When people talk about American distance running the one name that always comes up is Steve Prefontaine. I think this is because "Pre", as they called him, ran the way everyone wants to and approached life the way everyone wants to. Pre ran all out everytime he was alway pushing the limit to prove he was the best. Sadly Pre was taken from the earth far to early and only live 24 years. However in those 24 years pre made running and specificly distance running the sensation it is today.
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Steve Prefontaine
Pre was know to have said that he had no natural talent and that he was able to run as fast as he did because he did it mentally. This attitude/state of mind allowed pre to not worry about the competition and focus solely on run as hard as he could. Pre always went out hard and kept a hard pace throughout the race.
"I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."
“You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.”