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Now this is commentary!! A nonstop flow of relevant detailed information along with keeping up with specifics of the race!

I was at Rogers H.S. and overlapped Gerry's attendance. Gerry was a great athlete as shown by his many, many accomplishments and qualifying for the Olympics. Something most people don't know is he was one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

Man what a talent. Just graduating high school and going and pushing it with some of the top Americans.

Demigods racing in the early years of the US distance running explosion. Thrilling to watch the evolving strategy during the course of the race. The dirt track, chalk lined lanes, kids running along and the 64’ VW van made me nostalgic!

Awesome footage. It's great to be able to see Pre run back then. I took up running several years after his tragic death, but his legacy inspires me to this day. I was fortunate to run the 10k memorial run in Coos Bay this year. At 60 I felt pretty good with a 52.46 on a hilly course Pre used to run for training. Thanks so much for sharing!

Considering they're running on a dirty track, just imagine what these guys could have accomplished with today's tracks, tech, and training! Gerry is a legend. Go Rogers!!

These guys were our heros in high school. The mile/2-mile distances and times brings back memories for those of us who spent hours and hours on the track trying to chase the 4 minute mile mark. After seeing Shorter win the 1972 gold medal I was truly inspired and I put everything i had into ti to get within 20 seconds a year later. To see someone who can do that at the halfway point of a 2 mile race still seems like some sort of miracle ... even years later.

My left ear enjoyed this man's voice

While watching this vid, I realized I went to school there from 1970 to 1978, ran the 2-mile in track on this same field in 77-78! Never knew I was running on rarified dirt and oil that these legends had previously run on. Amazing..

They were four of the best--ever! Can’t believe they were in the same race!

I use to watch VHS tapes of Steve run and tried to learn from his races. One thing I learned from him is heart and determination can beat talent any day. I ran a 4:16 mile in highschool. Went to college and found out I was just to slow for the mile. So I did the 5k sub 15 minutes and the 10k sub 30. I was a decent runner but nothing like these gents. Amazing to watch.

Where did you find this archival footage? This is awesome! Four American distance legends together on a dirt track in 1969. It's unbelievable.

Great footage with some great runners. I enjoyed watching Frank have brief words with Steve prior to the race. Frank was a great competitor and a continues to be a great mentor.

A high schooler versus Olympians....Incredible!!! Those times on loose gravel track - My Oh My

It's pretty cool to be able to see this broadcast of a race with the 4 biggest stars in U.S. distance running history all on the track at the same time (and nobody else in the race ... just these four runners who would become future legends). Pre was only 18 at this time. Liquori was 20. Shorter was 22 and Lindgren was 23. It was pretty impressive that Pre was able to be this competitive against these older guys, although Lindgren showed his difference at that stage of their careers when he left Pre on the last lap. Fascinating to see them run.

Back in Prefontaine's glory days, I lived in Oregon and knew some of his relatives. He probably wouldn't have known them, but they were quick to point out that they were related. So, he was an even bigger deal there. Just remember how stunned I was when I heard he had died. So tragic.

Four of my favorites of all time, together! Awesome!

Lindgren was said to have possessed one of the best cardiovascular systems in the world. PS: Thanks so much for posting this historic footage and double thanks for not declaring the winner in the title.

I met Gerry Lindgren at his store, the Stinky Foot, when I was a kid back in the late 1970s. I remember him being a really nice and down-to-earth person.

So fun to watch! Can't wait to show it to my 12 year old son who is loves SP. Thank you for sharing.

Fantastic. That's Jack Whitaker on the opening commentary. This obviously was televised on CBS. I guess everything legendary was happening that summer. This was just a few days before the Apollo 11 moon launch and about a month prior to Woodstock

Awesome! 😂 i graduated high school in 2001 and my class ran the last year we had a dirt track. I ran the one and two mile races and occasionally the 800. Running in the rain was the best!

They are all winners! Gerry Lindgren is a powerful little runner.

