Running a marathon has been described as challenging, exhausting, and even impossible. It’s never been described as easy, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. All you need is some inspiration to fuel up your energy before your next run.
Here’s a collection of Marathon Running Quotes to keep you looking forward to the race!
Inspirational Marathon Running Quotes
- “The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can’t dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon.” -Fred Lebow, co-founder of the New York City Marathon
- “You should run your first marathon for the right reasons, because you’ll never be the same person again. You must want to do it, not do it because your boss did it or your spouse did it. -Bill Wenmark
- “The key to running a good marathon is to not listen to anyone’s advice the last week before the race. That’s when people tend to do stupid things that disrupt all the input and training of the previous months.” -Don Kardong
- Running 26 miles is a feat that truly stretches a human being. At the 20-mile mark, someone has said, the race is half over. Almost anyone can run 20 miles, but the last six are the equivalent of 20 more. Here the runner finds himself pushed to the absolute limit. And therefore needs to call on those hidden reserves, to use all the fidelity and courage and endurance he has.” -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 winner of World Marathon Championships, 1983
- “A marathoner is a marathoner regardless of time. Virtually everyone who tries the marathon has put in training over months, and it is that exercise and that commitment, physical and mental, that gives meaning to the medal, not just the day’s effort, be it fast or slow. It’s all in conquering the challenge.” -Mary R. Wittenberg, New York Road Runners
- “There will be days you don’t think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have.” -Unknown
- “My goal has always been to slow down as slowly as possible. It’s as simple as that.” -Frank Shorter
- “The thirst you feel in your throat and lungs will be gone minutes after the race is over. The pain in your legs within days, but the glory of your finish will last forever.” -Unknown
- “There are times when you run a marathon and you wonder, Why am I doing this? But you take a drink of water, and around the next bend, you get your wind back, remember the finish line, and keep going.” -Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple
- “That’s the beauty and the horror of the marathon, that it has that sense of, ‘Am I going too fast? Could I blow up? Am I gonna hit the wall?’ And there’s something about overcoming that.” -Ryan Lamppa
- “Why do people run the marathon? Most of us won’t perform on a stage. But whether a person is a world-class athlete or a four-hour runner, the marathon gives us a stage, where we perform and be proud, while millions of people applaud. In an unequal world, in this one endeavor, people of vastly different abilities share something in common: the act of going the distance.” -Fred Lebow
- “Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best.” -Meb Keflezighi, U.S. Olympic Runner
- “Mental toughness doesn’t come from reading a book or listening to a motivational speaker, it’s earned just like your physical fitness. Every time you make that tough decision to go run, you’re building mental toughness. In the marathon, this is mandatory.” -Greg Meyer, 1983 Boston Marathon winner
- “If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” -Kathrine Switzer, women’s marathoning pioneer
- “You can never be sure. That’s what makes the marathon both fearsome and fascinating. The deeper you go into the unknown, the more uncertain you become. But then you finish. And you wonder later, ‘How did I do that?’ This question compels you to keep making the journey from the usual to the magical.” -Joe Henderson
- “That day remains very special to me and if I had one day to live over in my lifetime, it would be my first marathon.” -Dick Traum, New York City Marathon first amputee runner
- “The marathon, how an average runner becomes more than average.” -New Balance
- “Marathons are extraordinarily difficult, but if you’ve got the training under your belt, and if you can run smart, the races take care of themselves. When you have the enthusiasm and the passion, you end up figuring out how to excel.” -Deena Kastor
- “Motivation remains key to the marathon: the motivation to begin; the motivation to continue; the motivation never to quit.”-Hal Higdon, running coach
- “Always concentrate on how far you’ve come, rather than how far you have left to go.” -Anonymous
- “To finish will leave you feeling like a champion and positively change your life.” -Jeff Galloway
- “Only after a marathon can I say I have given everything. Because of the enormity of the attempt, the cleansing of the pain, I can sit, even stiff and blistered, and know a kind of peace. “ -Kenny Moore
- “Nothing hurts more but is so rewarding at the same time.” -Sandy Zanch
- “At mile 20, I thought I was dead. At mile 22, I wished I was dead. At mile 24, I knew I was dead. At mile 26.2, I realized I had become too tough to kill. -Unknown
- “The marathon is an opportunity for redemption. Opportunity, because the outcome is uncertain. Opportunity, because it is up to you, and only you, to make it happen. -Dean Karnazes
- “I don’t think about the miles that are coming down the road, I don’t think about the miles I’m on right now, I don’t think about the miles I’ve already covered. I think about what I’m doing right now, just being lost in the moment.” -Ryan Hall, U.S Olympic marathoner
- “Everything you wanted to know about yourself, you can learn in 26.2 miles.” -Lori Culnane
- “There are no shortcuts in marathoning, so anyone who is a marathoner has worked hard.” -Jeffrey Horowitz
- “A marathon is like life with its ups and downs, but once you have done it, you feel that you can do anything.” -Unknown
- “Finishing a marathon is a state of mind that says anything is possible.”-Unknown
- “You can run 5K races until your dresser drawers overflow with T-shirts, but it is not quite the same as going to the starting line of a marathon.” -Hal Higdon
- “In the first half of the race, don’t be an idiot. In the second half, don’t be a wimp!” -Scott Douglas
- “When you run the marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners and not against the time.” -Haile Gebrselassie
- “Your legs will ache. Your mind will get fuzzy and you’ll just want the thing to be over. But, you must fight. You must keep going just like you did in training runs. Just get to the next mile marker and then the next and so on.” -Greg McMillan
- “Marathons are like having kids. Sometimes you’re not sure why you signed up for it…then in a moment, it all becomes apparent.” -Unknown
- “Every time we go out and race we defy what our body says we should do. Our body screams at us to stop, yet we keep going. We endure and conquer every pain, every doubt that we have. If we apply that same mentality to life, we can overcome any obstacle.” -Kellyn Taylor, Long-distance runner
- “Every marathon I ran, I knew I had a faster one in me.” -Dick Beardsley
- “Of all the races, there is no better stage for heroism than a marathon.” -George Sheehan
- “I would love for everybody in this country to run one marathon a year.” -Gary Muhrcke
- “Marathoning. The triumph of desire over reason.” -New Balance
- “You can keep going and your legs might hurt for a week, or you can quit and your mind will hurt for a lifetime.” -Mark Allen
- “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
- “Learn to run when feeling the pain: then push harder.” -William Sigei.
