1969 Steve Prefontaine (Marshfield) shattered Rick Riley's national high school 2-mile record with 8:41.6...

Miami, FLA, June 29, 1969 - AAU Championships 3M

Prefontaine (R, Marshfield) finishes 4^th with 13:43.0 moving to third on the All-Time HS 3M list behind Lindgren (who was was second in race-13:18.4) & Rick Riley.

Corvallis, Ore., November 1, 1969, NCAA District 8 Northern Division CC championship, Avery Park of OSU

In his first race for Oregon, Pre proved to be an impact-freshman -pulling away from, multiple NCAA Champion, Gerry Lindgren (WSU) in the fourth mile on the slippery, leaf-covered course. The super-frosh set a new meet record, chopping 33.7 seconds off the previous record of 29:47.5 by Tracy Smith (OSU in '68). Lindgren also beat the old record by 6.5 seconds.
1) Pre-29:13.8, 2) Lindgren-29:41.

Oregon was the only team to wear spikes over the course and with 6 of 8 top places in the race easily won the team title 19 to 44 over WSU! In winning, Pre got his first cover appearance in a national publication - Track and Field News, November 1969.

Stanford, November 15, 1969 Pac 8 Conference CC Championships -Lindgren, a fifth year senior, was able to run in the fall of 1969 because he red-shirted the fall season of 1968 to concentrate on the 1968 Olympics, only to fail to qualify for the US Olympic team.
Lindgren was designated the winner over the hilly six-mile course in 28:32.4.
(R) The finish was soooclose that the race was initially called a tie.

Modesto Relays
aka
California Relays

May 24, 1975

Two-Miles
1. Pre (OTC) .. 8:36.4
Splits 4:12.8, 4:23.6.

2. John Halberstadt . 8:52.0

Photos: Jeff Zimmerman

South Eugene High School _ Eugene, Oregon (US)

Anatomy of a record - High School Four-Mile Relay @ Axemen Relays - 05/07/76 - South Eugene smashes its own four-mile mark (17:11.8 - slightly different team) by 5.2 seconds with 17:06.6!!!!

Junior Dirk Lakeman started off the Axemen with a 61.2, 67.2, 67.0, 61.5 - 4:16.9.
Lakeman gave the stick to senior Chris Nielsen who churns a 60.6, 65.0, 67.8, 66.3 - 4:19.7.
Nielsen handed off to junior Bill McChesney. McChesney rips a 4:11.8 - 63.1, 62.4, 64.2, 62.1.
Senior John Gustafson anchors the record setters with a 4:18.2 - 61.4, 67.6, 66.4, 62.8.

In keeping with tradition South Eugene claims a National Record at their Axemen Relays (5/6/1977).

The four-mile champions the past two seasons South changed events and lowered the Distance Medley record by 1.4 seconds to (Then record) 10:01.6y. (Old record 10:03.0 Lompoc, CA, 73)

McChesney anchors with a 4:11.0.

McChesney was dubbed "The Little Machine" by the sprinters and quarter milers at the 75 track Jr Nat'ls where super soph Bill set class & world age-16 records for 6M (28:31.0) & 10k (29:27.2) in 4th (relieving Eric Hulst of those 4 records).

Middle pic: McChesney grinds up 110 yard sand dune (L) Bill at the start of the Grant Invitational at Grant HS in Portland. The race started and finished on the cinder track. (R) McChesney nears the track -senior xc season.

Pics from"Boys' Life" article (Oct 76) courtesy of Marty Dobbins.