Inspirational Running Quotes

All About Running - Inspirational articles on Running by Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team

"In a country where only men are encouraged, one must be one's own inspiration."
- Tegla Loroupe, Kenya, 1994 New York City Marathon champion

"It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys."
- Emil Zatopek


"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."
- Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ

"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 hump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."
- Sir Roger Bannister

"God determines how fast you're going to run; I can help only with the mechanics."
- Bill Bowerman

"If a man coaches himself, then he has only himself to blame when he is beaten."
- Sir Roger Bannister

"Several of my critics have said, ?Bowerman just tacks up a piece of paper in the locker room and turns his runners loose.' They're partially right. I do give the athletes a relatively free rein and for good reason. One of my principles is? Don't overcoach.'"
- Bill Bowerman

"If someone says, 'Hey, I ran 100 miles this week. How far did you run?' ignore him! What the hell difference does it make?.... The magic is in the man, not the 100 miles."
- Bill Bowerman

"Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge."
- Dave Bedford, English distance runner who occasionally put in 200 miles a week in training

"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."
- Rob de Castella

"You have to go through cycles of extreme poverty and suffering for a while; they are used to that...They get up early, run hard, rest drink tea, get out and run hard again. Wehn Simon Dirorie gets up at 4 a.m. - I'm dedicated, but I'm not that dedicated."
- Keith Brantly, on why the Kenyan runners are so good, 1993

"We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."
-Emil Zatopek

"Marathoning is like cutting yourself unexpectedly. You dip into the pain so gradually that the damage is done before you are aware of it. Unfortunately, when the awareness comes, it is excruciating."
- John Farrington, Australian marathoner

"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." - Jesse Owens

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible." - Doug Larson


"In the '70's, I was a school teacher and trained at 5AM and 5PM. During wintertime, I never saw the sun."
Tom Fleming (one of the all time great American runners. Won the New York Marathon twice, took second at Boston two times.)

Bill Bowerman
-There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.



Jesse Owens
-We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort.
-Friendships are born on the field of athletic strife and the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.
-For a time, at least, I was the most famous person in the entire world.
-One chance is all you need.
-It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close
-I wanted no part of politics. And I wasn't in Berlin to compete against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was to do your best. As I'd learned long ago from Charles Riley, the only victory that counts is the one over yourself.

Kip Keino
-As a sportsman, I accept being beaten. Everybody tries to be a winner, but only one in a race will win. It’s fun to win. But I don’t find unhappiness if I lose.

Mike Fanelli, club coach
-I tell runners to divide a race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart.

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