Marathon Running Quotes

I wanted to try marathon running, but something always came up: I had a baby and a C-section or I got injured or I just didn't think I could run that far.

It is true that speed kills. In distance running, it kills anyone who does not have it.

Good things come slow, especially in distance running.

Stadiums are for spectators. We runners have Nature, and that is much better.

It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse.

If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.

The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.

Go in any direction..seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.

The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.

Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.

We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable.

Marathon running, for me, was the most controlled test of mettle that I could ever think of. It's you against Darwin.

The gun goes off and everthing changes... the world changes... and nothing else really matters.

The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. Every jogger can't dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon.

Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about.

If you run 100 miles a week, you can eat anything you want - Why? Because (a) you'll burn all the calories you consume, (b) you deserve it, and (c) you'll be injured soon and back on a restricted diet anyway.

The start of a World Cross Country event is like riding a horse in the middle of a buffalo stampede. It's a thrill if you keep up, but one slip and you're nothing but hoof prints.

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run

Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter; long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best.

The marathon can humble you.

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.

A lot of people don't realize that about 98 percent of the running I put in is anything but glamorous: 2 percent joyful participation, 98 percent dedication! It's a tough formula. Getting out in the forest in the biting cold and the flattening heat, and putting in kilometer after kilometer.

If you want to win a race you have to go a little berserk.

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative.

If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Mind is everything. Muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind.

If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.

I run to see who has the most guts.

Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'.

Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.

My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you'll win... channel your energy. Focus.

Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like the muscles of the body.

Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.

You don't need cocaine! There's another way to get real high, and really mess your mind up, it's called marathon running!

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

Art is nothing more than the shadow of humanity.

You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

I've always felt that long, slow distance produces long, slow runners.

I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.

I always loved running.... It was something you could do by yourself and under your own power.

But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.

To describe the agony of a marathon to someone who's never run it is like trying to explain color to someone who was born blind.

My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble.

A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they're capable of understanding.

Just put one foot in front of the other.

You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face. Gatorade ad The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.

Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second.