In 1975, the world of Track & Field was sent into a state of shock at the sudden death of Steve Prefontaine. The charismatic 24-year old perished in a car accident shortly after dropping off his good friend and fellow distance runner, 1972 Olympic Gold Medalist in the marathon, Frank Shorter. Frank would be the last person to see Pre alive. A month later at the AAU Track n Field championships in Eugene, OR, Shorter ran with determination and a heavy heart, winning the 10,000 meters in front of Steve’s hometown fans who gave Frank a long and emotional ovation for winning his race. It was a surreal month for Shorter and running helped him get through this tumultuous time… as it always had before. Frank started running to see how good he could be. He didn’t set out to win medals or gain fame… he just wanted to get better… to improve over time… and he did just that eventually becoming the best distance runner the U.S. had to offer. He was in Munich in 1972 awaiting his time to run the marathon when members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September stormed the Olympic Village and murdered two Israeli athletes. As the hostage crisis ensued, Shorter didn’t know what to expect and when all of the athletes died he figured the Olympics would be called. But they weren’t, and 4 days later, Frank took to the streets of Munich looking to close out the Games in style and give the people something to cheer for. However, as he entered the stadium with just a lap to go in the marathon, there was silence. No cheering… just whistling… the European way of booing. Why were they jeering instead of cheering? As Frank neared the finish line it became clear… an imposter had come into the stadium ahead of Shorter and crossed the finish line… and the fans were having none of it… they knew that America’s Frank Shorter was the winner and they were booing the fraud that had stolen Frank’s moment… but he didn’t steal his Gold. And Frank says to this day he doesn’t think about that moment being tarnished in any way because he wasn’t running for accolades. He was running for himself… and he knew on this day… that there was nobody faster in the world at 26.2 miles than he was. 50 years later he still gets emotional when talking about his friend Steve. He tells us about the two movies made about his buddy and how he played a part in both of them. He says on the Past Our Prime podcast that how Steve died is not what the authorities will have you believe and that the details of his death are not accurate for a reason. Frank talks at length about the quiet determination his friend had as a runner, and as an advocate for other runners. Mostly, Frank recollects about a 24-year old man who was gone way, way too soon…  The only American to ever medal in the Olympic Marathon twice… Frank Shorter on the Past Our Prime podcast. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review if you wish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices