Whether you’re a beginner or an avid runner, these running quotes are perfect for you.
We’ve gathered an awesome collection of running quotes that will keep you fueled with each step you take, no matter how short or far.
Running is a beloved hobby of many people all across the globe.
Tell us which of these running quotes is your favorite in the comment section below.
What are the benefits of reading these running quotes?
Thinking about becoming a runner but wondering why you should start?
There are many reasons you should fall in love with running.
These quotes about running are intended:
To keep you moving forward
Keep you from looking back unless it’s only to see how far you’ve come
Help you see how running and life are similar
Offer you a new perspective
Running is one of the best ways to boost your physical and mental health.
It helps just about all aspects of your health, provides an outlet for stress relief, and improves your mood and overall happiness.
Besides being good for your health, running is also a great physical activity that provides a bridge to make some new friends and build strong relationships.
Running is also a great way to set a goal and crush it.
If you need some purpose in your life, now’s the time to lace up and work towards your goal.
Also, running is free.
1. “I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.” – Ronald Rook
2. “After all, if you run far enough, no one can catch you.” ― V.E. Schwab
3. “Don’t fear moving slowly forward…fear standing still.” – Kathleen Harris
4. “Get going … walk if you have to, but finish the damned race.” – Ron Hill
5. “Run like hell and get the agony over with.” – Clarence DeMar
6. “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham
7. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”— Eleanor Roosevelt
8. “Don’t dream of winning, train for it!” — Mo Farah
9. “Running allows me to set my mind free. Nothing seems impossible. Nothing unattainable.” — Kara Goucher
10. “I’ll be happy if running and I can grow old together.” – Haruki Murakami
11. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” – Fred DeVito
12. “The pain of running relieves the pain of living.” – Jacqueline Simon Gunn
13. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius
14. “Someone who is busier than you is running right now.” – Nike
15. “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.”— Oprah Winfrey
16. “If you start dreaming you are not running fast enough.”― Jacob Vermeire
17. “If you don’t have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain’t getting them.” – Christopher McDougall
18. “Ask yourself: “Can I give more?” The answer is usually: “Yes.” – Paul Tergat
19. “Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived.” ― Dean Karnazes
20. “Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” – Dean Karnazes
21. “Only those who risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go.”— T.S. Elliot
22. “Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running.” —Julie Isphording
23. “The freedom of Cross Country is so primitive. It’s woman vs. nature.” ― Lynn Jennings
24. “Good things come slow, especially in distance running.” – Bill Dellinger
25. “It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.” – Emil Zatopek
26. “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy… I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” – Art Williams
27. “Running is real and relatively simple… but it ain’t easy.” – Mark Will-Weber
28. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
29. “Running is my private time, my therapy, my religion.” – Gail W. Kislevitz
30. “Long-distance running is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.” – Rich Davis
31. “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
32. “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
33. “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
34. “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
35. “Never underestimate the power that one good workout can have on your mind. Keeping the dream alive is half the battle.” – Kara Goucher
36. “Life equals running and when we stop running maybe that’s how we’ll know life is finally finished.” – Patrick Ness
37. “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
38. “Doesn’t matter how fast you cross the finish line if you’re running the wrong race.”― Richie Norton
39. “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
40. “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
41. “The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.”— Juma Ikangaa
42. “I can run at pace of my breath.”― Lailah Gifty Akita
43. “If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” – Kathrine Switzer
44. “You would run much slower if you were dragging something behind you, like a knapsack or a sheriff.” ― Lemony Snicket
45. “The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other,… but to be with each other.” – Christopher McDougall
46. “Today, I run for pure, absolute joy.”― Lopez Lomong
47. “I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.” – Dean Karnazes
48. “The marathon can humble you.” – Bill Rodgers
49. “The real purpose of running isn’t to win a race. It’s to test the limits of the human heart.” – Bill Bowerman
50. “The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life.” – George Sheehan
51. “I’ve learned that it’s what you do with the miles, rather than how many you’ve run” – Rod DeHaven
52. “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
53. “Fast running isn’t forced. You have to relax and let the run come out of you.” – Desiree Linden
54. “A runner must run with dreams in his heart.” – Emil Zatopek
55. “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
56. “He taught me to run high on my toes. I will always remember his words: run proud & remember you are alive.”― Brian Andreas
57. “It’s not so much that I began to run, but that I continued.” – Hal Higdon
58. “Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.” – Jimmy Buffett
