Motivation Follow These 10 Inspirational Quotes From Famous Runners By Christine Luff, ACE-CPT Christine Luff, ACE-CPT LinkedIn Twitter Christine Many Luff is a personal trainer, fitness nutrition specialist, and Road Runners Club of America Certified Coach. Learn about our editorial process Updated on September 29, 2021 Fact checked Verywell Fit content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Shereen Lehman, MS Fact checked by Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial process Print People run for different reasons. Most do it because of the health benefits they can gain. Others choose to run because it provides them a clear set of goals that they can meet and then exceed. Some run to race and others to socialize or be out in the open air. What all runners share, however, is a singular sense of accomplishment. Running outside is a far different experience from, say, running on a treadmill and pedaling away in a spin class. Running gets you from here to there and epitomizes what the sport is all about: the journey. Perhaps the biggest challenge of running is not our bodies but our mental state. This is when a little motivation can provide the inspirational kick we need to lace up our running shoes and get out there. Here are 10 quotes designed to do just that. Joan Benoit, 1984 Gold Medal Olympian Joe Kennedy/Getty Images "There’s not a better feeling than when you have found that moment of balance and harmony when both running and life come together. Then you know why you run and that you couldn’t live without it." Bill Rodgers, Four-Time Boston Marathon Champ Koen Suyk/Anefo "The advice I have for beginners is the same philosophy that I have for runners of all levels of experience and ability: consistency, a sane approach, moderation, and making your running an enjoyable, rather than dreaded, part of your life." Running Tips for Beginners John J. Kelley, 1957 Boston Marathon Champ Boston Globe/Getty Images "We runners are all a little nutty, but we're good people who just want to enjoy our healthy, primitive challenge. Others may not understand running, but we do, and we cherish it. That's our only message." Grete Waitz, Nine-Time NY Marathon Champ Tom Duffy/Getty Images "For every finish-line tape a runner breaks—complete with the cheers of the crowd and the clicking of hundreds of cameras—there are the hours of hard and often lonely work that rarely gets talked about." 26 Reasons to Run a Marathon Steve Prefontaine, Holder of Seven World Records Ed Lacey/Popperfoto/Getty Images "Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." Deena Kastor, 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist Ambibro "The beauty of running is its simplicity; the beauty of runners is that we all have a similar drive to improve. We are either trying to run a personal best or toeing the line for the first time, which will snowball into a future of trying to run personal bests. We road racers are a tight community of mileage-happy, limit-pushing athletes.” What Is a PR and How Do I Get One? Wilma Rudolph, Three-Time Olympic Gold Champ Bettman "Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us." Jesse Owens, Four-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Popperfoto/Getty Image "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." How to Improve Cardiorespiratory Endurance Billy Mills, Gold Medal Olympian Historic Archives U.S. Marine Corps "The ultimate is not to win, but to reach within the depths of your capabilities and to compete against yourself to the greatest extent possible. When you do that, you have dignity. You have the pride. You can walk about with character and pride no matter in what place you happen to finish." Florence Griffith Joyner, Three-Time Gold Olympian Focus on Sports/Getty Images "When anyone tells me I can't do anything, I'm just not listening anymore." Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit