Has anyone heard of this guy???

There was a Canadian who lit the torch at the summer games in Montreal named Stefan Prefontaine. Perhaps Ohio is Ottawa? And if you aren't joking, ask again after you run the other half-mile. And do it in 2:05 or less.

You?ve got the story right, except for a few details. He did wreck his motorcycle and kill himself. Except his name was Duane Allman. And he was a guitar player, not a runner. And he was from Georgia, not Ohio. But he did die young at 24 and had already showed promise of being one of the greatest ever.

Ohhh...I know who you're talking about. I think it was the Berlin olympics he ran in...John Prephontaine(sp?) or something. he got like 5th or 6th behind billy mills, gammoudi and that viren guy. I think he was goose bay, Ontario.

Now I'm all confused. Are you guys being serious or what?

mtn man wrote:

You?ve got the story right, except for a few details. He did wreck his motorcycle and kill himself. Except his name was Duane Allman. And he was a guitar player, not a runner. And he was from Georgia, not Ohio. But he did die young at 24 and had already showed promise of being one of the greatest ever.

No offense but you have him confused with the great distance man from Jacksonville, Florida named Ronnie Van Zandt. Yes he rode motorcycles but it was a tragic airplane crash in the woods of Mississippi that claimed him.

Since Carter boycotted the '80 Olympics, he obviously wouldn't have run there anyway. However, with the talent that man had I know it would have been Van Zandt and not Carl Lewis that would have been a household name after Los Angeles in '84. Tragic man, tragic.

Well i dont know about this prefontania guy, but this is this college kid who is supposed to be pretty good, his name is Dan Ritzenheimer.

I think you're confusing Ronnie Van Zandt with Ronnie Clarke, who might have beaten Billy Mills in the 64 Olympics if he hadn't been killed 5 years earlier in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and Richie Valens. Not sure whether he liked motorcycles or not, though.

"No offense but you have him confused with the great distance man from Jacksonville, Florida named Ronnie Van Zandt. Yes he rode motorcycles but it was a tragic airplane crash in the woods of Mississippi that claimed him."

No, no, no... you're thinking of Jimi Hendrix. He was the greatest guitarist of all time, and while he did fly in airplanes, that's not how he died. He choked on vomit.

I thought that was Jim Morrison.

there was this other dude who was pretty good at a young age...Jimmy Ryundorfer. that boy could run. he ran for some witch in kansas...or maybe it was witchita, i don't remember.

No, no, no... you're thinking of Jimi Hendrix. He was the greatest guitarist of all time, and while he did fly in airplanes, that's not how he died. He choked on vomit.[/quote]

At first glance you would appear to be correct. However, it was "Mama" Cass Elliott that choked to death. It was not vomit though it was a ham sandwich. Tragic how quickly a great shot putter like that hefty bitch can be taken from us.

you guys are stupid

No, no, no...

Pat Lafontaine retired from running in the 1980's after winning two Olympic golds and went on to score 468 goals and 1013 points for the Buffalo Sabres during his storied NHL career.

SNOPES!

What a fat, beautiful lady.

lafontaine was a great player. one of the best americans ever, i would say (from st. louis i believe). in the 92-93 season he led the league in scoring for most of the season before mario "the second greatest" lemieux, in an incredible yet unappreciated sports feat, came back and won the scoring title by 12 points despite missing the first 20 games of the season with CANCER. lafontaine finished with 148 points.

Alright, I'll try to clear this up.

In 1959, there was a plane crash in Iowa that killed Buddy Edelin, Richie Rojas, and ?The Big Barfer? (aka Bob Kampainen). It?s been referred to as ?The Day the Running Died.? It was memorialized in a song called ?American Pie? recorded by Don Sage.

Morrison and Hendrix both choked on their own vomit after the 1970 or 1971 Fuokoka Marathon. Cass Elliott died after choking on a sandwich which she got from Karen Carpenter, who apparently didn?t want hers. Carpenter suffered from eating disorders, and died after wandering off the track during a championship meet, and getting lost somewhere in Rock Creek Park, where she was raped and killed by Congressman Gary Condit.

Janis Joplin also died mysteriously after winning gold medals in the sprints in the 1988 Olympics. Rumors of drug use abound.

Van Zandt died with much of the Lynnrd Skynnrd Track Club in a plane crash, where the pilot, former teen idol Ricky Quintana, torched the cabin while freebasing cocaine. You may remember him from the TV show with his parents, Ozzy and Harriet Quintana.

Pat Lafontaine did not die, and did indeed score in the NHL. However, most of his scoring took place with the Colorado women?s cross country team, which he currently coaches. Many of his goals were actually mistakenly assigned to him, and should have been credited to Guy LaFleur of the Montreal Canadiens.

Finally, the crash in Eugene was faked by the CIA. Examination of the Zapruder film clearly shows a man with an umbrella on the grassy knoll near the underpass. That Oregon runner retired after his death was faked, and currently lives in Fort Dodge, Iowa under the Witness Protection Program, using a new identity and name, and is involved with a gay relationship with the similarly hidden Elvis Presley.

Oh, and Elvis still holds the mile record at Tupelo, Mississippi High School. You could look it up.

The guy from Ohio you speak of is Jason Rexing. Here's a thread that's sure to inspire:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=79854&thread=79381

no, you guys are all thinking of AlAN WEBB.