We republished this on the occasion of the 51st anniversary Steve Prefontainedeath Special thanks Seb Coe and: Jeff Benjamin.
Originally posted in 2022.
This is Jeff Benjamin’s interview with Seb Coe about the late Steve Prefontaine and the wonders of Hayward Field.
Sebastian Coe to Steve Prefonte
By Jeff Benjamin
During the quiet morning before the start of the second day of the Prefontaine Classic, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (like many who make the pilgrimage to the newly constructed Hayward Field) began to reminisce about that mysterious power of Steve Prefontaine’s spirit and legacy.
“I didn’t know Steve,” said Coe, who has always prided himself on being a student athlete. “He was a pretty seismic figure in my formative years.”
In the 1970s, Coe, like all fans in America or abroad, had to wait either for daily newspaper reports (it had to be big news) or magazines like Track & Field News and Athletics Weekly to find out what was going on. “I remember Prefontaine’s rough front-running performances, which became his trademark, and that was kind of the strategy I followed, especially during the 1970s.”
While they only knew Prefontaine in spirit (Prefontaine died in 1975), Coe and his father/coach Pete, beginning in 1979, became close to many in the Pre Circle, a growing shoe company in Beaverton.
“My father and I knew Bill Bowerman, and especially my father,” he said. “You are a kindred spirit.”
Coe also enjoyed getting to know another Oregonian, 1972 marathon Olympian Kenny Moore, during that time, and he also traveled to England in 1979 to profile the Coe duo for Sports Illustrated.
Check out the link –runblogrun.com/2022/07/remembering-kenny-moore-6th-in-a-sebastian-coe-me-and-you-and-a-dog-named-cleo-with-ap.html
“Somehow I got to know Steve Prefontaine through the ethos of Bill and Kenny,” Coe said.
“I learned a lot about him through Kenny and Bill.”
Coe then recalled the time he ran against his great rival Steve Ovett at HAYWARD FIELD.
“In 1982, through Brad Hunt, Steve and I were finally able to agree on a three-fight schedule in the 800, mile and 3,000 meters,” Coe said, with the 3,000 slated for Hayward.
“Unfortunately, Steve got a serious leg injury and then I started getting sick, so 1983 didn’t happen for either of us.”
A link to your 1983 challenges- https://www.runblogrun.com/2023/05/beware-the-ides-of-march-sebastian-coes-1983-world-records-shrouded-behind-upcoming-disaster-1st-in-a-series.html
“One of my regrets was that I never got the chance to race here,” Coe said, regretting but also acknowledging that Eugene’s mystical passions still seep through to this day.
“It would be a great honor for me to compete here”
“You still feel the presence of history here, as well as the legacy of Steve Prefontaine that still lives on.”
