The Quotable Runner: Great Moments of Wisdom, Inspiration, Wrongheadedness, and Humor

by Mark Will-Weber (Editor)

Contents
Introduction
The Starting Line
Voices from the Midpack (and Elsewhere)
Coaches
Eat, Drink, But Be Wary
Training
Fear
Racing
Records
Cross-Country
Hills
In the Footsteps of Atalanta
The Marathon
The Mile
Mind Over Matter
The International Runner
Pain
The Olympics
Medals and Money
The Finish Retirement
Victories and Defeats
Who's Who

A few of our favorite

"Bid me run and I will strive with things impossible." —Shakespeare

"Long distance running is particularly good training in perseverance." —Chairman Mao

"Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos." —Don Kardong

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

"If you want to win a race you have to go a little berserk." —Bill Rodgers

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." —Oprah Winfrey "The mile has all the elements of drama." —Roger Bannister

"Mind is everything. Muscle — pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind." —Paavo Nurmi

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." —Juma Ikangaa
"Start slowly, then taper off." —Walt Stack

"Records are made to be broken." —Anonymous

Introduction by Mark Will-Weber

Compiling a book of quotations is a bit like prospecting. For long, unrewarded hours you sift through the silt, murk, and bottom mud which comprise the great body of sports literature and journalism—all for that rare nugget of gold.

I began work on The Quotable Runner without actually realizing that I was doing it. (I highly recommend this method for any lengthy task if you can arrange it.) The first few hundred quotations that I gathered were used at the bottom of race results, in batches of five or six quotes per race, which I passed on to the cross-country runners at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. As their coach, I thought it might be a fun way to jazz up the results sheets and inspire the runners to train with diligence and a new spark. Maybe a line from Zatopek, Nurmi, or Benoit would ignite a dre

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Julia H · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book you could pick up any time! I feel like you could find whatever piece of running insight you need on a given day in this book. from laughing about running/finding inspiration to run/reminding yourself that fear and pain are positive things/seeking advice on specific training (hills, the mile, the marathon, etc al).. this book has a lot in it

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read with quite a few good nuggets

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quotes from many runners and coaches, arranged by topic. I enjoyed the book, especially the inspirational quotes, but I don’t follow the running sport or know the winners of the field. This book would be better appreciated by someone familiar with winners and the challenges runners must contend with. .

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to carry in the car while you wait for an appointment... or a child

Collection is well organized

I enjoyed it and think this would make a good gift for someone starting to run- motivational

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Book!

I couldn’t put it down! Fascinating from start to finish. I relived many moments of watching and cheering for my favorite runners. I have a new appreciation for the men and women who created this sport...true legends in every regard. What a book!

[Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of wit, wisdom, and humor. It helps if you have already read a bit of running lore (I have) so you recognize the people being quoted. If you don't, it is not a big issue since it often explains who the person being quoted is or why the quote is significant.

The wisdom is good, and the humor can be funny or weak. A nice book for a coffee table or waiting room that you can pick up or put down at any time.

[Julie Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick read with a lot of quotes from famous runners and coaches. Some serious, some funny. Will keep this on my bookshelf for days when I'm not able to run. The only thing I wish there was more of is quotes from "regular" runners. There were a lot of quotes about racing and being fast, etc. I'm not into being fast, I just like running to run so there weren't a lot of things in this book that applied directly to me but it was still fun to read.

[Nhat Bui · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-have pocket book for runner. I use it as my running bible. I got an serious injury whick kept me off the pitch for a month. Reading this and I felt like I was running with greatest runners. Words for the first time fuel me so much that I can get back on training quickly

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was injured, right after my birthday, I had just received this from my roommate. It inspired me to not sit on my butt forever.

[Kg4jbj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful quotes about running, whether in marathons, fast sprints, Olympic level, or couch to 5k folks. Very inspirational and so true.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good running quotes to inspire

[Karen Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books of quotes.
I'm not even a runner and enjoyed this book.
A lot of the quotes could apply to life in general.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read. The good side, the bad side, the up side and the down side of running.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting quotes even for the non-runner. Favorite: "Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos." Don Kardong

[Tammy Ikram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love cheesy, inspirational books...so I loved this!

[Chelsea Abè · Rating 5 out of 5]

kept me going for a LONG time