Haile Gebrselassie Quotes

I'm excited by challenging myself physically and mentally every day.

In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.

I constantly push my body to meet what my mind wants me to be able to do.

I'm racing against me. As long as I come across the finish, I'll be okay.

Marathon running, for me, was the most controlled test of mettle that I could ever think of. It's you against Darwin.

I don't get irrational about it, but I do have a deeply-rooted competitive spirit. Not necessarily towards other people, but towards any obstacle that I set for myself.

Even though running is work for me, I always miss it if I take a break. A lot of people find running relaxing, but I can never switch off from timing and competing against myself.

I'm in this sport to test myself. I want to see how far I can take this thing.

I still find it hard to push my own limits. I know where my limits are and that I always have to push myself.

People may say I developed an iron will, but what really happened is that I made myself much fitter. I think an iron will is always supported by fitness.

Running alone is the toughest. You get to the point where you have to keep pushing yourself.

I think a challenge for myself is to see how many times I can get above 9,000. That would be a good challenge.

There is nothing better than having a personal-best day, being in shape and pushing myself beyond my own limits.

The rivalry is with ourself. I try to be better than is possible. I fight against myself, not against the other.

Normally I don't race other people; I challenge the environment and my own limitations.

When I was a kid I was very interested in the idea of the will, finding out what you're capable of. I liked those kind of challenges.

I think exercise tests us in so many ways, our skills, our hearts, our ability to bounce back after setbacks. This is the inner beauty of sports and competition, and it can serve us all well as adult athletes.

When I said I wanted to run a marathon, I wanted to do it under four hours. But when I started training, I was like, 'Oh I got this,' so I wanted to run between 3:30 and 3:35. I'm really proud of myself.

The will to challenge myself is strong, but I think that's growing, the desire to stretch myself and make it hard.

I am just going to try to run my personal best. If it comes as a world record, I would appreciate it. But I would treat it as a personal best.

People always say, 'I want to be the best fighter in the world.' That's why I respect Conor. He said he wants to be the best fighter in the world, and he's trying to prove it.

As a sportsman you are always testing your limits.

It's extremely tough, going day-to-day, not knowing really what you're working for, but for me, I just learned how to set small goals for myself.

I love athletics and martial-arts and competition because it gets me right and puts me in the right place.

Being a dancer or athlete of any type teaches you the fundamentals of discipline... and the ability to know you can grow.