20 Running quotes to motivate you for the marathon
Twenty running quotes to motivate you for your first or even fiftieth marathon.
Running a marathon is no easy feat. Chances are you know a friend who has run a marathon or have already run one yourself, I’m sure you’ll agree that the training is difficult, the race and support are great, but it wouldn’t go amiss to have a little more motivation.
We hope you can resonate with these popular running quotes, learn a thing or two, or even remember one or two to incorporate into your training once it gets difficult.
Without further or do, here are twenty popular running quotes from running greats such as Haile Gebrselassie and Paula Radcliffe to motivate you for your first or even fiftieth marathon.
Related: 20 Running quotes to motivate you for your next run.
When you run the marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners and not against the time.
– Haile Gebrselassie (Olympic long-distance road and track runner – won two Olympic gold medals over the 10,000 metres and four world championship titles)
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 (Long-distance runner – won three gold medals at the 1952 summer Olympics in Helsinki)
Marathon running, for me, was the most controlled test of mettle that I could ever think of. It’s you against Darwin.
– Ryan Reynolds (Actor and fitness enthusiast)
When you get close to race day, there’s that anticipation and excitement – it’s the same whatever level you’re running at because the marathon is like a festival.
– Paula Radcliffe (Three-time winner of the London marathon)
The marathon always starts after 30k. That’s where the problems start. You start without any problems, without any pain. All the pain comes after 30k. Sometimes, it’s possible to have pain even in the finger.
– Haile Gebrselassie (Olympic long-distance road and track runner – won two Olympic gold medals over the 10,000 metres and four world championship titles)
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 (Ex-professional footballer)
The more you frame the marathon as a stressful experience, the more negative messages you’ll receive. But it’s just as easy to frame it as a positively challenging journey.
– Jeff Galloway (Olympian, running coach, and writer)
The marathon. How an average runner becomes more than average.
– New Balance (Athletic footwear and apparel retailer)
So many people crossing the finish line of a marathon look as happy as when I won. They have tears in their eyes. The sport is full of winners.
– Gary Muhrcke (Winner of the first-ever New York City marathon)
You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.
– Frank Shorter (American long-distance runner, gold medallist in the 1972 summer Olympics)
The race always hurts. Expect it to hurt. You don’t train so it doesn’t hurt. You train so you can tolerate it.
– (Unknown)
If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.
– Emil Zatopek (Long-distance runner – won three gold medals at the 1952 summer Olympics in Helsinki)
I’ve learned that finishing a marathon isn’t just an athletic achievement. It’s a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible.
– John Hanc (running author)
There are no shortcuts in marathoning, so anyone who is a marathoner has worked hard.
– Jeffery Horowitz (Actor)
You can run a sprint or you can run a marathon but you can’t sprint a marathon.
– Ryan Holmes (Founder and CEO of Hootsuite)
At the end of a marathon, it’s going to hurt whether you’re speeding up or slowing down. You may as well push.
– Summer Sanders (Former Olympic swimmer)
Of all the races, there is no better stage for heroism than a marathon.
– George Sheehan (Former senior athlete and running author with a New York Times bestseller)
I find that I get a little depressed if I don’t move my body each day, so sometimes it’s just as simple as walking, and other times its training for a marathon or some kind of personal goal that I’m trying to meet.
– Ryan Reynolds (Actor and fitness enthusiast)
The marathon can humble you.
– Bill Rodgers (Marathon runner)
Every marathon I ran, I knew I had a faster one in me.
– Dick Beardsley (American long-distance runner)
Matthew is a lifelong runner, chief tester of all products, the founder of Running101, and freelance content writer for active brands. When he’s not writing, he enjoys lifting weights, cycling in the Lake District, and watching fast cars drive in circles on a Sunday. He also has a BA in sport, exercise and physical activity from the University of Durham.
