This 58 minute documentary film preceded two other motion pictures depicting the story of Steve Prefontaine, "Prefontaine" and "Without Limits", and was originally broadcast on CBS on June 4, 1995. Here there are no actors. The script is provided by the research and rare images and footage of this great American runner as the story unfolds as recalled by those who knew him best. You will see Prefontaine run indoors, outdoors on the track, in cross country, in the 1972 Olympic games, as well as his last race at Hayward Field. There is also interview footage where Pre reviews his performance and forecasts into the future. Told in chronological order, this film begins in Coos Bay, Oregon and Marshfield High School where Pre's National 2 mile mark of 8.41,5 set in 1969, still stands. He joined the University of Oregon under the guidance of Bill Bowerman and for four years never missed a workout or race. During his collegiate years he set nine collegiate track records and never lost a race more than a mile in length. The Olympic 5000 meter race is covered from many perspectives as well as his activism and ongoing record setting performances following the games. His life was ended abruptly in an automobile accident on May 30, 1975 and many people review the events and express the impact that Steve Prefontaine had on their life and running in America. "Fire on the Track" was the winner of the 1996 New York Festival World Silver Medal. A perfect balance and tempo is maintained throughout the film with the use of narration, provided by Ken Kesey, the original soundtrack by Project One Audio, and blended still and moving images. Erick Lyttle is the director of this video and he is joined by Ken Kesey and Kenny Moore for the writing credits. Research was conducted by Bill Goetz and Tom Jordan (the author of the book "Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine"). This film is made extraordinary by the use of the story tellers that include Pre's family, coaches, team members, rivals, girlfriends, sports writers, and more. The 55 people who bring this story to life are credited at the end of this film and include: Ray Prefontaine, Elfriede Prefontaine, Neta Prefontaine, Linda Prefontaine, Bill Bowerman, Bill Dellinger, John Gillespie, Kenny Moore, Roscoe Divine, Phil Knight, Frank Shorter, Jon Anderson, Steve Savage, Arne Kvalheim, Knut Kvalheim, Pat Tyson, Nancy Alleman, Walt McClure, Phil Pershian, Jaakko Tuominen, Lasse Viren, Dave Bedford, Ian Stewart, Brendan Foster, Mac Wilkins, Jeff Johnson, Dave Wottle, Tom Jordan, Wendy Ray, Georgia Pope, Alberto Salazar, Russ Francis, Mark Feig, Steve Stageberg, Dave Taylor, Emiel Puttemans, Mary Slaney, Erich Segal, Dana Carvey, Garry Hill, Jon Hendershott, Blaine Newnham, Jos Hermans, Larry Standifer, Dick Buerkle, Tom Feuer, Jeff Galloway, Matt Davis, Jack Ralston, Steve Miller, Nelson Farris, Keith Richard, Brian Kanker, Rich Clarson, Don Dickover. If you love the sport of running, and want to understand how Prefontaine made such an impact, then this is a must see movie for you. Put it at the top of your list for movies to own as you will watch it over and over and your friends will stand in line to borrow this one. Quotes from Steve Prefontaine from this documentary: "If you are a runner your never completely satisfied unless you get a World's Record", "All I can say is I hope I can stay fit and if I run like this in Munich I'll be pretty hard to stop", "Running doesn't pay your bills so you get to make a lot of sacrifices to be in amateur sports in this country", "There's a lot of factors that make me run. Probably the biggest one is that I enjoy it, or I acquired an enjoyment for it after so many years of running; it's part of my life now. Another reason would have to be the Olympic Games and trying for a gold medal, and the third thing would have to be competition. I love to compete against people and not just track and field but almost anything".
