US running icon Steve Prefontaine’s Nike ‘waffle’ running shoes sell for $163k at auction
ITS not often you can purchase a piece of Steve Prefontaine history.
For the first time, a pair of the iconic long-distance runner's Nike 'waffle' shoes were publicly auctioned off.
Clad in green and yellow in homage to the University of Oregon - Prefontaine's alma mater and where Nike began.
Sotheby's listing describes the shoes, which were owned and used by Prefontaine, as size 9.5, circa 1975, with "the original laces and original blue insoles."
Shoe collector Jordan Geller told KGW8: "Steve Prefontaine is widely considered the greatest runner of all-time. He's also the soul of Nike."
"For a pair of Steve's shoes to hit the market, it's just an incredible opportunity."
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The first runner to sign with Nike, Prefontaine set American records in all eight distances between 2,000 and 10,000 meters, and two miles and six miles, per GoDucks.
During his time at Oregon, Prefontaine also set eight collegiate records - two of which still stand.
Prefontaine's remarkable career was cut tragically short when he died aged just 24 in a car accident.
Upon his passing, The New York Times described Prefontaine as "America's finest distance runner."
On September 15 Prefontaine's Nike's fetched $163,000.
