Episode 72: The Life of Steve Prefontaine with Biographer, Brendan O’Meara

Nobody squeezed more life out of 24 years than Steve Prefontaine, one of running’s greatest icons.

Fresh from penning a biography of Prefontaine, Brendan O’Meara joins us to share the impact of his legacy and what we all stand to learn from Steve’s unparalleled mindset.

Tune into Marathon Talk this week as we also get the inside track on Boston’s new qualifying stipulations and the great Martin vs Deena showdown, the outcome of which is in YOUR hands…

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Order your copy of The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine.

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In this episode of Marathon Talk:

0:00 - We kick off this week with a roundup of father’s day fox-spotting and Martin’s gradual mileage increase

8:10 - Boston Marathon have made changes to their qualification criteria, making things an uphill struggle for downhill runners…

16:15 - Martin & Deena debunk the ‘no pain, no gain’ approach to training, and laud the benefits of implementing real discipline in your running

25:30 - Brendan O’Meara gives us a glimpse into the short-yet-stellar life of Steve Prefontaine, and how his presence changed running forever in his 24 years

56:45 - Martin & Deena make their appeal to the community to join the battle raging on between Deena’s Dominators and Martin’s Mile Crushers on the Global Run Club app

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Episode highlights

“I think a net downhill of 6000ft would be an absolute quad-burner. Maybe it’s an advantage the day-of, but would you want to do that to your body?” - 11:50 - Deena Kastor

“There’s lots of motivational quotes pinging around social media which don’t actually demand the real essence of dedication.” - 20:40 - Martin Yelling

“I think one of the quotes that stood out to me as a young runner myself was his quote, ‘Most people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts’.” - 28:05 - Deena Kastor

“Be the best you possible, and as a result, that energy will inspire others.” - 54:00 - Brendan O'Meara

“Nobody squeezed more life out of 24 years than Steve Prefontaine.” - 56:20 - Brendan O'Meara