Track And Field Quotes

John McDonnell is the Bear Bryant of track and field.

I love track and field, but I also know the day will come when I will have to do something else.

I began with track and field because this is what I know.

Track and field was very big when I was growing up.

I want my time spent running to serve as a reward.

All athletes need three things: commitment, discipline and hard work. Without that it's hard to keep running.

The art form is to become one with the hurdle, to make it your friend, and I embraced that process.

One step at a time, I get to make positive choices to fulfill my dreams.

It was not until the end of my freshman year in high school that I thought I could really have a future in track and field. I definitely did not think I could make it to the Olympics back then, though; I was just focused on making it to the state finals!

Doing something for yourself like running, and using it to test yourself, will only make you feel better about your career or your family role.

I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible. From the air, fast down, and from the ground, fast up.

Easy is not a option..No days off..Never Quit..Be Fearless..Talent you have Naturally..Skill is only developed by hours and hours of Work

You must see yourself run the race over and over, time and time again. You must put yourself in critical positions and see how you would react in those positions before the race so when and if they do happen, the feedback is automatic.

I was playing cricket first and my cricket coach was the one that introduced me to track and field.

Cross Country: No half times, no time outs, no substitutions. It must be the only true sport.

I went to Moorehouse College. There was no track and field there.

I got interested in decathlon because a coach that I had was a big fan of Bruce Jenner, and he just saw the ability in me - but when it came down to it, I knew my best chance at a college scholarship would be in track and field.

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

And you want to know why track and field is dying in this country? Kids today can watch Kobe Bryant go end-to-end and Randy Moss run a down-and-out and Ichiro Suzuki go from first to third and they will see it start to finish, in real time, the outcome happening before their eyes. But the men's 400 relay finals at the world championships? On your mark, get set . . . we'll show it to you in four hours on another network.

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.

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

The more success I have with track and field the bigger my brand is. So I would say I'm more of a brand now, trying to build for the future.

I was working in corporate Canada and I was doing all right. But I was burnt out... Long hours, a lot of clients. I just wanted to get away. Track and field was sort of like the elimination thing. I just wanted to go and do something. Exercise my brain and my body and kind of gravitate to that.

Running with others can help get you out when you might otherwise blow it off.

Don't bother just to be better than others. Try to be better than yourself.

Every time I fail I assume I will be a stronger person for it.

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.

I grew up on basketball, volleyball, that sort of thing. For me, track and field was a whole 'nother beast.

I actually got dared to audition for the dance team. All my track-and-field buddies dared me to audition, and I was one of the few guys who did it.

I grew up an athlete. Track and field and dance. In track, I actually went to the Junior Olympics. I've always been very athletic.

I run to see who has the most guts.

I want to be one of the greatest athletes ever to live, not only in track and field, but in all of general sport.

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.

I would be inclined to say 'if you are not willing to cooperate and follow the rules of your international federation you are not the right track and field association to be part of the USOC.

A goal is just an awesome way to force growth on yourself.

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.

"Competing in both track and field and basketball for the Bruins I have a lot of great memories to choose from. But my all-time favorite moment in collegiate sports has to be in 1982 when we won UCLA's first NCAA title in track."

You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.

The awesome thing about failure is that it is only temporary. Embrace it, learn the lesson and come back blazing.

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's at.

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

People say that it was degrading for an Olympic champion to run against a horse, but what was I supposed to do? I had four gold medals, but you can't eat four gold medals. There was no television, no big advertising, no endorsements then. Not for a black man, anyway.

In running it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions.

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.