1. "The human spirit is indomitable. No one can ever say you must not run faster than this or jump higher than that. There will never be a time when the human spirit will not be able to better existing records." Sir Roger Bannister
   On 6 May 1954, Roger Bannister ran the first timed sub-four-minute mile in history. A medical student at Oxford University at the time, Bannister ran the mile in 3:59:4 at a local meet at Oxford's Iffley Road track. Always an amateur athlete, he retired from competitive running later that year and went on to become a prominent neurologist. His autobiography, First Four Minutes (later reprinted as Four Minute Mile), was published in 1955. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975.
2. "If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it." Priscilla Welch
   Priscilla Welch qualified for the British Olympic team in 1984 by running the London Marathon in 2:30:06 and is most remembered for three incredible marathon feats she performed over the age of 40:
   In 1987, Welch set a world record for masters women with a 2:26:51 at the London Marathon.
   At the 1987 New York City Marathon, at the age of 42, Welch won the overall women's title, the oldest woman ever to claim that honor at New York.
   In 1988, Welch placed fourth at the Boston Marathon in 2:30:48, a masters record which held until 2002.
3. "If you want to run, then run a mile. If you want to experience another life, run a marathon." Emil Zátopek
   One of the greatest runners of the 20th Century, Emil Zátopek achieved legendary status when he won the 5,000, the 10,000 and the marathon at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. He was the first to run a 10K under 29 minutes and the first to run 20K in one hour. Emil is credited with revolutionising running and training. He developed intense interval workouts that have become the standard today.
4. "I'm not trying to prove anybody wrong, I'm just trying to prove something to myself." Mike PiazzaMike Piazza is an All-Star catcher and power hitter and the National League rookie of the year for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1993. In 1999 he signed a groundbreaking 7-year, $91 million contract with the New York Mets and the next year he helped the Mets into the World Series.
5. "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…" Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt was the twenty-sixth President of the United States. Following the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43, he became the youngest President in the Nation's history.
6. "Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent." Marilyn vos SavantMarilyn vos Savant (born Marilyn Mach on August 11, 1946) is an American magazine columnist, author, lecturer and playwright who rose to fame through her listing in the Guinness Book of World Records under "Highest IQ".
7. "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." Henry FordHenry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. He produced an affordable car, paid high wages and helped create a middle class.
8. "Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'" Peter MaherPeter Maher (born March 30, 1960 in Ottawa, Ontario) was a Canadian marathon runner who competed mainly in the 1990s. He was credited for a brief period with the record time for a half marathon. Maher represented Canada in the Olympic men's marathons in Seoul, 1988 and Barcelona, 1992 and was a sub-2:12 marathoner.
9. "I prefer to remain in blissful ignorance of the opposition. That way I'm not frightened by anyone's reputation." Ian ThompsonWhen asked to make up the numbers for his club in his first race beyond 10 miles, Ian Thompson suddenly broke through to world class as a marathon runner with a time of 2:12:40, at the time the fastest ever debut at the distance and with which he qualified for the Commonwealth Games. In the Christchurch Commonwealth Games (1974) Ian Thompson (Great Britain) ran the then second fastest marathon of all time.
10. "There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people." Bill BowermanWilliam J. "Bill" Bowerman (February 19, 1911 – December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. He was a very successful track and field coach, training 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions, and 16 sub-4 minute milers. During his 24 years as coach at the University of Oregon, the track and field team had a winning season every season but one, attained 4 NCAA titles, and finished in the top 10 in the nation 16 times.