**SPOILERS** Both heart lifting as well as heart breaking true story of Amerian running sensation Steve "Pre" Prefontaine played by, Steve's almost identical twin look-alike, Australian actor Billy Crudup.
With a passion in going to the limit of his endurance in order to win Steve set running records in races from 2,000 to 10,000 meters during his short but unforgettable armature running career that ended with his tragic death in an auto crash on the evening of May 30, 1975. Steve was only 24 at the time and was in the process of making a comeback in the forthcoming 1976 Montreal Olympics to both face and defeat the "Flying Finn" Lasse Viren, Pat Porter,in rematch of their sensational race in the Munich Olympics back in the summer of 1972. It was Viren who defeated Steve back in 1972 in the terror filled Munich Olympics where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by their Arab kidnappers.
In the film "Without Limits" we get to see how Steve pushed himself to the absolute limits in order to win. Like he told his girlfriend Oragon University coed Mary Marckx, Monica Potter, the reason that that I win is not that I'm the best runner in the race but the one who's willing to take the most pain in order to win it! And pain Steve took to the point of almost crippling himself, with a torn muscle, in order to win one of the many races that he competed in. Brash and sure of himself Steve found his coach of the Oragon University track & field team Bill Bowerman, Donalnd Southerland, detrimental to him in Bowerman wanting to change his unorthodox style of running. Bowerman wanting Steve to pace himself instead of burning himself out had to finally convince Steve to change his take the lead running style in the unforgettable 5,000 meter race at Munich. Holding back for the first two miles Steve finally exploded taking command with a mile left in the race. But with Steve's top competitor in the race Viren having enough left in not having to overextend himself against Steve, who was in the middle of the pack, for the first two miles he managed to pull out a victory and Olympic Gold Medal by passing and beating Steve in the last 200 meters of the race.
Washed up at age 21 with no intentions to continue his running career Steve went into a deep depression until both Mary and Bill Bowerman finally talked him into getting back on the race track and train for the 1976 summer Olympics in Montreal. As things were to turn out Steve never lived to participate much less win in them!
Great film about a truly great athlete Steve Defontaine who more then anyone else represented the Olympic spirit of selfless and honest competition among top athletes of the world's community of nations. Never looking for fame or fortune Steve only wanted to prove to himself and those who watched him preform-as well as participated against him-on the track that he was by far the best there was and ever will be in the field of middle to long distance running. The most fitting tribute for Steve was given at his memorial service by his tearful coach Bill Bowerman who finally, at the Munich Olympics which Steve lost, realized what a unique person as well as athlete Steve really was: "What Steve thought me is that the real purpose of winning a race isn't winning. It'as to test the limits of the human heart. And that he did. Nobody did it more often and nobody did it better".
With a passion in going to the limit of his endurance in order to win Steve set running records in races from 2,000 to 10,000 meters during his short but unforgettable armature running career that ended with his tragic death in an auto crash on the evening of May 30, 1975. Steve was only 24 at the time and was in the process of making a comeback in the forthcoming 1976 Montreal Olympics to both face and defeat the "Flying Finn" Lasse Viren, Pat Porter,in rematch of their sensational race in the Munich Olympics back in the summer of 1972. It was Viren who defeated Steve back in 1972 in the terror filled Munich Olympics where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by their Arab kidnappers.
In the film "Without Limits" we get to see how Steve pushed himself to the absolute limits in order to win. Like he told his girlfriend Oragon University coed Mary Marckx, Monica Potter, the reason that that I win is not that I'm the best runner in the race but the one who's willing to take the most pain in order to win it! And pain Steve took to the point of almost crippling himself, with a torn muscle, in order to win one of the many races that he competed in. Brash and sure of himself Steve found his coach of the Oragon University track & field team Bill Bowerman, Donalnd Southerland, detrimental to him in Bowerman wanting to change his unorthodox style of running. Bowerman wanting Steve to pace himself instead of burning himself out had to finally convince Steve to change his take the lead running style in the unforgettable 5,000 meter race at Munich. Holding back for the first two miles Steve finally exploded taking command with a mile left in the race. But with Steve's top competitor in the race Viren having enough left in not having to overextend himself against Steve, who was in the middle of the pack, for the first two miles he managed to pull out a victory and Olympic Gold Medal by passing and beating Steve in the last 200 meters of the race.
Washed up at age 21 with no intentions to continue his running career Steve went into a deep depression until both Mary and Bill Bowerman finally talked him into getting back on the race track and train for the 1976 summer Olympics in Montreal. As things were to turn out Steve never lived to participate much less win in them!
Great film about a truly great athlete Steve Defontaine who more then anyone else represented the Olympic spirit of selfless and honest competition among top athletes of the world's community of nations. Never looking for fame or fortune Steve only wanted to prove to himself and those who watched him preform-as well as participated against him-on the track that he was by far the best there was and ever will be in the field of middle to long distance running. The most fitting tribute for Steve was given at his memorial service by his tearful coach Bill Bowerman who finally, at the Munich Olympics which Steve lost, realized what a unique person as well as athlete Steve really was: "What Steve thought me is that the real purpose of winning a race isn't winning. It'as to test the limits of the human heart. And that he did. Nobody did it more often and nobody did it better".