His Own Backyard" ?

The A.T.U. Will Think Twice
About Defying You Here.

You're The One That's Bigger
Than The A.T.U. Now.

See If They Have The Balls
To Try To Stop Steve Prefontaine
From Going To Montreal.

My Quarter Says They Don't.

We Don't Even Have A Sports
Plan In This Country.

No Sports Medicine.

No Training Facilities.

After College, Our Best
Amateur Athletes...

Are Put Out To Pasture
And Forgotten About
Until The Olympics.

And Then You Guys
And America...

Wants To Know,
Where Are The Gold Medals ?

Now, I'm Not A Greedy Athlete
Looking For A Handout.

I Just Turned Down
A Lot Of Money To Chase
The Gold In Montreal,

And, Uh, And All I Want--

All We Want--

Is A Fighting Chance
To Fulfill Our Dreams.

This Meet Is Just
One Small Attempt By Us,

The Athletes,
To Take Control
Of Our Own Destinies.

[ Man ]
Pre !

[ Reporters Shouting
Questions, Indistinct ]

No.

Okay, How Are We Picking Up
The Finns From The Airport ?

In My Mg.

A Dozen Athletes ?

Ohh, I'll Make A Few Trips.

And I Suppose
The Pole Vault Poles
Will Go In The Trunk ?

Hey.

Hey, Mac.

This Just Came In
Down At The Track.

From The A.T.U.

What Now ? Are They
Sentencing Me To Prison ?

A Firing Squad Would Be
More My Recommendation.

They Caved.

The Meet's Sanctioned.

Ha-Ha ! Yes !

Whoo-Hoo-Hoo !

All Right !

[ Phone Ringing ]

Nancy ! Yeah !

Yeah ?

Hey, Yacco,
How're You Doin' ?

Mm-Hmm. Good News.

Hey, Mac, You're
Gonna Get Your Shot.

Pentti Kahma's
Definitely Coming.

Yeah !

[ Nancy Laughing ]
All Right, Mac.

What's That ?

All Right, Thanks.

Yeah, I'll Talk To You Soon.

Viren's Not Coming.

Yacco Says He, Uh,
Strained A Muscle.

Come On, Guys.
Let's Go.

[ Children Playing ]

Damn It ! I Should've Known
He'd Never Run Against Me Here !

[ Grunting ]
Screw The Whole Thing !

[ Nancy ]
Steve.

Screw The Whole Goddamn Meet.

People Have Bought
Plane Tickets. There Are Guys
Who Are Counting On This.

Yeah ? Well, They'll Live.

[ Panting ]

[ Sighs ]

Curtis Cunningham
Will Have A Field Day
With This In The Press.

The Son Of A Bitch
Will Rub My Nose In It.

I Never Asked To Lead The Fight
Against The A.T.U. Anyway.

Well, Somebody
Better Tell Them.

[ Sighs ]
Oh, Man.

Ah, Hell,
The Meet's Still On.

[ Sighs ]

[ Sighs ]

All I Wanted Was Viren.

Well, Viren's Not
So Sure He Wants You.

Which Should Tell You...

He Doesn't Own You.

♪ [ Band Playing Anthem ]

♪

You Ready To Run ?

Bill.

Can't Run
Without Proper Shoes.

That A One-Piece Toe ?

Yep. And They Are
A Thing Of Beauty.

Piss It All.
Give Me A Second.

What Are You Doing ?

My New Business Partner.

You Got A Business
Partner ?

Yeah, A Former
Walk-On Of Mine
With Average Speed.

Says When We Put These
In Production,

We're Gonna Need A Splashy Logo
If We Expect 'Em To Sell.

What's That Supposed To Be ?

We're Calling 'Em
The Nike Swoosh.

The What Swoosh ?

His Idea.

Greek Goddess Of Victory,
490 B.C.

Well, It Looks Like Needless
Wind Resistance To Me.

With Us In The Booth
For The First Time Ever,

Former Duck Coach
And Legend-In-Residence,
Bill Bowerman.

Welcome, Bill.

It's Nice
To Be Here, Wendy.

Down On The Field,
Finland's Pentti Kahma,

The Top-Ranked Discus
Thrower In The World.

[ Grunts ]

[ Wendy ]
There's One Heck
Of A Toss, Bill.

[ Crowd Cheering ]

With A Final Throw
Of 211 Feet, Four Inches.

Uh... Last Up
In The Discus...

Now, Um,
Oregon's Own Mac Wilkins.

[ Man ]
Hey, There's Pre !

There He Is !

Hey, Pre !

Pre !

Pre !

[ Wendy ]
This Will Be Mac's Final Throw.
Currently In Second Place.

[ Grunts ]

[ Crowd Gasps, Cheering ]

[ Wendy ]
Wilkins Delivers
His Best Toss Ever,

212 Feet, Three Inches.

He Wins The Competition.

And He Establishes A New
Hayward Field Record.

For Today, Mac Wilkins
Is The Best Discus Man
In The World.

[ Cheering Continues ]

Hold This For Me
Until The End Of The Race.

Good Luck, Steve.

Go Get 'Em, Son.

Hi.

Do I Look Like
A Runner ?

[ Announcer ]
This Will Be The Final Event...

Of Today's First Annual
Finn/Oregon Meet.

5,000 Meters.

Ah, What The Hell.

Thanks For Coming
And Bailing Me Out, Shorter.

I Love Sticking It
To The A.T.U.

Are You Going
To The Party Tonight ?

Runners To Your Mark.

I Guess So.

I'll See You There.

[ Gunshot ]

[ Cheering ]

[ Wendy ]
With Two Laps To Go,
Pre Makes His Move.

[ Crowd Chanting ]
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Steve !

Come On ! Come On !

[ Chanting Continues ]
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

I Hope You People At Home
Realize What A Rare Runner
This Man Is.

The Kind A Coach Sees
Only Once In A Lifetime.

[ Chanting Continues ]
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Come On, Steve !
Go, Son !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !
Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

[ Cheering ]

♪

Hey, Mac, You Really
Kicked Kahma's Ass Today.

I Couldn't Have Done It
Without This Meet.

♪ Once You Get Started ♪

You Know Something ?

♪ [ Continues ]

It's Like All
Those Years, To Me,

You Were Just
A Talented Little Jerk.

[ Laughing ]

I'm Serious.
You Were A Jerk.

I Never
Understood You.

It Took Me A While Too.

Well, Now I Do.

I Live And Breathe
The Discus, Pre.

I Mean,
I Hate Christmas...

And Thanksgiving
And Easter...

And Anything That
Disrupts My Routine.

It Worked For You Today, Man.
You Beat The Best.

Didn't Always Work For Me.

Yeah, Well,
You Aren't Done Yet.

No, I'm Not.

♪ Once You Get Started ♪

♪ Oh, It's Hard To Stop ♪

Everybody Shut Up,
Will You ?

♪ [ Stops ]

[ Murmuring ]

I Think We Should
All Raise Our Glasses
To Our Finnish Guests...

For Coming
And Making The Meet
Such A Great Success.

[ Together ]
Here, Here !

And, Uh, To My Roommate Pre.

Some Guys Win Races.

Other Guys Watch And Learn
And Pass It On.

I Never Thought I'd Learn
So Much From A Guy
From Coos Bay.

But I Did.

And, Uh, I've Enjoyed
Every Damn Minute.

So... To Steve.

[ Together ]
To Steve.

Well, This Was A Team Effort,

And Thanks To Everybody Here
Who Helped Put This Together.

There's A Feeling I Got Today
Unlike Any Other.

I Guess, Uh--

I Guess It's What I Thought
Munich Would Be.

I'm So Glad We Did This.

Way To Go, World.

Yeah.

Way To Go, Steve.

♪ They Say Every Man
Needs Protection ♪

♪ They Say That
Every Man Must Fall ♪

♪ Yet I Swear I See
My Reflection ♪

♪ Somewhere So High
Above This Wall ♪

♪ I See My Life-- ♪

[ Tires Skidding, Crash ]

[ Tires Screeching ]

Jesus Christ !
Come On ! Hold On !

Can't Breathe.

Hold On, Kid.
I'll Get You.

Somebody Help Me !

[ Grunting, Groaning ]

[ Panting ]
I'm Gonna--
I'm Gonna Get Help.

[ Grunting ]

[ Gasping ]

[ Gasps ]

[ Choking ]

[ Panting ]

[ Breathing Slows ]

[ Breathing Stops ]

[ Elaine ]
He's Dead, And That's Final.

No Amount Of Misery Or Suffering
By Me Is Gonna Bring Him Back.

I Remember Realizing That...

I Had Kind Of Settled For Things
Since We Had Broken Up.

And He Never Did That.

[ Nancy ]
I Looked At Him At That Party
That Night, And I Thought,

He's Gonna Make
A Great Husband, Father.

The Best Time In My Life
Was My Time With Him.

[ Bill Dellinger ]
Well, Let's Be Honest.
I Mean, The Only Reason...

That We're Sitting Here
Talking About Pre Right Now
Is Because Pre Was A Winner.

People Need Winners.

Pre Went To Munich To Win.

In Montreal,
By God, He Would Have.

[ Mac ]
I Woke Up The Morning
After The Meet.

I Was Out Of My Bed
Like A Bull.

I Ran Down To The Corner
To Buy Me A Paper.

I Took Enough Money
To Buy Ten Copies.

I Had Beaten Pentti Kahma.

I Mean, This Was Gonna Be
My Sports Page Today.

It Was My Big Moment.

Then I Just Saw It
All Over The Papers.

You Know What
My First Thought Was ?

That Son Of A Bitch Found
A Way To Beat Me Again.

Pre Ran Every Race
As Though It Were His Last.

This Is His Last.

This Is The Bell Lap
For Steve Prefontaine.

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

Go, Pre ! Go, Pre ! Go, Pre !

[ Crowd Cheering ]

♪

♪ May God Bless
And Keep You Always ♪

♪ May Your Wishes
All Come True ♪

♪ May You Always Do For Others ♪

♪ And Let Others Do For You ♪

♪ May You Build A Ladder
To The Stars ♪

♪ And Climb On Every Rung ♪

♪ And May You Stay ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ May You Stay ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ May You Grow Up
To Be Righteous ♪

♪ May You Grow Up To Be True ♪

♪ May You Always
Know The Truth ♪

♪ And See The Light
Surrounding You ♪

♪ May You Always Be Courageous ♪

♪ Stand Upright And Be Strong ♪

♪ And May You Stay ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ May You Stay ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ May Your Hands
Always Be Busy ♪

♪ May Your Feet
Always Be Swift ♪

♪ May You Have
A Strong Foundation ♪

♪ When The Winds
Of Changes Shift ♪

♪ May Your Heart
Always Be Joyful ♪

♪ May Your Song
Always Be Sung ♪

♪ And May You Stay ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ May You Stay ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪

♪ And May You Stay ♪

♪ Forever Young ♪