Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American
middle and long-distance runner who competed in the
1972 Olympics. Prefontaine once held the American record in seven different distance track events from the
2,000 meters to the
10,000 meters. Prefontaine died in May 1975 at the age of 24 in an automobile accident.