Motivational Cross Country Running Quotes

Cross country running requires strength, determination and toughness to compete not only against fellow runners, but also difficult terrain and challenging weather conditions. Runners race up hills, through the woods, and over long distances to reach the finish line. Check out these motivational cross country quotes, slogans, and mottos to inspire your runs and races.

1. “Running taught me valuable lessons. In cross-country competition, training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline. I applied this in everything I did.”
–Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa, Anti-apartheid activist

2. “The start of a World Cross Country event is like riding a horse in the middle of a buffalo stampede. It’s a thrill if you keep up, but one slip and you’re nothing but hoof prints.”
–Ed Eyestone, Olympic marathoner and distance runner

3. “The freedom of Cross Country is so primitive. It’s woman vs. nature.”
–Lynn Jennings, World Cross Country Champion

4. “Cross Country is like poker. You have to be holding five good cards all the time.”
–Rollie Geiger, North Carolina State Cross Country Coach

5. “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, NCAA Cross Country Division 1 Individual Champion 1998

6. “We told our guys to hold on for 30 minutes of agony for 12 months of glory.”
–John McDonnell, Arkansas Cross Country Coach

7. “Don’t look back…you’re not going that way.”
–Unknown

8. “Number one is just to gain a passion for running. To love the morning, to love the trail, to love the pace on the track. And if some kid gets really good at it, that’s cool too.”
–Pat Tyson, Track and Cross Country Coach

9. “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, 5-time World Cross-Country Champion

10. “For a sprinter the thrill is going fast, but for a distance runner it is the journey in between the start and the end.”
–Unknown

11. “There is no time to think about how much I hurt; there is only time to run.”
–Ben Logsdon

12. “In many ways, a race is analogous to life itself. Once it is over, it cannot be re-created. All that is left are impressions in the heart, and in the mind.”
–Chris Lear, in Running with the Buffaloes

13. “For something to hurt that bad, and feel so good, it’s just inexplicable.”
–Adam Goucher, NCAA Cross Country Division 1 Individual Champion 1998

14. “Embrace the mud. The dirt. The grit.”
–Nike

15. “The footing was really atrocious. I loved it. I really like cross country; you’re one with the mud.”
–Lynn Jennings, World Cross Country Champion

16. “Don’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.”
–Michael Phelps, U.S. Olympian

17. “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, running coach and writer

18. “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
–African Proverb

19. “Don’t bother just to be better than others. Try to be better than yourself. ”
–Unknown

20. “Cross country will test your will, your courage, and ultimately your discipline. ”
–Nick Steele

21. “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t. ”
–Unknown

22. “You will never know your limits until you push yourself to them.”
–Unknown