Inspiring Track and Field Quotes to Fuel Your Passion

"You didn't beat me. You merely finished in front of me."

- Hal Higdon

"Fast running isn't forced. You have to relax and let the run come out of you."

- Desiree Linden

"No marathon gets easier later. The halfway point only marks the end of the beginning."

- Joe Henderson

"No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life's most rewarding experiences."

- George Sheehan

"If you feel bad at 10 miles, you're in trouble. If you feel bad at 20 miles, you're normal. If you don't feel bad at 26 miles, you're abnormal."

- Rob de Castella

"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."

- Deena Kastor

"A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they're capable of understanding."

- Steve Prefontaine

"One skill that separates good from almost-good runners is an ability to concentrate for an entire race, whether it is a mile or a marathon."

- Kara Goucher

"What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate."

- John Bingham

"For me, races are the celebration of my training."

- Dan Browne

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up."

- Dean Karnazes

"Every race is a question, and I never know until the last yards what the answer will be. That's the lure of racing."

- Joe Henderson

"The best motivation always comes from within."

- Michael Johnson

"Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running."

- Julie Isphording

"There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner."

- Dean Karnazes

"If you can't accept losing, you can't win."

- Vince Lombardi

"Our running shoes have magic in them. The power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; chocolate cake into muscle."

- Mina Samuels

"Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records."

- William Arthur Ward

"The real purpose of running isn't to win a race. It's to test the limits of the human heart."

- Bill Bowerman

"Nothing, not even pain, lasts forever. If I can just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I will eventually get to the end."

- Kim Cowart

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward."

- Vernon Sanders Law

"Act like a horse. Be dumb. Just run."

- Jumbo Elliot

"I think I get addicted to the feelings associated with the end of a long run. I love feeling empty, clean, worn out, and sweat-purged. I love that good ache of the muscles that have done me proud."

- Kristin Armstrong

"Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement."

- Charles F. Kettering

"Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter."

- Dan Reeves

"You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back."

- Steve Prefontaine

"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe."

- Muhammad Ali

"The nine inches right here; set it straight and you can beat anybody in the world."

- Sebastian Coe

"Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision."

- Muhammad Ali

"Running is alone time that lets my brain unspool the tangles that build up over days. I run, pound it out on the pavement, channel that energy into my legs, and when I'm done with my run, I'm done with it."

- Rob Haneisen

"Don't dream of winning, train for it!"

- Mo Farah

"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way."

- Babe Ruth

"Your goal is simple: Finish. Experience your first race, don’t race it."

- Bob Glover

"Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up."

- Amby Burfoot

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

- Tom Fleming

"I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible. From the air, fast down, and from the ground, fast up."

- Jesse Owens

"It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit."

- George Sheehan

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

- Sara Hall

"Scientists have proven that it’s impossible to long-jump 30 feet, but I don’t listen to that kind of talk. Thoughts like that have a way of sinking into your feet."

- Carl Lewis

"To be number one, you have to train like you’re number two."

- Maurice Greene

"If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a board and knock me down, because that means I didn’t run hard enough."

- Steve Jones

"The gun goes off and everything changes… the world changes… and nothing else really matters."

- Patti Sue Plummer

"There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people."

- Bill Bowerman

"Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter; long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best."

- Michael Johnson

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

- John Bingham

"Fear is gradually replaced by excitement and a simple desire to see what you can do on the day."

- Lauren Fleshman

"It doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."

- Fred Lebow

"When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown, you learn things about yourself that are very exciting."

- Doris Brown Heritage

"Good health, peace of mind, being outdoors, camaraderie: those are all wonderful things that come to you when running. But for me, the real pull of running—the proverbial icing on the cake—has always been racing."

- Bill Rodgers

"Big occasions and races which have been eagerly anticipated almost to the point of dread, are where great deeds can be accomplished."

- Jack Lovelock

"I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself."

- Meb Keflezighi

"Why race? The need to be tested, perhaps; the need to take risks; and the chance to be number one."

- George Sheehan

"Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine."

- John Trautmann

"I'm always nervous. If I wasn't nervous, it would be weird. I get the same feeling at all the big races. It's part of the routine, and I accept it. It means I'm there and I'm ready."

- Allyson Felix

"My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble."

- Bill Rodgers

"Racing is the fun part; it's the reward of all the hard work."

- Kara Goucher

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

- Todd Williams

"My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: 'Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you'll win.'"

- Carl Lewis

"I love controlling a race, chewing up an opponent. Let's get down and dirty. Let's fight it out. It's raw, animalistic, with no one to rely on but yourself. There's no better feeling than that."

- Adam Goucher

"I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."

- Steve Prefontaine

"Let's just say it and be done with it. Racing hurts. But here's another truth: having put in the effort to prepare for a race and then not giving it your all hurts even more. The first kind of hurt goes away in hours or a day. The second kind of hurt can last a lifetime."

