The first New York City Marathon was first organized way back in 1970 and was held entirely within Central Park. Of 127 entrants, only 55 men completed the course. For 2014, the prestigious New York City Marathon will be held on Sunday, Nov. 2. Once again, more than 50,000 participants and 2 million spectators will gather on the streets of all five boroughs of NYC.
Runners from all walks of life come together in one of the most significant events held in New York City each year. No matter if this is the first or the tenth, every single participant at the New York City Marathon could use a little motivational sayings when the going gets tough and some extra oomph is necessary. Here's a compilation of 30 uplifting messages to bring to your favorite runner at this year's NYC Marathon:
1 "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, New York City Marathon co-founder
2 "Motivation remains key to the marathon: the motivation to begin; the motivation to continue; the motivation never to quit." Hal Higdon
3 "We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon." Emil Zatopek, Czech runner; winner of four Olympic gold medals
4 "The marathon can humble you." Bill Rodgers, winner of four Boston and four NYC Marathons
5 "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, running writer
6 "I tell our runners to divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart." Mike Fanelli, running club coach
7 "I don't think about the miles that are coming down the road, I don't think about the mile I'm on right now, I don't think about the miles I've already covered. I think about what I'm doing right now, just being lost in the moment." Ryan Hall, U.S. Olympic marathoner
8 "The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon Champion
9 "I definitely want to show how beautiful the marathon can be. I am the opponent of all those who find the marathon bad: the psychologists, the physiologists, the doubters. I make the marathon beautiful for myself and for others. That's why I'm here." Uta Pippig
10 "At the two-thirds mark, I think of those who are still with me. Who might make a break? Should I? Then I give it all I've got." Ibrahim Hussein
11 "Few things in life match the thrill of a marathon." Fred Lebow
12 "It's not 26.2 miles. It's 10 water stops." Unknown
13 "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, running coach
14 "The key to running a good marathon is to not listen to anyone's advice the last week before the race. That's when people tend to do stupid things that disrupt all the input and training of the previous months." Don Kardong
15 "You can't cram for the final. By that, I mean you're not going to get any fitter during the last couple of weeks before the race. So don't try cramming any last minute long runs or extra training. The best thing you can do for your body is rest." Gordon Bakoulis Bloch
16 "If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon." Kathrine Switzer, women's marathoning pioneer
17 "Concentrate on small segments of your race at a time. For example, rather than obsessing about the distance that remains, simply complete the next mile in good form...try another, then another, until the race is done." Jerry Lynch
18 "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, New York Road Runners Club president
19 "Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best." Meb Keflezighi, U.S. Olympic Marathoner
20 "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
21 "The marathon never ceases to be a race of joy, a race of wonder." Hal Higdon
22 "A marathon is a string of moments, mixtures of events and emotions that we sample as we move along." Unknown
23 "In the first half of the race, don't be an idiot. In the second half, don't be a wimp!" Scott Douglas
24 "To finish will leave you feeling like a champion and positively change your life." Jeff Galloway
25 "Never is my life have I ever experienced anything as crazy as this." Sean "P. Diddy" Combs on finishing the 2009 NYC Marathon
26 "I want to run every race with a big heart." Ryan Hall
27 "Life is short... running makes it seem longer." Baron Hansen
28 "Sprinting is sex, distance is love" Unknown
29 "At mile 20, I thought I was dead. At mile 22, I wished I was dead. At mile 24, I knew I was dead. At mile 26.2, I realized I had become too tough to kill." Unknown
30 "There will be days you don't think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have."
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