59. “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
60. “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
61. “My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy.” – John Bryant
62. “Why race? The need to be tested, perhaps; the need to take risks; and the chance to be number one.”—George Sheehan
63. “You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face.” – Gatorade
64. “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
65. “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
66. “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
67. “Runners don’t quit. We fade; we “hit the wall”; we’re sometimes reduced to a walk. But we keep on.”― Amby Burfoot
68. “I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to self-satisfaction.” – Steve Prefontaine
69. “If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.” – Priscilla Welch
70. “Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it.” –Oprah Winfrey
71. “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
72. “Running is a simple activity. Just lace up your shoes and go, one step at a time, like each breath.”― Adharanand Finn
73. “Running is that big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks, are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today.” – Peter Maher
74. “Not all races are run on a track. And not all finish lines are marked by ticker tape.”― Toni Sorenson
75. “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
76. “Running is in my blood—the adrenaline flows before the races, the love/hate of butterflies in your stomach.”—Marcus O’Sullivan
77. “A lot of people run a race to see who’s the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.” – Steve Prefontaine
78. “No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life’s most rewarding experiences.”—George Sheehan
79. “If you don’t think you were born to run you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are.” – Christopher McDougall
80. “You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.”—Steve Prefontaine
81. “Two joggers passed, shoes cheerfully slapping against the pavement.”― Sara Shepard
82. “When you run, the road belongs to you.”― Toni Sorenson
83. “Running is flying intermittently.”― Alain Bremond-Torrent
84. “Every race proves a new opportunity to educate myself about what it means to be a runner and what it means to run.”― Jill Grunenwald
85. “Running is the movement of a free human being. It doesn’t demand any special premises or machines. You only need to put on your shoes and get going. Let the blood circulate. Then everything becomes much clearer.”― Markus Torgeby
86. “Run! Life’s too short to walk. Unless you don’t know where you’re running to, then move very slowly.”― Neil A. Hogan
87. “I started running to escape the memories that drinking couldn’t cover up”― Dean Karnazes
88. “You can alter mood by running.”― Tumpal Sihombing
89. “Running is alone time that lets my brain unspool the tangles that build up over days” – Bob Hneisen
90. “Running strengthens self-motivation.”― Tumpal Sihombing
91. “Running … led to a deep happiness that only comes from doing what you love, what your soul screams at you to do upon waking each day.”― S.F. Hick
92. “Running is therapy anyone can afford.”― Toni Sorenson
93. “Running is a form of practiced stoicism. It means teaching your brain and body to be biochemically comfortable in a state of disrepair.”― Matthew Inman
94. “Children run everywhere for a reason–it’s fun. Grown-ups can forget that sometimes.”― Jim Butcher
95. “Those who never run long distance or meditate in their lifetimes, miss out on the best free drugs the planet has to offer.”― Robert Black
96. “When you feel life’s slow, run !”― Tumpal Sihombing
97. “Shut up and run.”― Matthew Inman
98. “When you run, every step you take leaves your weaker self behind and brings you one step closer to the strongest person you can be.”― Toni Sorenson
99. “Your body is made to move so move it.”― Toni Sorenson
100. “Running is an effort to escape from comfort zone.”― Tumpal Sihombing
101. “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” – Haruki Murakami
102. “If you build the guts to do something, anything, then you better save enough to face the consequences.” – Criss Jami
103. “The sharpest minds often ruin their lives by overthinking the next step, while the dull win the race with eyes closed.” – Bethany Brookbank
104. “I’m alone, but I’m not lonely. I like who I am. I like who I’m becoming.” – Deena Kastor
105. “Running away from someone you love is a race you will never win.” – Matshona Dhliwayo
106. “The only way for you to keep your mind straight is to run from those who would confuse you.” – Kristin Cashore
107. “Running ain’t no bad thing. Leastways if you run in the right direction.” – Mark Lawrence
108. “My past is trying to catch up to me and I must continue to run from it. It’s the only way I can live.” – Nicole Sobon
109. “Love is not running away or giving up, it is standing and fighting for every moment.” – M.F. Moonzajer
110. “Tension, in the long run, is a more dangerous force than any feud known to man.” – Criss Jami
111. “I always run without music. – Christy Turlington
112. “Running is great for your body. It will increase your energy levels and helps you to clear your mind.” – Heidi Klum
113. “Run for fun. Run for exercise. Run for a better life.”― Toni Sorenson
114. “I run when I need my head cleared,” – Emily Blunt
115. “Now I really enjoy running,” – Bear Grylls
116. “I go for a three-mile run every morning,” – Victoria Beckham
117. “Every day is a good day when you run.”― Kevin Nelson
118. “Running has taught me, perhaps more than anything else, that there’s no reason to fear starting lines—or other new beginnings.” – Amby Burfoot
119. “Running is the basis of all the training that I do—it’s like an escape.” – Ellie Goulding
120. “I run until time stops. Until my mind stops.”― Jennifer Niven
121. “A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding.”
