Top 10 Quotes & Sayings by Marla Runyan

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American athlete Marla Runyan.
Last updated on April 14, 2025.
Marla Runyan

Marla Lee Runyan is an American track and field athlete, road runner and marathon runner who is legally blind. She is a three-time national champion in the women's 5000 metres.

If all you do is make excuses, then that is how people see you. Make your strengths visible.
Sometimes parents limit the experiences their kids will have, saying they are going to fail; they can't ride a bike or do sports.
I think what I represent is achieving what you want in life. It's a matter of your attitude. Some people have a negative attitude, and that's their disability.
There is a big difference to someone being born with vision loss, to a kid having vision loss, to a senior having macular degeneration and losing their sight.
Don't listen to negative influences. Believe in yourself, and show others what you can do. Only "you" can find your potential. — © Marla Runyan
Don't listen to negative influences. Believe in yourself, and show others what you can do. Only "you" can find your potential.
It was a very strange, disappointing race in that no one wanted to take it out. That's why I took the lead. I wanted some people to run the real distance and that was frustrating. So I took the pace around the second lap, which in some ways is suicidal...but I wanted the pace to be honest.
People suddenly expected less of me and I didn't want that. Not only could I keep up with sighted kids, I could excel. I have an intense competiveness that was always in me.
Some people have a negative attitude, and that's their disability.
I wanted to run my race. I didn't want to sit there and play games and see who could kick the hardest. I wanted it to be a race.
If you want to be known for whom you are as a person, then your responsibility it to make your qualities more visible. I believe if you don't you are becoming a victim.
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