- “Ask yourself: ‘Can I give more?’ The answer is usually: ‘Yes’.” -Paul Tergat
- “There is a moment in every race. A moment where you can either quit, fold, or say to yourself, ‘I can do this.'” -Gatorade Ad.
- “No marathon gets easier later. The halfway point only marks the end of the beginning.” -Joe Henderson.
- “The marathon never ceases to be a race of joy, a race of wonder.” -Hal Higdon.
- “Toeing the starting line of a marathon, regardless of the language you speak, the God you worship, or the color of your skin, we all stand as equal. Perhaps the world would be a better place if more people ran.” -Dean Karnazes
- “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.” -Emil Zatopek
- “The marathon can humble you.” -Bill Rodgers
- “The starting line of the New York Marathon is kind of like a giant time bomb behind you about to go off. It is the most spectacular start in sport.”-Bill Rodgers
- “Marathon running, for me, was the most controlled test of mettle that I could ever think of. It’s you against Darwin.” -Ryan Reynolds
- “Fear is a very explosive emotion, but it has a short life span. It’s the sprint. The marathon is hope.” -Mike Huckabee
- “To run a big marathon and win takes five months. When I’m on the starting line, my mind starts reviewing what I have been doing the last five months. I believe in my training, and I treat myself as the best one standing on that line.” -Eliud Kipchoge
- “Marathon running, like golf, is a game for players, not winners. That is why Callaway sells golf clubs and Nike sells running shoes. But running is unique in that the world’s best racers are on the same course, at the same time, as amateurs, who have as much chance of winning as your average weekend warrior would scoring a touchdown in the NFL.” -Hunter S. Thompson
- “Running a marathon was important to me, so I found time to train for it. Writing books is also important to me, so you know what? I carve out the time.” -Rachel Hollis
- “In a marathon, if you run too fast, you get exhausted. If you run too slow, you never make it.” -Uday Kotak
- “This is a marathon in life. You can’t be sprinting all the time or else you wear yourself out. You have to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, keeping yourself grounded and not letting every little thing get you worked up.” -Brian Moynihan
- “Where the marathon starts is after 30 kilometers. That’s where you feel pain everywhere in your body. The muscles are really aching, and only the most prepared and well-organized athlete is going to do well after that.” -Eliud Kipchoge
- “They don’t give you gold medals for beating somebody. They give you gold medals for beating everybody.” -Michael Johnson
Marathon Running Quotes About Training
- “There’s a complete difference between training for a specific event and goal and just training.” -Michael Johnson
- “Thinking about your training should put a smile on your face. As cliche as it sounds, you are worth all the time and energy you’ve put in. Unleash your emotions with a cheer, or even a signature roar, after a tough workout.” -Summer Sanders
- “I dare you to train for a marathon, and not have it change your life.” -Susan Sidoriak
- “It is difficult to train for a marathon, but it is even more difficult to not be able to train for a marathon.” -Aaron Douglas Trimble
- “Aiming for the marathon is a task of sorts which can include terrific highs and lows.” -Bill Rodgers.
- “You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.” -Frank Shorter.
- “The marathon is not really about the marathon, it’s about the shared struggle. And it’s not only the marathon but the training.” -Bill Buffum.
- “All you need is the courage to believe in yourself and put one foot in front of the other.” -Kathrine Switzer.
- “I believe you’ll develop speed via strength work which includes hill running, either repeats, or running hilly courses as the Kenyans do on a steady basis.” –Bill Rodgers
Final Thoughts On The Best Marathon Running Quotes
All professional runners and coaches have something to say about marathons. Being able to relate to them provides a sense of reassurance. If they too think marathons are hard, then it’s okay to feel that way. It’s always good to see how accomplished people think!