This is unbelievable footage. Never seen this. Thank you:)

Thank you so much for posting this! I grew up in Eugene when Pre was running for the University of Oregon.

“My oh my” what a great American term & man what a wonderful piece of World Class track footage … Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand

Group of legends. Loved seeing that Volkswagen bus parked each lap.

I ran my first sub 5:00 min mile (4:55) at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay. At that time in 1972 I knew exactly where I was, and the history.

I ran the 2 mile in H.S. Wanted to break 10 minutes but never did LoL. These guys are incredible. Nothing but giant Heart muscle and giant lungs. 9:02 last place cant imagine!

Love this footage - as a Villanova alum and also a big Pre fan - it's great look back in time.

My brother set the 2 mile record for Petoskey High School in May 1975 on a sandy cinder track, running 9:43.3. He always said that if he ran on a rubber track like the downstate larger high schools his time would have been much faster. He always ran sub (under) 10 minutes for the 2 mile. It doesn't help that the Sleeping Bear dunes were just a short drive away...sandy soil, of course, is a runner's worst enemy.

this was 2 years before my arrival here on planet earth. great memories. thank you for the post!

The definition of 'LEGENDS'.. Marty Liquori is not as well known today (besides being a commentator) as the others but he was the 3rd high schooler to go under 4 minutes in the mile (3:59.8 in 1967) and the last one to do it until Alan Webb in 2001.

Thank you sir for posting. Love watching legendary pre

Wow, some famous dudes in this race. I love hearing the announcer talk in English units. “The first 440...”. Yeah baby. My generation.

Had the pleasure of meeting Gerry Lindgren at his highschool (rogers) for a track meet, great guy, and he even signed our school's giant stuffed bear ;)

I just finished reading "Shoe Dog a memoir by the creator of NIKE Phil Knight"...I never knew how tied up Pre and Bill Bowerman and Shorter and Lindgren were all with Nike...Hell, I didn't even know who any of them were except Prefontaine was. Excellent book and this was icing on the cake to get to watch this after hearing so much behind the scenes stuff. Plus Bill Bowerman developing the famous Nike waffle pattern that changed running forever. Changing Nike forever. Read it.

That race was a who’s who of American middle distance running. Amazing!

I was in 9th grade, these guys were my sports heros. Makes me feel old

God....what a field!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for the upload.

I could watch this all day!

One can only wonder at what these legends could have run using todays facilities and equipment.

Frank Shorter won the marathon in the Munich Olympics .. great find this video

I grew up behind Pre, same school, same town, he was idolized by everyone , he was always running around, easy going, chat with anyone

Holly F'n Sh!+! A gathering of the Gods! All my heros from back in the day.

Wow-- such great footage. In addition to the awesome race between legends, how cool to see all the kids just playing in the field while all of this was going on.

Wow! I’m friends with Frank Shorter, he lives near me. This is awesome, I’m going to send it forward!

i love how the movie had him always leading from the start as his style

I ran a 4;49 when I was a sophmore. Finished 3rd. Still broke the school record. Ronnie brown memorial mile.

This is AMAZING quality!

Some of the greatest right there! Shorter coming up FOURTH!

Now THIS is a classic matchup, only Jim Ryun missing

Thank you.

I ran track and X-Country in NJ from 66 to 68. I remember when Ryun broke 4 min in HS, and Liquori was the best in NJ during that time... my favorite all-time is Pre...what a loss, when he died...I believe he gave Shorter a ride home, then died right afterward...

Frank Shorter came in 4th in this 2 miler.. But then went on to win gold (for the Marathon) in the Munich summer Olympics in 1972. (silver in 1976)

Jerry’s a friend of mine; however I never got to see him or Pre run. That was a great 2 miler to watch. Both extremely tough competitors.

Love this ! Four greats of the old days. Wonder how they are all doing now at 60+ yrs old

WOW............ dirt track.............I ran on a cinder track when I was in high school

God, I miss Pre.

