What's the difference between winning and victory? Is it semantics, like religious and spiritual? Maybe there isn't one. On the other hand, some would say there's all the difference in the world.Steve Prefontaine (played by Billy Crudup), was a distance runner in Eugene, Oregon with scholarship offers from Yale, Brown, Villanova, Princeton and Nebraska. The one school he wishes to attend, however, has remained silent. Two distance runners from the school and its assistant coach make a personal visit to his home but Prefontaine (Crudup) is not impressed. In the less-than-three week period between that visit and the date when he must sign his letter of intent, Bill Bowerman, head coach of the University of Oregon track team, sends a genuine plea to young Prefontaine asking him to attend. On his first day, he shows an amazing inability to notice the obvious by asking a female student, Mary Marckx (played by Monica Potter) to direct him to an area that is clearly visible ahead of him. He enters the building and sees a long line of fellow team members who recount tall tales of Bowerman's exploits in the military. He is summoned from another room and, on the floor in front of him, he finds his head coach. Bowerman (played and earlier voiced by Donald Sutherland) is making outlines of his runners' feet on tracing paper for the purposes of making shoes specifically for them, explaining that taking an ounce off a runner's shoe amounts to pounds they won't have to carry during a race. The freshman athlete sarcastically compliments him and that is the end of their first interaction. The next day, during a simple workout, Steve gives one hundred percent, finishes ahead of his teammates, and, according to Bowerman, with a pulse rate north of one hundred and ninety. So begins the struggle that would define their relationship: a coach's desire to instruct and an athlete's desire to put forth his best effort, regardless of the consequences.Much has been made of the fact that Without Limits and Prefontaine, a Disney film covering the same subject matter from a different perspective, were released within months of each other. The general consensus seems to be that, while Prefontaine is more accurate, Without Limits is the better film. As I have not seen the former from beginning to end, all I can tell you is that Without Limits is a masterpiece. Sutherland is mesmerizing as Bill Bowerman and Crudup, in the first role I ever saw him play, is just as entertaining, if not more so. The conflict between them rings true and while you understand the position of the coach, you root for the runner who seeks to leave the field knowing he's done his best. I have seen this film many times and, if you haven't even seen it once, you should. Now.

**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".

'Without Limits' is an engrossing biopic on famous long distance athlete Steve Prefontaine. Billy Crudup is completely believable in the lead and captures Prefontaine's energy and his passionate desire to never give up. The role is an extremely physical one as Crudup shows us the gut-wrenching trauma Prefontaine went through. The film is straightforward and there are no subplots to detract from the storyline. Donald Sutherland is effective as his coach Bill Bowerman. The role may be clichéd but Sutherland is refreshing and has some great dialog as well. A solid entertainer and a must for sports buffs.Overall 7/10

Without Limits is an inspirational film based on the greatest runner that America has ever seen and the tragedy that ended his life, Steve Prefontaine. Billy Crudup, looking very similar to the late Pre, plays the role. The film takes a look into the personality of the swift footed Oregon native. It starts out with Bill Dellinger trying to recruit Pre. This is when you see the first signs of his sarcastic side taking two of Oregon's best track runners on an "easy ten" leading them all the way. You also get a glimpse of Pre's stubborn side as well telling Oregon's recruiter that he would not go to Oregon unless head coach Bill Bowerman (who didn't believe in recruiting) personally let him know that he is wanted. Pre got his greetings in a letter and headed to the running college of Oregon. Pre's first couple of weeks on the Oregon track team got him the nickname that lasted to his dying days, Rube, as a cause of his drive to push the limits. Pre's first collegiate race was a blowout that shot him to stardom, smashing the American record. After that he was the all-star of Oregon's track team. Although Pre was a performer Bowerman insisted on pushing the limits on Pre's mental side, trying to cure him of front running which in Pre's eyes was chicken sh*t. Racing was a work of art to Pre and he wouldn't sit back for 2.5 miles and then take the race in the last 500 meters. The movie focuses on this battle between front running and the way Bowerman wanted him to race (holding back). This was the biggest struggle for Pre in his collegiate career, trying to test the odds and push the limits when everyone thought they were impossible. He wanted to go all out until he had nothing left. In the 1972 Munich Olympics is where Pre would come to a devastating halt in success. With high hopes in the preliminaries Pre told reporters, when they asked how he thought the race would turn out he stuck to his normal routine in saying "I hope that it comes down to a pure guts race, if so then I am the only one who can win it." He also said at about the same time a phrase that is famous even still today "If you're going to beat you will have to bleed to do it." Pre got beat in the race for gold and from there he went into a state of depression. The movie is not just some statistic, though, it has the romance that diverges the movie to a more emotional side. Mary was the soft spoken religious type that went on with her normal self until she was spotted by Pre. Love that Pre had never felt before was driven to be with Mary. Although at first Mary wasn't interested Pre's sarcastic, outspoken, and completely goal driven attitude grabbed her and pulled her in. Pre's relentless and persistence really shows in his pursuit of love. His ability to think he could do anything he wanted confused most because he refused to believe in talent. Pre's legacy went to a crashing end as the movie closes out its story. A powerful ending that leaves a lasting impression of the 24 year old track runner that was troubled with the fact that a mediocre effort could win a race and a magnificent effort could lose one. Pre broke every American record from 2,000 meters to 10,000. Director Robert Townes does a great job depicting the struggle, with help from a friend of Pre's, Kenny Moore also a world-class runner, the dynamic duo comes together to make a classic sports movie that anyone can relate too.