We have inspirational running quotes, funny running quotes and those that make you think about all distances that people run. As coaches we like to learn from any source that we can, as the more we learn, the better we coach. You may also find inspiration from some of them to help you with your running and your training.

Sprinters Quotes

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

• I started running in high school. I found out if you run fast then you can get girls. Kim Collins
• To be number one, you have to train like your number two. Maurice Greene
• 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
• 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
• When the gun shoots, you got to go. Ato Boldon
• When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. Now what's the difference? Jesse Owens
• If Diane Modahl was 40 times over the testosterone limit she'd have a deep voice and we'd all be calling her Barry White. Tony Jarrett

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Middle Distance Runners Quotes

I became a great runner because if you're a kid in Leeds and your name is Sebastian you've got to become a great runner. Sebastian Coe

• I was pushed by myself because I have my own rule, and that is that every day I run faster, and try harder.Wilson Kipketer after being asked is the $50,000 prize on offer tempted him to break the world record.
• It is a paradox to say the human body has no limit. There must be a limit to the speed at which men can run. I feel this may be around 3:30 for the mile. However, another paradox remains - if an athlete manages to run 3:30, another runner could be found to marginally improve on that time. Roger Bannister
• I've always felt that long, slow distance produces long, slow runners. Sebastian Coe
• I was 12 when I started and 34 before I achieved my dream, that should give people hope. Kelly Holmes
• 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 jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable." Roger Bannister
• The decathlon is nine Mickey Mouse events and the 1500 metres. Steve Ovett
• World records are only borrowed. Sebastian Coe
• Sometimes, when I walk out onto the track I think, 'What am I doing here? Why do I put myself through this?' But that's when you really get into your focus ... you focus on the race you are going to run. Kelly Holmes
• If a man coaches himself, then he has only himself to blame when he is beaten. Roger Bannister
• The greatest stimulator of my running career was fear. Herb Elliot

Long Distance Runners Quotes

The will to win means nothing if you haven't the will to prepare. Juma Ikangaa

• 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
• Learn to run when feeling the pain: then push harder. William Sigei
• 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
• Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge. David Bedford
• School cross country runs started because the rugby pitches were flooded. There was an alternative: extra studying. This meant there were plenty of runners on sports afternoons. Gordon Pirie
• I prefer to remain in blissful ignorance of the opposition. That way I'm not frightened by anyone's reputation. Ian Thompson
• You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming. Frank Shorter
• I'm never going to run this again. Grete Waitz after the first of nine NYC Marathons.
• Ask yourself: "Can I give more?". The answer is usually: "Yes". Paul Tergat
• I ran for myself, not Finland. Paavo Nurmi
• The only tactics I admire are do-or-die. Herb Elliot
• First is first, and second is nowhere. Ian Stewart
• Mind is everything: muscle--pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind. Paavo Nurmi
• Hills are speedwork in disguise. Frank Shorter

Running Coaches Quotes

A coach can be like an oasis in the desert of a runner's lost enthusiasm. Ken Doherty

• As far as being a coach, it's always fascinated me. It's a greater responsibility than most people give it credit for because you're dealing with people. Steve Prefontaine
• Everybody and their mother knows you don't train hard on Friday, the day before a race. But a lot of runners will overtrain on Thursday if left on their own. Thursday is the most dangerous day of the week. Marty Stern
• The thinking must be done first, before training begins. Peter Coe

Commentators Quotes

There goes Juantorena down the back straight, opening his legs and showing his class David Coleman

• >Moses Kiptanui - the 19 year old Kenyan, who turned 20 a few weeks ago. David Coleman

Other Quotes on Running

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop. Lewis Carroll

• Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it. Oprah Winfrey
• Jogging is for people who aren't intelligent enough to watch television. Victoria Wood