- Larry Shapiro

"Different people have different reasons for racing, but one is simply the incentive to get out and run, increase mileage, and feel good."

- Hal Higdon

"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."

- Desiree Linden

"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort."

- Jesse Owens

"Racing is an escape from society. From symbols of status, and self-perception. A chance to just be. For everyone to just be, with each other."

- Erin Beresini

"My times become slower and slower, but the experience of the race is unchanged: each race a drama, each race a challenge, each race stretching me in one way or another, and each race telling me more about myself and others."

- George Sheehan

"Running is in my blood—the adrenaline flows before the races, the love/hate of butterflies in your stomach."

- Marcus O'Sullivan

"It's just as important to remember that each footstrike carries you forward, not backward. And every time you put on your running shoes you are different in come way than you were the day before. This is all good news."

- John Bingham

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about."

- Patti Sue Plummer

"Worrying gets you nowhere. If you turn up worrying about how you’re going to perform, you’ve already lost. Train hard, turn up, run your best and the rest will take care of itself."

- Usain Bolt

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination."

- Usain Bolt

"We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort."

- Jesse Owens

"Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle."

- Sanya Richards-Ross

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."

- Colin Powell

"Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter: long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best."

- Michael Johnson

"The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible."

- Joel Brown

"The only real limitation is the one you set for yourself."

- Ashton Eaton

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're right."

- Henry Ford

"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does."

- Serena Williams

"The only true limitation is the one you set for yourself."

- Usain Bolt

"The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning."

- Pele

"The rewards are going to come, but my happiness is just loving the sport and having fun performing."

- Jackie Joyner-Kersee

"My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you'll win... channel your energy. Focus."

- Carl Lewis

"I am a big believer in visualization. I run through my races mentally so that I feel even more prepared."

- Allyson Felix

"When you finally realize your gifts and talents, joy and satisfaction come as you walk in your purpose."

- Sanya Richards-Ross

"Don't worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow."

- Oprah Winfrey

"The more I train, the more I realize that it's not about the medals. It's about the journey and the person I become."

- Allyson Felix

"One of the main techniques I used was focusing on the goal and visualizing myself competing in the race before the race started."

- Michael Johnson

"If you don't have confidence, you'll always find a way not to win."

- Carl Lewis

"Before a race, I block out what's going on in the stadium. It's different for everyone. But for me, I've always been able to block it out. For a sprint race, it's important not to get distracted."

- Allyson Felix

"You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy."

- Arthur Ashe

"I know what I can do so it doesn’t bother me what other people think or their opinion on the situation."

- Usain Bolt

"I was told over and over again that I would never be successful, that I was not going to be competitive and the technique was simply not going to work. All I could do was shrug and say "We'll just have to see.""

- Dick Fosbury

"Life can lure us into this fantasy. A fantasy of fear. We look around and begin to fear we aren’t good enough for the right here and right now, so we create illusions in our minds of what we still need to be — when all we need to be is present in this moment, at this time."

- Sanya Richards-Ross

"The only thing that matters is the finish line."

- Mary Cain

"I don’t think limits."

- Usain Bolt

"Kill them with success and bury them with a smile."

- Usain Bolt

"If you want to run, then run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon."

- Emil Zatopek

"The more I run, the more I like it, and the more I like myself."

- Patience Lister

"The mind is absolutely instrumental in achieving results, even for athletes. Sports psychology is a very small part, but it's extremely important when you're winning and losing races by hundredths and even thousandths of a second."

- Michael Johnson

"I always want to give more than I gave yesterday."

- Allyson Felix

"I don’t train. I just run my 3-15 miles a day."

- Jack Foster

"Nothing will work unless you do."

- Maya Angelou

"I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability."

- Bruce Jenner

"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny."

- C.S. Lewis

"It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close."

- Jesse Owens

"Friendships are born on the field of athletic strife and the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust."

- Jesse Owens

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Tough times never last, but tough people do."

- Robert Schuller

"Luck? Sure. But only after long practice and only with the ability to think under pressure."

- Babe Didrikson Zaharias

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best."

- Tim Duncan

"Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there."

- Will Rogers

"You owe it to yourself to be the best you can possibly be - in baseball and in life."

- Pete Rose

"Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like muscles of the body."

- Lynn Jennings

"Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it and you'll start believing it."

- Jesse Owens

"True disputants are like true sportsmen: their whole delight is in the pursuit."

- Alexander Pope

"Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game."

- Donald Trump

"To begin, begin."

- Peter Nivio Zarlenga

"To succeed…You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you."

- Tony Dorsett

"If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."

- Thomas Alva Edison

"Sweat is the cologne of accomplishment."

- Heywood Hale Broun

"Relax? How can anybody relax and play golf? You have to grip the club, don't you?"

- Ben Hogan

"A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety."

- Aesop

"Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong."

- Peter T. McIntyre

"The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday."