270 Running Quotes: Funny, Motivational, & Inspirational

Updated 3/7/24

Let’s be honest, even if you love running, there are times when you just don’t feel like hitting the pavement. Sometimes, you need a little extra motivation.

Aside from actually being chased, one of the best ways to get inspired is by reading motivational or funny running quotes. We’ve compiled a massive list of 270 quotes to help you find the motivation you need. Dive in and get inspired to lace up and run!

Don’t feel like running today?

Well, if it’s because you’re worried about the sun hurting your eyes or that you don’t look stylish enough and the other runners will make fun of you, we have you covered – in the case of your eyes, literally.

Otherwise, we also have 161 motivational running quotes to get you going.

1. “As a runner, you have to face the truth about yourself on a regular basis, and it makes you more honest. You can’t pretend to be faster than you are. You can’t pretend that you are better prepared than you are. You cannot pretend to be a runner; you actually have to run.” – John Bingham
2. “A 12 minute mile is just as far as a 6 minute mile.” – Unknown Runner
3. “Go as long as you can, and then take another step.” – Unknown Runner
4. “I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run…to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.” – Dean Karnazes
5. “I’m often asked what I think about as I run. Usually, the people who ask this have never run long distances themselves. I always ponder the question. What exactly do I think about when I’m running? I don’t have a clue.” – Haruki Murakami
6. “In running, every step you make and every push forward changes you—it transforms you into a different person. Every single run adds something to you and then it also takes something away. You are not the same person you were at the starting line and by the time you cross the finish line, your inner self has been reinvented and reimagined.” – Zen of Running
7. “Just because your muscles start to protest doesn’t mean you have to listen.” – from the “Runner's High” Day-to-Day Calendar
8. “Never limit where running can take you. I mean that geographically, spiritually, and of course, physically.” – Bart Yasso
9. “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
10. “Remember, the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running.” – Sarah Condor
11. “Running is a road to self-awareness and reliance – you can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitations or coast quietly down a solitary path watching the earth spin beneath your feet.” – Doris Brown Heritage
12. “Shut up legs. We got this.” – Unknown Runner
13. “Some people train knowing they’re not working as hard as other people. I can’t fathom how they think.” – Alberto Salazar
14. “Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself – expanding and learning as you go – you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.” – Dean Karnazes
15. “The Hopis consider running a form of prayer; they offer every step as a sacrifice to a loved one, and in return ask the Great Spirit to match their strength with some of his own.” – Christopher McDougall
16. “Your mind will quit a thousand times before your body will. Feel the fear and do it anyway!” – Unknown Runner
17. “A year from now you will wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
18. “Fast running isn't forced. You have to relax and let the run come out of you.” – Desiree Linden
19. “Good things come slow, especially in distance running.” – Bill Dellinger
20. “I always tell my athletes, don’t confuse difficulty with failure.” – Eric Orton
21. “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 my proud.” – Kristin Armstrong
22. “If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you.” – Fred DeVito
23. “Never underestimate the power that one good workout can have on your mind. Keeping the dream alive is half the battle.” – Kara Goucher
24. “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong
25. “Run like hell and get the agony over with.” – Clarence DeMar
26. “Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is life well lived.” – Dean Karnazes
27. “Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible.” – Doug Larson
28. “The human spirit is indomitable. No one can ever say you must not run faster than this or jump higher than that. There will never be a time when the human spirit will not be able to better existing records.” – Sir Roger Bannister
29. “The voice in your head that says that you can’t do this is a liar.” – Unknown Runner

