Pre,
Geis
run
fastest
2-mile
(in the
world)
By ART BUSHNELL
Of the Emerald
The two Oregon distance men,
one wearing the Duck uniform,
the other competing for the
Oregon Track Club, had just run
the two fastest two mile races in
the world this year.
But, in the darkness of
Hayward Field after Tuesday
night’s second Oregon Twilight
Meet of the year, the moods of
Steve Prefontaine and Paul Geis
were totally different.
Geis was elated. His second
place 8:24.8 was the second best
time in the world this year,
eleventh fastest ever run
anywhere.
More importantly to the
sophomore transfer student from
Rice, his time was a world age
group record.
His time shattered Prefon
taine’s outdoor world record for
20-year-olds of 8:33.2 (ran when
Pre was a sophomore). And it
bettered by almost seven seconds
the 20-year-old best of 8:31.6 run
indoors and held by both Pre and
Gerry Lindgren.
“It’s a world record,” he
shouted to his roommate Steve
Bence as he ran into the Duck
dressing room, picked up his bag
and sprinted out the door.
The former holder of the world
record for 20-year-olds remained
on the track. And Pre was mad.
His winning 8:24.6. showed
ample recovery from his injury
and broke his tack record 8:31.8.
But now he was fuming.
“The plan was for Mark Feig to
take us through the first two laps
in 2:05. (Feig ran the first 880 in
just over 2:06.) Paul and I were to
alternate the lead each lap after
that. Paul took the lead for one
tap, then he just lagged behind.
That wasn’t the game plan.
“If he says something he’d
better do it. Next time I’ll take
him through the first mile in 4:05
(This time he’d crossed the half
way point in 4:14) and see how he
likes that. I’m a little disap
pointed. A guy says he’s going to
help you with the race and then
he doesn’t. That makes the whole
race disappointing.
“Paul’s a very fine runner.
He’ll do a lot of good things for
the University. But he’s got to
learn to grow up a bit.”
Pre’s criticism dampened
Geis’ spirits a bit, but he was still
quite pleased with his time.
“I didn’t think I could do that. I
don’t blame Pre for being upset.
_:i_. W7*_1*1
I’d be pissed, too, if somebody sat
on me and got that good a time.
“But I’d said I would help him
set the pace until I couldn’t help
any more and then hang on until I
died. I just couldn’t have helped
him after leading the third lap. I
was having enough trouble
keeping up, I couldn’t have kept
up the pace on my own.”
Geis said the Oregon track fans
had a great deal to do with his
finishing time.
“I really got into the crowd. I
really got turned on to it. That’s
never happened to me before,
now I know what Pre means
when he talks about the fans
here.”
The new record-holder said
he’d “had it in the back of my
mind to break that record all
year” but was “very surprised”
to have done so.
“I pretty much have those
records memorized. I was really
happy when it looked like I would
make it. It took a little of the fun
out of it having everybody so
pissed off at me.
Im sure Pre and I will come
to some kind of agreement about
this in the future. Meaning next
time I’ll take the lead a little
more and he’ll forget about this
time.
“But that’s the best race of my
life, it was my most .competitive
race.”
For the ineligible transfer, the
race marked the completion of a
four-race ordeal in less than two
weeks. He’s now run a three
mile, two two-miles and a 7.8
mile run in that time.
Now he’ll look ahead to the
AAU championships, where he’ll
run the three-mile and try to gain
a spot on the team that will
compete in the University Games
in Moscow.
Two other Oregon runners
were left looking forward to
future competition after the
twilight meet.
One was Geis’ roommate,
Bence.
The half-miler had just
qualified for the NCAA meet with
a life-time best 1:48.2. He held off
a charging Hailu Ebba through
the last curve and then thanked
the Oregon State runner for
helping him qualify for the
nationals.
“I was slowing down, then he
came up alongside me and I
started running. Hailu had said
he was only going to run a 660, but
he said he wanted to help me out
so he kept on going.
“After this I think I can place in
the NCAA. It’s been a long
season, but maybe it’s just
starting. I was waiting for the
Pac-8 and the NCAA and then I
got hurt for the conference meet.
“I’d been pointing for that all
season and then I was injured. I
just hadn’t taken those other
races seriously. Maybe I’d been
training too hard and the injury
gave me the little bit of rest I
needed.”
Prefontaine, too, was looking to
post-season competition.
But he was mad about that,
also.
He was highly critical of the
AAU officials who are “treating
me like a 12-year old” and said if
the organization didn’t give him a
travel permit, he would compete
on his own.
“I’m an American citizen.
What right do they have to keep
me from doing anything. If I lose
my amateur status, that just
means I won’t be able to compete
in any more Olympics.”
Two other Oregon runners
were left without a berth in the
NCAAs after the twilight
qualifier. Neither Gary Barger in
the mile or John Mays in the 100
were able to meet the standards
for the collegiate championships.
Steve Bence {center) streaked by Oregon State
Beavers Hailu Ebba and Clay Lowrey to win the
Twilight 880 run last night at Hayward Field.
Bence, running a lifetime best 1:48.2, easily
Photo by James Link
bettered the NCAA qualifying standard on 1:49.5.
Lowrey also ran a lifetime best of 1:48.7 finishing
second. Ebba, two-time Pacific-8 mile champ,
trailed in third, 1:50.4.
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