122. “Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like the muscles of the body.” – Lynn Jennings
123. “Then, I started running. And everything was as good as it could be.”― Stephen Chbosky
124. “A runner’s high doesn’t come from thinking about the end result, only of the moment, one step, one breath, one heartbeat at a time.”― C.J. Heck
125. “Running is a mental sport, more than anything else. You’re only as good as your training, and your training is only as good as your thinking.”― Lauren Oliver
126. “It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” – Seneca
127. “Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.” – Lowell Thomas
128.“Running would help with the weight, but the weight did not help with running.”― Alexandra Heminsley
129. “Running is a hard, simple calculus: Run until you can’t run anymore. Then run some more. Find a new source of energy and will. Then run even faster.”― Scott Jurek
130. “You can’t be miserable when you’re running. It’s such a simple and pure way to feel alive.”― Veronica Rossi
131. “The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat.” – Bill Squires
132. “Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness, and self-reliance.” – Noel Carroll
133. “Act like a horse. Be dumb. Just run.” – Jumbo Elliot
134. “Life is complicated. Running is simple. Is it any wonder that people like to run?” – Kevin Nelson
135. “As we run, we become.” – Amby Burfoot
136. “When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or fast, it will change your life forever.” – Dick Beardsley
137. “We all know that if you run, you are pretty much choosing a life of success because of it.” – Deena Kastor
138. “I was born to be a runner. I simply love to run. It’s almost like the faster I go, the easier it becomes.” – Mary Decker Slaney
139. “I always thought of running as just dancing forward.” – Tom Hiddleston
140. “It’s a treat being a runner, out in the world by yourself with not a soul to make you bad-tempered or tell you what to do.” – Alan Sillitoe
141. “I always say if the marathon is a part-time interest, you will only get part-time results.” – Bill Rodgers
142. “Get going … walk if you have to but finish the damned race.” – Ron Hill
143. “You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.” – Frank Shorter
144. “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
145. “In running, 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
146. “For an athlete, the biggest pressure comes from within. You know what you want to do and what you’re capable of.” – Paula Radcliffe
147. “Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” – Dean Karnazes
148. “Out on the roads, there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be.” – George Sheehan
149. “If you want to run, then run a mile. If you want to experience another life, run a marathon.” – Emil Zatopek
150. “Run hard when it’s hard to run.” – Pavvo
151. “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” — Bill Bowerman
152. “I go running when I have to. When the ice cream truck is doing sixty.” — Wendy Liebman
153. “Just running the streets was absolutely everything and more than I possibly expected.” — Jennie Finch
154. “Step one to running a marathon: You run. There is no step two.” — Barney Stinson
155. “I run every day. It’s like medicine.” — Jennifer Carpenter
156. “Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge.” — Dave Bedford
157. “I love running cross country. On a track, I feel like a hamster.” — Robin Williams
158. “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
159. “There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner.” — Dean Karnazes
160. “If you’ve never had a bad day running, you’re probably doing something wrong. If you’ve never had a good day running, you’re definitely doing something wrong.”— Mark Remy
161. “It is better, I think, to begin easily and get your running to be smooth and relaxed and then to go faster and faster.” ― Henry Rono
162. “Running is one the best solutions to a clear mind.” ― Sasha Azevedo
163. “Running has never failed to give me great end results, and that’s why I keep coming back for more!” ― Sasha Azevedo
164. “I always loved running…. It was something you could do by yourself and under your own power.” ― Jesse Owens
165. “We may train or peak for a certain race, but running is a lifetime sport.” ― Alberto Salazar
166. “For me, running is a lifestyle and an art. I’m more interested in the magic of it than the mechanics.” ― Lorraine Moller
167. “Anyone can run 20 miles. It’s the next six that count.” ― Barry Magee
168. “My doctor told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel ten years older already.” ― Milton Berle
169. “Running has taken me in, and continues to comfort, heal and challenge me in all kinds of magical ways. I am not a ‘good runner’ because I am me. I am a good ‘me’ because I am a runner.” ― Kristin Armstrong
170. “Running makes you an athlete in all areas of life…trained in the basics, prepared for whatever comes, ready to fill each hour and deal with the decisive moment.” ― George A. Sheehan
171. “Mindful running is the medicine which throws out all the negativity from mind and body.” — Invajy
172. “Long distance running is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.” — Rich Davis
173. “Sometimes a slight pace change is all you need to snap out of a mental or pyhsical funk.” — Mark Plaatjes
174. “Success does not come to the most righteous and rigorously disciplined but to those who continue running.” — Amby Burfoot
175. “Every day gives you an opportunity to improve. With every run, you can try to be better. Not just a better runner, but a better person.” — John Bingham
176. “I always tell beginning runners: Train your brain first. It’s much more important than your heart or legs.” — Amby Burfoot
177. “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
178. “Stay in the race. Keep running. Keep walking. Keep praying. The Lord will renew your strength.” — Jeffrey R. Holland
179. “Running gave me a focus to start looking after myself, to eat properly, and focus on building up my strength.” — Amanda Burton
180. “Once I’m awake, I’m awake, which helps when you have to run in the mornings.” — Kai Ryssdal
Which of these running quotes was your favorite?
Running is one of the most beneficial physical activities you could undertake.
Besides making us healthier, running is a great social activity that can help you build a stronger and more meaningful network of friends.
If you’re not a natural-born runner, there’s no need to worry.
We hope these running quotes have reminded you that you don’t have to start out running like a marathoner.
A few minutes of daily running will significantly boost your happiness and make you live longer.
We would love to hear all about it in the comment section below.
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