30. “There’s not one body type that equates to success. Accept the body you have and be the best you can be with it.” – Mary Cullen
31. “Try jogging when following your heart, it’s healthier.” – Benny Bellamacina
32. “We all have bad days and bad workouts, when running gets ugly, when split times seem slow, when you wonder why you started. It will pass.” – Hal Higdon
33. “We run when we’re scared, we run when we’re ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.” – Christopher McDougall
34. “What I’ve learned from running is that the time to push hard is when you’re hurting like crazy and you want to give up. Success is often just around the corner.” – James Dyson
35. “When your legs get tired, run with your heart.” – Unknown Runner
36. “Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.” – Tim Noakes
37. “As athletes we have ups and downs. Unfortunately, you can’t pick the days they come on.” – Leena Kastor
38. “Even if there were two of me, I still couldn’t do all that has to be done. No matter what, though, I keep up my running. Running every day is a kind of lifeline for me, so I’m not going to lay off or quit just because I’m busy. If I used being busy as an excuse not to run, I’d never run again. I have only a few reasons to keep on running, and a truckload of them to quit. All I can do is keep those few reasons nicely polished.” – Haruki Murakami
39. “Every day is a good day when you run.” – Kevin Nelson
40. “I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.” – Ronald Rook
41. “If you want to change your body, exercise. If you want to change your life, become a runner.” – Unknown Runner
42. “I'll be happy if running and I can grow old together.” – Haruki Murakami
43. “Make sure your worst enemy doesn't live between your own two ears.” – Laird Hamilton
44. “No matter how slow you go you are still lapping everyone on the couch.” – Unknown Runner
45. “One run can change your day. Many runs can change your life.” – Unknown Runner
46. “People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any length to live longer. But I don’t think that’s the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running…” – Haruki Murakami
47. “Running allows me to set my mind free. Nothing seems impossible. Nothing unattainable.” – Kara Goucher
48. “Running is a thing worth doing not because of the future rewards it bestows, but because of how it feeds our bodies and minds and souls in the present.” – Kevin Nelson
49. “Some seek the comfort of their therapist's office, other head to the corner pub and dive into a pint, but I chose running as my therapy.” – Dean Karnazes
50. “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham
51. “The nine inches right here; set it straight and you can beat anybody in the world.” – Sebastian Coe
52. “There are clubs you can’t belong to, neighbors you can’t live in, schools you can’t get into, but the roads are always open.” – NIKE
53. “Tough runs don’t last; tough runners do.” – Unknown Runner
54. “What is the source of my success? I think it’s a combination of consistency and balance.” – Mark Allen
55. “You are truly your own hero in running. It is up to you to have the responsibility and self–discipline to get the job done.” – Adam Goucher
56. “Your body provides you with constant feedback that can help improve your running performance while minimizing biomechanical stress. Learn to differentiate between the discomfort of effort and the pain of injury. When you practice listening, you increase competence in persevering through the former and responding with respect and compassion to the latter.” – Gina Greenlee
57. “All I do is keep on running in my own cozy, homemade void, my own nostalgic silence. And this is a pretty wonderful thing. No matter what anybody else says.” – Haruki Murakami
58. “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle – when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.” – Christopher McDougall

59. “Every run is a work of art, a drawing on each day’s canvas. Some runs are shouts and some runs are whispers. Some runs are eulogies and others, celebrations.” – Dagny Scott Barrios
60. “I didn’t feel like running today. Which is exactly why I went.” – Unknown Runner
61. “If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.” – John Bingham
62. “It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.” – Emil Zatopek
63. “Look in the mirror. That is your competition.” – Unknown Runner
64. “Once you're beat mentally, you might as well not even go to the starting line.” – Todd Williams
65. “Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running.” – Julie Isphording
66. “Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?” – Peter Maher
67. “That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.” – Kara Goucher
68. “The more I run, the more I love my body. Not because it’s perfect, far from it, but because with every mile it is proving to me that I am capable of more than I ever thought possible.” – Unknown
69. “The secret to a long and healthy life is to be stress-free. Be grateful for everything you have, stay away from people who are negative stay smiling, and keep running.” – Fauja Singh
70. “There is nothing so momentary as a sporting achievement, and nothing so lasting as the memory of it.” – Greg Dening
71. “What was the secret, they wanted to know; in a thousand different ways they wanted to know The Secret. And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared, to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with that most un-profound and sometimes heart – rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes. The Trial of Miles, Miles of Trials. How could they be expected to understand that?” – John L. Parker, Jr.
72. “You should be running.” – Liz Sherman
73. “As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are.” – Joan Benoit Samuelson
74. “Don’t fear moving slowly forward…fear standing still.” – Kathleen Harris
75. “Don't stop when you're tired. Stop when you are done.” – Unknown Runner
76. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammad Ali
77. “I'm often asked what I think about as I run. Usually the people who ask this have never run long distances themselves. I always ponder the question. What exactly do I think about when I'm running? I don't have a clue.” – Haruki Murakami
78. “It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination.” – John Bingham
79. “Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second.” – William James
80. “On your good days, run hard. On your bad days, run as long as you need.” – Unknown Runner
81. “Patience is the key which solves all problems.” – Sudanese Proverb
82. “People think I'm crazy to put myself through such torture, though I would argue otherwise. Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness. Dostoyevsky had it right: 'Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness.' Never are my senses more engaged than when the pain sets in. There is a magic in misery. Just ask any runner.” – Dean Karnazes
83. “Running is my meditation, mind flush, cosmic telephone, mood elevator and spiritual communion.” – Lorraine Moller
84. “Someone who is busier than you is running right now.” – Nike
85. “The pain of running relieves the pain of living.” – Jacqueline Simon Gunn
86. “Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” – Dean Karnazes
87. “There are many challenges to long distance running, but one of the greatest is the question of where to put one’s house keys.” – Gabrielle Zevin
88. “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
89. “What seems hard now will one day be your warmup.” – Unknown Runner
90. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor

91. “A one hour run is 4% of your day. No excuses.” – Unknown Runner
92. “Even when you have gone as far as you can, and everything hurts, and you are staring at the specter of self-doubt, you can find a bit more strength deep inside you, if you look closely enough.” – Hal Higdon
93. “Fear is gradually replaced by excitement and a simple desire to see what you can do on the day.” – Lauren Fleshman
94. “Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.” – Jimmy Buffett
95. “I succeed on my own personal motivation, dedication, and commitment. My mindset is, 'if I'm not out there training…someone else is.” – Lynn Jennings
96. “I’ve learned that it’s what you do with the miles, rather than how many you’ve run” – Rod DeHaven
97. “It’s my own space, my own time, when I’m just out there letting my thoughts go. It’s part of my day like eating, and it’s one of my favorite parts.” – Louise Kent
98. “Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like the muscles of the body.” – Lynn Jennings
99. “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
100. “Running is nothing more than a series of arguments between the part of your brain that wants to stop and the part that wants to keep going.” – Unknown Runner
101. “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
102. “The thoughts that occur to me while I’m running are like clouds in the sky. Clouds of all different sizes. They come and they go, while the sky remains the same sky always. The clouds are mere guests in the sky that pass away and vanish, leaving behind the sky.” – Haruki Murakami
103. “Today I will do what others won’t so tomorrow I can do what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice
104. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
105. “When it’s pouring rain and you’re bowling along through the wet, there’s satisfaction in knowing you’re out there and the others aren’t.” – Peter Snell
106. “Yes, I am round. Yes, I am slow. Yes, I run as though my legs are tied together at the knees. But I am running. And that is all that matters.” – John Bingham

107. “You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. 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.” – Steve Prefontaine
108. “As we run, we become.” – Amby Burfoot
109. “Crossing the starting line may be an act of courage but crossing the finish line is an act of faith. Faith is what keeps us going when nothing else will. Faith is the emotion that will give you victory over your past, the demons in your soul, and all of those voices that tell you what you can and cannot do and can and cannot be.” – John Bingham
110. “Don’t dream of winning, train for it!” – Mo Farah
111. “I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.” – Bart Yasso
112. “It’s not so much that I began to run, but that I continued.” – Hal Higdon

