52 Marathon Quotes to Inspire You to Run

Marathons, long-distance running competitions spanning 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers), are remarkable sources of inspiration.

Whether one is a participant or a spectator, marathons often invoke intense emotions, significantly transforming the participants’ mindset and outlook.

The journey from the starting line to the finish line in a marathon encapsulates a transformative experience where perseverance, resilience and personal growth come to the forefront.

marathon

To accurately articulate this unique experience and the emotional rollercoaster that it accompanies, there are a plethora of marathon running quotes that serve as encapsulations of these experiences.

Related: Sports Quotes

These quotes effectively capture the grit, determination and triumph involved in running a marathon, thus inspiring others to embark on this journey of self-discovery and endurance.


Top 10 Marathon Quotes

marathon-quotes

I dare you to train for a marathon, and not have it change your life. ~ Susan Sidoriak.

marathon-quotes

The marathon never ceases to be a race of joy, a race of wonder. ~ Hal Higdon.

marathon-quotes-sayings

Everything you ever wanted to know about yourself, you can learn in 26.2 miles. ~ Lori Culnane.

marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

I would love for everybody in this country to run one marathon a year. ~ Gary Muhrcke.

famous-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon. ~ Kathrine Switzer.

top-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

Motivation remains key to the marathon: the motivation to begin; the motivation to continue; the motivation never to quit. ~ Hal Higdon.

powerful-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

The marathon can humble you. ~ Bill Rodgers.

great-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

Of all the races, there is no better stage for heroism than a marathon. ~ George Sheehan.

best-marathon-quotes

Every marathon I ran, I knew I had a faster one in me. ~ Dick Beardsley.

profound-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon. ~ Emil Zatopek.

Famous Marathon Quotes

best-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

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.

The marathon is like a bullfight. There are two ways to kill a bull, for instance. There is an easy way, for one. But all the great matadors end up either dead or mauled because for them killing the bull is not nearly as important as how they kill the bull. They always approach the bull at the greatest risk to themselves, and I admire that. In the marathon, likewise, there are two ways to win. ~ Alberto Salazar.

Marathoning is like cutting yourself unexpectedly. You dip into the pain so gradually that the damage is done before you are aware of it. Unfortunately, when the awareness comes, it is excruciating. ~ John Farrington.

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.

popular-marathon-quotes

In the first half of the race, don’t be an idiot. In the second half, don’t be a wimp! ~ Scott Douglas.

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 are building mental toughness. In the marathon this is mandatory. ~ Greg Meyer.

I’ve learned that finishing a marathon isn’t just an athletic achievement. It’s a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible. ~ John Hanc.

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 Sheehan.

When you run the marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners and not against the time. ~ Haile Gebrselassie.

inspiring-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

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.

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.

Best Marathon Quotes

My goal has always been to slow down as slowly as possible. It’s as simple as that. ~ Frank Shorter.

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.

quotes-about-marathon

Marathons are about tenacity as much as talent. ~ John Bingham.

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.

The reason people want to run the marathon is because the challenge, physically, is you. The distance – how you get there – is all up to you and how hard you work. That’s why people want to do it. ~ Meb Keflezighi.

motivational-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming. ~ Frank Shorter.

At the end of a marathon, it’s going to hurt whether you’re speeding up or slowing down. You may as well push. ~ Summer Sanders.

quotes-on-marathon

A marathon is like life with its ups and downs, but once you have done it, you feel that you can do anything. ~ Unknown.

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.

Powerful Marathon Quotes

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.

inspirational-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

There will be days you don’t think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have. ~ Unknown.

The more you frame the marathon as a stressful experience, the more negative messages you’ll receive. But it’s just as easy to frame it as a positively challenging journey. ~ Jeff Galloway.

Even if you run a slower than expected time, you succeed in any marathon when you finish. ~ Hal Higdon.

inspiring-marathon-quotes

There are no shortcuts in marathoning, so anyone who is a marathoner has worked hard. ~ Jeffrey Horowitz.

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.

Great Marathon Quotes

Long runs improve your endurance but shorter intervals improve your speed. They are mutually beneficial for a distance runner. If you do five-kilometer runs it will help your marathon. ~ Eliud Kipchoge.

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.

If the marathon is a part-time interest, you will only get part-time results. ~ Bill Rodgers.

strong-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

No marathon gets easier later. The halfway point only marks the end of the beginning. ~ Joe Henderson.

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.

powerful-marathon-quotes

Aiming for the marathon is a task of sorts which can include terrific highs and lows. ~ Bill Rodgers.

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.

positive-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

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.

Ultimate Marathon Quotes

The marathon’s about being in contention over the last 10K. That’s when it’s about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what’s left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon. ~ Rob de Castella.

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.

famous-marathon-quotes

Anyone can start a marathon. Only the strongest will finish it, even after they fall. ~ Gena Showalter.

wise-marathon-quotes-sayings-captions

You can run a sprint or you can run a marathon but you can’t sprint a marathon. ~ Ryan Holmes.

The marathon. How an average runner becomes more than average. ~ Unknown.


Here is a video that will explain the science of Marathon for you.


So these were the 52 quotes about Marathon.

If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other popular blog posts on the topics of Cheer Up quotes and Solitude quotes and Enjoy the Moment quotes.

Share with others!
Chandan Negi
Chandan Negi

I’m the Founder of Internet Pillar - I love sharing quotes and motivational content to inspire and motivate people - #quotes #motivation #internetpillar