Lindgren's turnover was incredibly fast the entire race compared to Pre's. Pre's legs looked so slow, even though they were both cruising.

Fantastic film. thanks

Four legends, great video.

Wow what a finish for Lindgren

Thanks for the post

Very Cool when i was a kid these guys were legends.

That's one heck of a field!

Every dog has his day , but prefonte name is what is still remembered...

Great video of 4 great legendary runners, but,, there's a 5th legend in this video,, does anyone recognize ? lol The Volkswagen BUS!!! lol High 5 if you were lucky enough to have grown up in one of those awesome wagons lol We had one! lol Thanks so much for posting this video of 4 of our most outstanding distance runners.

R.I.P. TODAY 40 YEARS AGO

How awesome. Best commentators will still be talking about "Pre" when so many better american runners go unknown. Thanks for sharing!

Worked at a hamburger drive inn in Pullman. Took tons of BS from students, usually drunk or stoned with the munchies, derogatory comments about the food, me, the owner, the snow on the ground. Gerry Lindgren would come in with his “Gray W” letter and jacket on. What an absolute gentleman. A truly good character. A polite man. So sorry what he did to his family. We humans are complex. I loved watching this tape. Thanks

In the early 80s one of my fellow cross-country teammates ran an indoor distance race at CU-Boulder, and to his astonishment shared the track with Frank Shorter! Can you imagine? My teammate didn't win.

A 4-man race!? Amazing.

Imagine if you gave these guys Dragonfly's and put them on a modern world class track...

If anyone is interested Gary Cohen has an interview with Gerry on his site the man is interesting. He was the reason Pre took up running as Gerry mentions he decided to console Pre over not making his softball team and so he just ran to Pre's house and back, no big deal it was only about a 30 mile run.

Awesome footage

Yeah, when I it my first mile in 4:22, I usually throw in a surge...

Sad to think that Prefontaine died at 24yrs old in 1975 from a car accident. RIP! 🙏

Incredible field!

The pace of the last 2 was about Eliuds marathon pace 🏃😂

Crazy that Pre was fresh out of high school racing against collegiate athletes who had been receiving college coaching

Incredible video...

Man if they had the shoes and track we have now these guys would have killer times

Realize if they had the tracks they make today hahaha their times would just be unreal

Fantastic.

This is such a great race video.

A treat to see.

Born and raised in Spokane, about 7 years younger than Lindgren. I was leaving grade school football practice on my bike when I saw him running headed for the hills in the park. Everybody in Spokane knew who he was. I tried to catch him on my 'sting ray' bike - high handlebars and a banana seat. No luck there, he left me behind like I was standing still.

Although Steve is better remembered (indeed now an American legend) Gerry had a like record for being a schoolboy prodigy. When the Hawaii invitational took place Steve was a mere 18 years old and not yet in Gerry's league. When Steve reached his prime in '72 (he didn't survive much beyond that due to his fatal car crash) he was by then arguably better than Lindgren. Gerry went on to finish 9th in the '72 Olympics 10k, whilst Steve finished 4th in the 5k in one of the greatest races in history. It's certainly my favourite of all time. Steve's bravery in that race is legendery by those in the know of all eras of middle distance running. Steve was an immensely courageous runner who always laid everything on the line, and feared no-one.

Four legends.

Pre stumbled @7:25 of the video. Looks like he stepped on the inside liner of the track and he never recovered.

What a field and Pre as a “highschool sensation” dam

I go to school here now and this is a very cool thing to see

Steve had great form even out of high school. He would later straighten up for energy efficiency. He was at his best in Munich.

That VW bus at the 220 mark completes the video.

Gerry Lindgren was something special.

I saw Frank Shorter running in the mountains near Boulder a few years ago. He looked like he was still in pretty good shape for a guy with so much gray hair.

Awesome!!

I wonder about those kids playing in the back ground. Has one of them become a runner, at least?