113. “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
114. ““My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy.” – John Bryant
115. “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” – Haruki Murakami
116. “Running is my private time, my therapy, my religion.” – Gail W. Kislevitz
117. “Running is real and relatively simple… but it ain’t easy.” – Mark Will–Weber
118. “The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long–distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.” – Haruki Murakami
119. “The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.” – Juma Ikangaa
120. “There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner.” – Dean Karnazes
121. “We are designed to run, and we increase our chance of daily happiness when we do so.” – Jeff Galloway
122. “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
123. “You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face.” – Gatorade
124. “Running teaches us to keep moving forward, one step at a time, especially in the most painful moments.” – Unknown Runner
125. “As a runner, you have to face the truth about yourself on a regular basis, and it makes you more honest. You can’t pretend to be faster than you are. You can’t pretend that you are better prepared than you are. You cannot pretend to be a runner. You actually have to run.” – John Bingham
126. “Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.” – William Arthur Ward
127. “Ever tried. Ever failed. No Matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett
128. “I can't imagine living and not running.” – Paula Radcliffe
129. “I’ll be happy if running and I can grow old together.” – Haruki Murakami
130. “If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.” – Hippocrates
131. “If you don’t think you were born to run, you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are.” – Christopher McDougall
132. “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
133. “Life equals running and when we stop running maybe that’s how we’ll know life is finally finished.” – Patrick Ness
134. “Long distance running is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.” – Rich Davis
135. “Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.” – George S. Patton
136. “Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” – Matt Biondi
137. “Running became the one event in my daily life that I looked forward to. Books and movies paled in comparison to the refuge of my feet slapping patiently in the fresh morning air” – Kate Kinsey
138. “Running isn't a sport for pretty boys...It's about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. It’s the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It's about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It's about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It's about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there's not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you've finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that's all that you can ask for.” – Paul Maurer
139. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and, most of all, LOVE of what you are doing.” – Pele
140. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius
141. “The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life.” – George Sheehan
142. “The freedom of Cross Country is so primitive. It’s woman vs. nature.” ― Lynn Jennings
143. “We all know that if you run, you are pretty much choosing a life of success because of it.” – Deena Kastor
144. “You didn't beat me. You merely finished in front of me.” – Hal Higdon
145. “Ask yourself: “Can I give more?” The answer is usually: “Yes.” – Paul Tergat

146. “But you can’t muscle through a five-hour run that way; you have to relax into it like easing your body into a hot bath, until it no longer resists the shock and begins to enjoy it.” – Christopher McDougall
147. “Clear your mind of can’t.” – Samuel Johnson
148. “I run . . . I’m slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter, but I run.” – Unknown Runner
149. “It's just as important to remember that each foot strike 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
150. “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.” – Oprah Winfrey
151. “Running releases more than just sweat.” – Asics
152. “There is something magical about running; after a certain distance, it transcends the body. Then a bit further, it transcends the mind. A bit further yet, and what you have before you, laid bare, is the soul.” – Kristin Armstrong
153. “We run to undo the damage we’ve done to body and spirit. We run to find some part of ourselves yet undiscovered.” – John Bingham
154. “Be somebody nobody thought you could be.” – Unknown Runner
155. “But I also realize that winning doesn’t always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.” Meb Keflezighi
156. “I run because I can. When I get tired, I remember those who can't run, what they would give to have this simple gift I take for granted, and I run harder for them. I know they would do the same for me.” – Unknown Runner
157. “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy… I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” – Art Williams
158. “It's very hard at 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, M.D.
159. “Running! If there’s any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can’t think of what it might be.” – Joyce Carol Oates
160. “There will come a day when I can no longer run. Today is not that day.” – Unknown Runner
161. "Run like hell and get the agony over with." – Clarence DeMar

So, you’ve decided to test your mettle as a runner and sign up for a marathon or maybe some other type of race.

Look.

You got this.

Probably.

All you need to do is keep practicing, stay positive, and find some inspiration in some of these quotes about marathons and races.

