10.02.07
“A runner must run with dreams in his heart, not money in his pocket.”
In anticipation of Brent’s upcoming Chicago marathon (October 7th) and Marc’s Olympic Trials marathon (Nov. 3rd), here are some inspiring quotes from the great Emil Zatopek:
“Men, today we die a little.”
Emil Zatopek at the start of the 1956 Olympic Marathon.
“When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical.
Is it raining? That doesn’t matter. Am I tired? That doesn’t matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem.”
“A runner must run with dreams in his heart, not money in his pocket.”
“If you want to win something, run 100 meters.
If you want to experience something, run a marathon.”
Emil Zatopek, about the 1948 London Olympics.
Emil Zatopek describes his marathon win at the Helsinki Olympics,
“I was unable to walk for a whole week after that, so much did the race take out of me.
But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known.”
When asked about his tortured expression during races,
Emil Zatopek said, “It is not gymnastics or ice skating you know.”
“It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.”
“Great is the victory, but the friendship is all the greater.”
Runner’s World Daily: How do you compare the modern runner with yourself?
Emil Zatopek: The athlete of today is not an athlete alone. He’s the center of a team–doctors, scientists, coaches, agents and so on. My running was very simple; it was out of myself. Perhaps sometimes I was like a mad dog. It didn’t matter about style or what it looked like to others; there were records to break. Two months before the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, the doctors said I must not compete. I had a gland infection in my neck. Well I didn’t listen and what happened? Three golds. The sportsman, the real sportsman, knows what is inside him. Haile Gebrselassie impresses me very much. He seems to run from within himself.
And, finally, did you know this about Zatopek?
Emil gave world record holder (but non-gold medalist) Ron Clarke a package after a 1966 visit and told him, “This is for you Ron, not in friendship, but because you deserve it,” and told him not to open the package until after they parted company. Inside was Zatopek’s 10,000 Olympic gold medal from Helsinki.
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Marc said,
October 2, 2007 at 7:01 pm
These are great! Wasn’t Zapotek the one who would sometimes train by running with his wife hanging over his back? From what I have heard about him, he was incredibly hard core, and ran with a really ugly style, but that he essentially willed himself to success on numerous occasions.
Brent said,
October 3, 2007 at 10:46 am
ditto on the great quotes. zatopek is amazing, first dude under 29 min in 10k, 13:50 5k, marathon gold…that’s it, i am willing myself fast no matter what the hell the weather is in chicago (they are predicting record highs). i hope to experience that pleasant exhaustion next week…
A quote from him about how he started running, “One day, the factory sports coach, who was very strict, pointed at four boys, including me, and ordered us to run in a race. I protested that I was weak and not fit to run, but the coach sent me for a physical examination, and the doctor said that I was perfectly well. So I had to run, and when I got started, I felt I wanted to win. But I only came in second. That was the way it started.”
Mimi O'Grady said,
October 10, 2007 at 9:26 pm
joan,
i am browsing around this website and I can’t help but notice that Zatopek’s running form is exactly like yours. Did you notice that? I was squinting to make his hair look blonde, chin length and wha-la! there you were.