Top 50 Quotes & Sayings by Famous Runners

In the midst of an ordinary training day, I try to remind myself that I am preparing for the extraordinary.

Long-distance runners have to be very strange people. You have to really want to do it. You don't have to win or beat someone, you just have to get through the thing. That's the sense of victory. The sense of self-worth.

The decathlon is nine Mickey Mouse events and the 1500 metres.

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

Now I am not running to please sponsors or to be the No.1 U.S. runner. Now I look at each step I get to take as a gift. I run because I love to run. I want to be able to run until I am 90 years old.

I always say the only limitations are in your mind, and if you don't buy into those limits, you can do a helluva lot more than you imagine.

I thought, man, if you could run 100 miles, you'd be in this Zen state. You'd be the f**king Buddha. Bringing peace and a smile to the world. In my case, it didn't work. I'm the same old punk ass as ever. But there's always this hope that it'll turn you into the person you want to be. You know, like a better, more peaceful person. And when I'm out on a long run, the only thing in life that matters is finishing the run. For once, my brain isn't going 'bleh bleh bleh bleh.' Everything just quiets down, and the only thing going on is pure flow

Stepping outside the comfort zone is the price I pay to find out how good I can be. If I planned on backing off every time running got difficult I would hang up my shoes and take up knitting.

Live life to the fullest. Follow your dreams - don't let anything stop you.

Maybe I really could be one of the greatest of all time. Who doesn't want to be a legend, right?

I had over-trained. I put too much pressure on myself because I wanted that gold medal too much. If I had trained 15 per cent less, I would have won. I was training like a crazy person. There was a lack of self-confidence and a lack of maturity. An athlete does not only train with his body. He trains with his mind.

When the meal was over we all had a quiet rest in our rooms and I meditated on the race. This is the time when an athlete feels all alone in the big world. Opponents assume tremendous stature. Any runner who denies having fears, nerves or some kind of disposition is a bad athlete, or a liar.

It's amazing how the same pace in practice can feel so much harder than on race day. Stay confident. Trust the process.

Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religious fanatic talk about the day he saw the light.

A true New Yorker never backs down, and I'm no exception. Holla!

Never take your eyes off the ball - even when it's in the referee's pocket.

Across the board you can run up against 10 athletes where we're the same physically. They've done the same kind of training; they are in the same kind of shape. But the one that wins is the person who really believes they can win.

I will go through a lot of pain to beat someone. If there's pride and ego on the line, if I'm desperate, then I'm willing to go to a place where it hurts a lot more.

It's probably the toughest distance race in the world to win. World class runners from 1500m to the marathon contest it and instead of just three runners from each country, like in the Olympics or World Championships, in the senior men's race there are nine.

Don't let fear decide your future.

The Kenyans haven't done much in the last two games, in fact they haven't competed since 1972

My father was a great fan of the horses. His only regret was that I never ran in the Grand National.

Don't be afraid to dream of achieving the impossible.

This is about doing something difficult and not stopping when it becomes not just difficult, but cold and difficult...or cold and wet and difficult...or cold and wet and dark and difficult.

There is no path I follow. I feel as if I'm just drifting along, because although I can progress physically, through my training, mentally and spiritually I don't know what the hell I'm doing. It's like that car sticker: 'Don't follow me, I'm lost'.

You find out a lot about yourself through athletics. If you're cut out to be a winner or a failure or a quitter, athletics will bring it out of you. You're always stripping yourself down to the bones of your personality. And sometimes you just get a glimpse of the kind of talent you've been given. Sometimes I run and I don't even feel the effort of running. I don't even feel the ground. I'm just drifting. Incredible feeling. All the agony and frustration, they're all justified by one moment like that.

My upbringing gave me a strong will, a mental aggressiveness in what I wanted to achieve.

People loose tension when they run. The feeling of self respect will almost always increase. You accept yourself a little more.

It is very rewarding to feel and see progress. I am going to put my head down and keep plugging away. I believe the best is yet to come.

I love the fact that not many people can say 'Oh, I went out and ran 20 miles today.' I love how much dedication it takes and how much you learn a lot about yourself, your physical and mental limits. There's just something about it.

Sometimes I run and I don't even feel the effort of running. I don't even feel the ground. I'm just drifting. Incredible feeling. All the agony and frustration, they're all justified by one moment like that

Buy all shoes, both street and running, slightly longer and wider than your bigger foot. Also, avoid pointed shoes. You'll save yourself needless foot pain.

Like physical work, if you don't practice, you shouldn't expect results.

I started running ultras to become a better person.

I started running ultras to become a better person. I thought if you could run 100 miles you'd be in this Zen state. You'd be the Buddha, bringing peace and a smile to the world. It didn't work in my case. I'm the same old punk-ass as before, but there's always hope.

What I've done serves mostly to show that nearly all limits are self-imposed, a false construct of the mind. You can take on mind-boggling challenges. It may cause you grief, it may test your relationships and cause you to question your sanity, but you can do it! Yes, a fifty-seven year-old man can run across the United States and break a couple or records in the process. People of any age can accomplish what few others have done; we can endure the trials, overcome the obstacles, put up with the pain to realize our dreams. Why not try?

All top international athletes wake up in the morning feeling tired and go to bed feeling very tired.

School cross country runs started because the rugby pitches were flooded. There was an alternative: extra studying. This meant there were plenty of runners on sports afternoons.

No excuses. Just do the work.

Once you find a warmup routine that works, repeat it as habitually as possible.

I fully intend to make amends and get back to being a good mother, wife, daughter, and friend.

I dont wish it were easier. I just wish I was better

Running is something you just do. You don’t need a goal. You don’t need a race. You don’t need the hype of a so-called fitness craze. All you need is a cheap pair of shoes and some time; the rest will follow.

You get to the point where you decide that you don't want to be a victim anymore and that you're not going to live your life like that.

I thought the race could be won in the last kilometers in the park. Every hill I ran in training I ran to gain an extra step in the park.

Why do the easy expected thing? It takes guts to follow your dreams. Courage. Many people, even those who love you, don't understand how compelling that can be, and will try to keep you in the “safety zone”. But f*#! that. Half the fun is venturing into the unknown, taking on the difficult task that yields new knowledge, doing more and testing your limits.

Be confident in the work you did to prepare for the race. Take a look back at your training logs to remind yourself that you've done everything possible to prepare. The race is the fun part where you get to see the hard work pay off. Enjoy it.

I train very hard, until I am sick. Sometimes I train like a foolish man who has no mind.

All runners are tough. Everyone has to have a little fire in them, that even in tough times, can’t be turned off.

Keep your head up, keep your heart strong.