1. “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
2. “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
3. “After joyfully working each morning, I would leave off around midday to challenge myself to a footrace. Speeding along the sunny paths of the Jardin du Luxembourg, ideas would breed like aphids in my head – for a creative invention is easy and sublime when air cycles quickly through the lungs and the body is busy at noble tasks.” – Roman Payne
4. “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
5. “Big occasions and races which have been eagerly anticipated almost to the point of dread, are where great deeds can be accomplished.” – Jack Lovelock
6. “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
7. “For me, races are the celebration of my training.” – Dan Browne
8. “For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level. I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary – or perhaps more like mediocre – level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.” – Haruki Murakami
9. “Get going … walk if you have to, but finish the damned race.” – Ron Hill
10. “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
11. “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
12. “In any race, when the first half is all about pacing, the second half will be about passing.” – Hayden Shearman
13. “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
14. “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
15. “Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.” – Steve Prefontaine
16. “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
17. “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
18. “No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life's most rewarding experiences.” – George Sheehan
19. “Run the first two-thirds of the race with your head and the last third with your heart.” – Unknown Runner
20. “Running is in my blood – the adrenaline flows before the races, the love/hate of butterflies in your stomach.” – Marcus O'Sullivan
21. “The real purpose of running isn't to win a race. It's to test the limits of the human heart.” – Bill Bowerman
22. “The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other… but to be with each other.” – Christopher McDougall
23. “We may train or peak for a certain race, but running is lifetime sport.” – Alberto Salazar
24. “When I do the best I can with what I have, then I have won my race.” ​ – Jay Foonberg
25. “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
26. “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.” – Amy Burfoot
27. “Your goal is simple: Finish. Experience your first race, don’t race it.” – Bob Glover
28. “Few things in life match the thrill of a marathon.” – Fred Lebow
29. “How to run an ultramarathon? Puff out your chest, put one foot in front of the other, and don’t stop till you cross the finish line.” – Dean Karnazes
30. “I breathe in strength and breathe out weakness,’ is my mantra during marathons – it calms me down and helps me focus.” – Amy Hastings
31. “If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” – Kathrine Switzer
32. “Marathoning. The triumph of desire over reason.” – New Balance
33. “No marathon gets easier later. The halfway point only marks the end of the beginning.” – Joe Henderson
34. “The marathon can humble you.” – Bill Rodgers
35. “The music of a marathon is a powerful strain, one of those tunes of glory. It asks us to forsake pleasures, to discipline the body, to find courage, to renew faith and to become one’s own person, utterly and completely.” George A. Sheehan
36. “There will be days you don’t think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have.” – from the “Runner's High” Day-to-Day Calendar
37. “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
38. “I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.” – Meb Keflezighi
39. “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
40. “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
41. “Why race? The need to be tested, perhaps; the need to take risks; and the chance to be number one.” – George Sheehan
42. “A runner is real when she takes the first step.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estes
43. “A runner must run with dreams in his heart.” – Emil Zatopek
44. “A short run is better than no run.” – Unknown Runner
45. “Ask nothing from your running, in other words, and you’ll get more than you ever imagined.” – Christopher McDougall
46. “Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine.” – John Trautmann
47. “Whether a mile or a marathon, you get there the same way. . . one step at a time. Such is life.” – Baylor Barbee
48. “If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail.” – Mark Spitz
49. “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
50. “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
51. “Racing is the fun part; it's the reward of all the hard work.” – Kara Goucher
52. “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.” – PattiSue Plumer
53. “Experience has taught me how important it is to just keep going, focusing on running fast and relaxed. Eventually pain passes and the flow returns. It’s part of racing.” – Frank Shorter
54. “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
55. “Racing is the fun part; it's the reward of all the hard work.” – Kara Goucher
56. “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.” – PattiSue Plumer
57. “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
58. “If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail.” – Mark Spitz

Regularly running long distances requires determination, perseverance, and shoes. Make sure you wear shoes…and sunglasses.

But it also helps if you have a sense of humor.

When you’re feeling too tired to get up and run or fatigue is tempting you to quit when you’re starting another mile, chuckle at one of these running quotes and remember you’re not alone.

