Running quotes from the great, the good and the downright mischievous provide us with an insight into the thoughts and what motivates a runner. They may at times contradict one another, but isn't that what life is about? At different times we will have different thoughts and ideas - just like on a run! Please use these quotes to motivate, inspire and question your reason for spending so much time on the run.

Running quotes for competitive runners

"pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity." Michael Johnson

"The gun goes off and everthing changes... the world changes... and nothing else really matters." Patti Sue Plummer

"No negative thoughts cross my mind on race day. When I look into their eyes, I know I'm going to beat them." Danny Harris

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

"Top results are reached only through pain. But eventually you like this pain. You'll find the more difficulties you have on the way, the more you will enjoy your success." Juha Vaatainen

"I prefer to remain in blissful ignorance of the opposition. That way I'm not frightened by anyone's reputation." Ian Thompson

"Once you're beat mentally, you might was well not even go to the starting line." Todd Williams

"Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win." Tom Fleming

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

I was magnificent, it was so simple, easy, I was just jogging. I understood Einstein’s theory of relativity as time seemed to stand still. I could see everything before I did it. I felt so powerful, so in tune, in balance. It was a perfect melody, a rhythm, I was really flowing. I was dangerous that day. Kris Akabusi

Running quotes to motivate and inspire

"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

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'" Peter Maher

"Run hard, be strong, think big!"Percy Cerutty

"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

Running quotes for the long-distance runner

"You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming." Frank Shorter

If you start to feel good during an ultra, dont' worry you will get over it." Gene Thibeault

"The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." Robert Frost

"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

"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

If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have taken Him completely by surprise. P.Z. Pearce

Running quotes to seriously consider!

I don't think jogging is healthy, especially morning jogging. If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups. Rita Rudner



Running quotes to provoke

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

"Good things come slow - especially in distance running." Bill Dellinger

"Mind is everything: muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind." Paavo Nurmi

"Sport is not about being wrapped up in cotton wool. Sport as about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute. Sport, like all life, is about taking risks." Sir Roger Bannister

"Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge." Dave Bedford

I believe that the Good Lord gave us a finite number of heartbeats and I'm damned if I'm going to use up mine running up and down a street. Neil Armstrong