We make two Steve Prefontaine posters: the Stop Pre poster, from the STOP PRE shirts at the 1972 Olympic Trials, and the Somebody May Beat Me poster, a runner in one of those shirts with the line runners know by heart. Three more belong on a Pre wall: Eugene, Oregon (Hayward Field, his home track), the Olympic Trials poster and the Waffle Racer AD poster, the waffle iron story of his college coach, Bill Bowerman. Every one is $30 to $45. All are made to order in three sizes.
Most American runners find Pre the same way. A high school coach tells the story. Someone lends you a book. You watch Prefontaine (1997) or Without Limits (1998). You visit Hayward Field and run Pre's Trail. However you got here, Pre has a place in American distance running that few runners have ever had. Here is every poster we make about him, what each one means and how to hang them.
Every Prefontaine poster we make
Stop Pre, Somebody May Beat Me and Olympic Trials are also in our track and field posters collection.
Who was Steve Prefontaine?
Steve Prefontaine was born on January 25, 1951, in Coos Bay, Oregon. He ran for the University of Oregon under Bill Bowerman and held the American record at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. He raced from the front, made workouts into shows and turned distance running into something American crowds wanted to watch.
He never won an Olympic medal. At the 1972 Munich Olympics he finished fourth in the 5000 meters, a final won by Lasse Viren of Finland in 13:26.4. On the evening of May 29, 1975, he won a 5000 meters at Hayward Field. Early the next morning, May 30, he died in a car crash in Eugene. He was 24.
The posters in this guide are about the moments from that career. They hang on walls because what Pre stood for is what serious runners still want: show up, outwork the next person and race from the front whether or not it pays off.
The Stop Pre story
The most famous moment of Pre's career outside Munich came at the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field. Pre was the home crowd's favorite in the 5000 meters. Before the final, shirts showed up with a big red stop sign and the words STOP PRE, a put-on aimed at the Eugene crowd. Track & Field News reported that about 20 fans wore them in the stands, and that distance runner Gerry Lindgren walked the track in one. Plenty of Pre's fans did not find it funny.
On July 9, 1972, Pre won the final in 13:22.8. Then he took one of the STOP PRE shirts, put it on and wore it on his victory lap. The shirt that was supposed to needle him became part of his legend.
The Stop Pre poster turns that idea into a sign: a red stop sign reading STOP PRE above a ONE WAY arrow, printed in a faded red tone. It does not shout motivation. It is a quiet reminder of the moment and the confidence behind it, for anyone who knows the story. It works in a home gym, an office, a dorm or a team room.
What does "Stop Pre" mean?
In 1972 it was a joke at Pre's expense: somebody, please stop him. After he won and wore the shirt, it came to mean the opposite. Nobody could. That is how most runners read it today.
The Somebody May Beat Me poster
The Somebody May Beat Me poster pairs a black and white photo of a runner in a STOP PRE shirt with a strip of old race photos, a streak of red paint across the top and the line "Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it."
Quote collections credit that line to Pre. We have not found the original interview or article it came from, so we print it as the poster's words and let them stand on their own. The meaning is plain either way: you might lose, but nobody gets an easy win off you. For the lines with a known source, see our Steve Prefontaine quotes.
It pairs with the Stop Pre poster. Hang them side by side and you have the moment and the mindset.
Eugene and Hayward Field
You cannot talk about Pre without talking about Eugene. Hayward Field, the University of Oregon's stadium, is where he raced, where he ran the Stop Pre lap and where he ran his last race. Pre's Trail, a network of running trails in Eugene, carries his name. Pre's Rock, a memorial at the site of the crash, was dedicated in 1997. The Prefontaine Classic, a meet named for him, has been held in Eugene every year since 1975.
The Eugene, Oregon poster is a hand-drawn sketch of Hayward Field from high in the stands: the red track, the infield, the tower and a crowd in green. It is not a Pre poster on its own, but it belongs on any Pre wall. In July 2022 the stadium became the first in the United States to host the World Athletics Championships.
The Olympic Trials poster shows a pack in motion blur under the arched roof at Hayward Field, from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (June 21 to 30, 2024). It is the same meet, in the same place, where Pre made his name in 1972: top three on one day make the team, everyone else waits four years.
Bowerman and the Waffle Racer poster
Pre's coach at Oregon was Bill Bowerman. In 1971 Bowerman wanted a sole with better grip on the school's new urethane track, so he poured urethane into his wife Barbara's waffle iron. The waffle iron was ruined, but the idea worked, and he was granted a patent for the design on February 26, 1974. The Waffle Racer AD poster is a mock vintage magazine ad built on that story: "Why eat waffles? When you can run in them!" For the Pre fan who also loves the history of the gear, it completes the set.
How to build a Pre wall
Three prints make a complete Pre wall:
- The moment: the Stop Pre poster.
- The line: the Somebody May Beat Me poster.
- The place: the Eugene, Oregon poster or the Olympic Trials poster.
Hung in a row of three 16x24 prints, that gives you a Pre wall above a treadmill or a desk. Buy 2, get the 3rd free applies automatically, so the third print in the set is free. If you only want one, Stop Pre is the one that tells the story on its own. If you have run in Oregon, the Eugene print is the most personal. For wall sizes by room and how to hang a set of three, see our running poster size guide.
Sizes, prices and shipping
- Printed to order on semi-gloss paper. Ships unframed and fits standard frames.
- 3 to 4 business days to print, usually 3 to 4 business days in transit. See our shipping page.
- Buy 2 posters, get 1 free, applied automatically. Free US shipping on orders over $125.
- Posters are made to order, so there are no change of mind returns. A print that arrives damaged or misprinted is replaced free.
Prefontaine poster FAQ
What is the Stop Pre poster?
A red stop sign that reads STOP PRE above a ONE WAY arrow. It comes from the STOP PRE shirts at the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene. Pre won the 5000 meters and wore one of the shirts on his victory lap.
Which Prefontaine poster should I buy for a gift?
Stop Pre if they know the story, Somebody May Beat Me if they race on grit, and Eugene if they have been to Hayward Field. All three are under $50 in every size. More ideas are in the ultimate gift guide for runners.
Are the posters framed?
No. They ship unframed, and the three sizes (12x18, 16x24 and 24x36 inches) fit standard frames.
Where can I see more running posters?
Browse all of our running posters, the track and field posters or the motivational running posters.
Pre raced more than fifty years ago. The wall that reminds you of him should look like he raced: direct, confident and from the front.
Shopping for a track fan? Our guide to gifts for track and field athletes starts with Eugene, Oregon and Stop Pre.
