Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

Steve Roland Prefontaine was born on January 25, 1951 in the coastal fishing town of Coos Bay, Oregon, to working-class parents. His father was a welder and carpenter, and his mother was a seamstress.

Steve's youth was unremarkable. He would zoom around on his scooter or go belly-boarding in the summers. Sports was a huge tradition in the small town, with basketball and football especially popular. Steve tried hard to measure up, but in 8th grade was somewhat of a physical runt, at 5-feet, 100 pounds. He benchwarmed for his junior high football team; however, soon he was attracted to the cross country running he saw from the bench. During a three-week physical conditioning program, he found he had a knack for running, so as a freshman entering Marshfield High in 1965, he entered the cross country program. He progressed quickly, from 7th man to...