1. “Act like a horse. Be dumb. Just run.” – Jumbo Elliott
2. “Jogging is for people who aren’t intelligent enough to watch television.” – Victoria Wood
3. “Don’t worry, toenails are overrated.” – Unknown Runner
4. "Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet." – Unknown Runner
5. “If you don’t have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain’t getting them.” – Christopher McDougall
6. “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
7. “A good laugh and a long run are the two best cures for anything.” – Unknown
8. “After all, if you run far enough, no one can catch you.” ― V.E. Schwab
9. "I run so my goals in life will continue to get bigger instead of my belly." – Bill Kirby
10. “I’ve got 99 problems, but I’m going running to ignore them all for an hour.” – Unknown Runner
11. “The only reason I would take up jogging is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.” – Erma Bombeck
12. "Runner's logic: I'm tired. Let me go for a run." – Unknown Runner
13. “I'll quit running when I'm dead, which feels like it will probably be in about another mile or two.” – Tom Anderson
14. “Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet. It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.” – Charles M. Schulz
15. “Remember: It’s rude to count people as you pass them. Out loud.” – Unknown Runner
16. “I love running cross country. On a track, I feel like a hamster.” – Robin Williams
17. “If the hill has its own name, then it’s probably a pretty tough hill.” – Marty Stern
18. “Run like Ryan Gosling is waiting for you at the finish line. With a puppy.” – Unknown Runner
19. “Run like you stole something.” – Unknown Runner
20. "Remember, the second most important thing to choosing the right shoe is choosing the left one." – Unknown Runner
21. "We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by." – Will Rogers
22. “Run. Because zombies will eat the untrained ones first!” – Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide
23. “The trouble with jogging is that by the time you realize you’re not in shape for it, it’s too far to walk back.” – Franklin P. Jones
24. “Toenails are for sissies.” – Unknown Runner
25. "If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have taken him completely by surprise." – P.Z. Pearce
26. “You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.” – Steve Prefontaine

26. “You would run much slower if you were dragging something behind you, like a knapsack or a sheriff.” – Lemony Snicket
27. "No doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success. Although if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons with no brains than with no shoes."
28. "There are many challenges to long distance running, but one of the greatest is the question of where to put one’s house keys." – Gabrielle Zevin
29. “If you run 100 miles a week, you can eat anything you want. Why? Because a) You’ll burn all the calories you consume, b) You deserve it, and c) you’ll be injured soon and back on a restricted diet anyway.” – Don Kardong
30. “If you start to feel good during an ultra, don’t worry, you will get over it.” – Gene Thibeault
31. “My doctor told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel ten years old already.” – Milton Berle
32. “Run in the morning … before your brain figures out what your body is doing!” – Unknown Runner
33. “The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass.” – Martin Mull
34. “Remember: Sweat is fat crying.” – Unknown Runner
35. “If I pass out, please pause my Garmin.” – Unknown Runner
36. “How do you know if someone ran a marathon? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.” – Jimmy Fallon
37. "Running won't solve all your problems. But then again, neither will housework." – Unknown Runner
38. “Running a marathon felt like I played in a very rough football game with no hitting above the waist.” – Alan Page
39. “Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second.” – William James
40. “Life is short. Running makes it seem longer.” – Baron Hansen
41. “Do your feet hurt? It’s probably a mix of doing so much running and kicking so much ass! Keep it up!” – Unknown Runner
42. “Start slow, then taper off.” – Walt Stack
43. “I don’t think jogging is healthy, especially morning jogging. If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups.” – Rita Rudner
44. “It is true that speed kills. In distance running, it kills anyone who does not have it.” Brooks Johnson
45. "It's unnatural for people to run around the city streets unless they are thieves or victims. It makes people nervous to see someone running. I know that when I see someone running on my street, my instincts tell me to let the dog go after him." – Mike Royko
46. "Finland has produced so many brilliant distance runners because back home it costs $2.50 a gallon for gas." – Esa Tikkannen
47. "I go running when I have to. Like when the ice cream truck is doing sixty." – Wendy Liebman
48. "I don't believe in jogging. It extends your life, but by about the same amount of time you spend jogging." – Marshall Brickman
49. "Run like there's a hot guy in front of you and a creepy one behind you." – Unknown Runner
50. "A good run is like a cup of coffee. I'm much nicer after I've had one." – Unknown Runner
51. "I consider my refusal to run today as resistance training." – Unknown Runner

Hope you enjoyed all of these quotes for runners, whether you needed a bit of motivation or inspiration or just wanted to see something funny.

While you're here, check out our affordable running sunglasses, too, if you want another reason to enjoy your next outing.