American runner Steve “Pre” Prefontaine helped inspire the running boom of the 1970s. Before he died in a car accident at the age of 24, the running legend held the American record in seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters.
Prefontaine’s thrilling racing style and competitive spirit inspired people around the world. His honest and straightforward words captured his fighting determination and perseverance.
Here are some inspiring Steve Prefontaine running quotes that capture his incredible work ethic and resolve.
Prefontaine on Reaching Your Potential:
1. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”
2. “Success isn’t how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.”
3. “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
Prefontaine on Competition:
4. “Something inside of me just said, ‘Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him,’ and I just took off.”
5. “Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it.”
6. “A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. Nobody is going to win a 5,000 meter race after running an easy 2 miles. Not with me. If I lose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself.”
Prefontaine on Motivation:
7. “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.”
8. “I run best when I run free.”
9. “Every once in a while I think to myself, ‘What am I doing out here, running, busting myself up? Life could be so much easier. The other guys are out having fun, doing other things, why not me?”
10. “What I like most about the track is the feeling I get after a good run.”
11. “No matter how hard you train, somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, somebody will run harder. No matter how much you want it, somebody will want it more. I am somebody.”
Prefontaine on Perseverance:
12. “How does a kid from Coos Bay, with one leg longer than the other win races? All my life people have been telling me, ‘You’re too small Pre’, ‘You’re not fast enough Pre’, ‘Give up your foolish dream Steve’. But they forgot something, I HAVE TO WIN.”
13. “Don’t let fatigue make a coward of you.”
14. “Running gives me confidence.”
Prefontaine on Racing:
15. “Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, ‘I’ve never seen anyone run like that before.’ It’s more than just a race, it’s a style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.”
16. “When people go to a track meet, they’re looking for something, a world record, something that hasn’t been done before.
17. “You get all this magnetic energy, people focusing on one thing at a time. I really get excited about it. It makes me want to compete even more. It makes it all worthwhile, all the hours of hard work.”
18. “I don’t just go out there and run. I like to give people watching something exciting.”
19. “Every race I lose, I learn from and get tougher.”
21. “A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding.”
21. “I run to see who has the most guts.”
22. “The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die.”
23. “Don’t let fatigue make a coward of you.”
If you like these Steve Prefontaine running quotes, get more running inspiration:
- Marathon Running Quotes
- Quotes About Getting Over Bad Runs and Races
- Quotes to Inspire a Running Habit
- Marathon Running Quotes
- Inspiring Running Quotes
- Running Quotes from Running Shoe Companies
- Short Motivational Running Quotes
Running coach, marathon runner, and fitness writer Christine Luff is an RRCA-certified running coach and ACE-certified personal trainer. Founder of the website Run for Good and author of the book Run for Good: How to Create a Lifelong Running Habit, she coaches runners, from beginners to advanced, who are training for races, from 5Ks to marathons.
