“No one knows the fear in a front runner's mind more than me. When you set off at a cracking pace for four or five laps and find that your main rivals are still breathing down your neck, that's when you start to panic.” KnowsMindStillsRunningFiveFourFrontsBreathingNecksPacePanicRunnersRivalsLapInspirational Running Author:Ron Clarke
“I limbered up just a little before entering the stadium, and even so I felt a twinge in my thigh, no doubt the fruit of my imagination. And I went back to the massage room so that my faithful Morizot could take the trouble off my muscles. This soothed me considerably and I thought I was back to a normal state until somebody summoned me to the starting line. It was like feeling a blade go through my flesh.” LittlesStatesFeelingsRunningFeltImaginationLinesRoomsDoubtTroubleNormalFruitStartingFleshFaithfulNo DoubtMusclesEnteringMy ImaginationBladesStadiumsInspirational RunningThighsMassage Author:Jules Ladoumegue
“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.” WorldFeelsKindBigsRunningRoomsRaceQuietAssumingAthleteDenyOpponentsMealsLiarsNervesRunnersDispositionInspirational RunningAll AloneStatureDistance RunnerDistance Running Author:Gordon Pirie
“The new Kenyans. There are always new Kenyans.” RunningInspirational Running Author:Noureddine Morceli
“Fear is the strongest driving-force in competition. Not fear of one's opponent, but of the skill and high standard which he represents; fear, too, of not acquitting oneself well. In the achievement of greater performances, of beating formidable rivals, the athlete defeats fear and conquers himself.” WellsMotivationalRunningForceGreaterSkillsAchievementStandardsPerformancesCompetitionDefeatAthleteOneselfDrivingConquerOpponentsStrongestMarathonRivalsInspirational RunningFormidableHigh StandardsDriving ForceDistance RunningCross Country Running Author:Franz Stampfl
“You can actually suffer a little bit more going slowly than when you're going really fast. A faster marathon might even be easier than a slow one, in terms of what it takes out of you mentally.” LittlesMightRunningSufferingBitsTermEasierLittle BitFasterMarathonInspirational Running Author:Frank Shorter
“When I came to New York in 1978, I was a full-time school teacher and track runner, and determined to retire from competitive running. But winning the New York City Marathon kept me running for another decade.” RunningSchoolWinningCitiesTeacherNew YorkTrackDeterminedDecadesNew York CityRetiringRunnersMarathonInspirational RunningSchool TeachersTrack Runners Author:Grete Waitz
“Whether we athletes liked it or not, the 4-minute mile had become rather like an Everest: a challenge to the human spirit, it was a barrier that seemed to defy all attempts to break it, an irksome reminder that men's striving might be in vain.” MenHumansMightRunningSpiritChallengesBreakMinutesStriveAthleteMilesVainBarriersHuman SpiritRemindersInspirational RunningEverest Author:Roger Bannister
“There was nothing unusual about my victory. The entire story was back in eighth place. There is simply no way to imagine how good Jim Ryun is or how far he will go after he becomes an adult. What he did was more significant than Roger Bannister's first mile under 4 minutes.” WayFirstsStoriesRunningImagineMinutesVictoryAdultsMilesSignificantUnusualRogerInspirational Running Author:Dyrol Burleson