runners

"My mind tells me that I can still do better in the marathon. The Olympics is in front of us…maybe [Paris] will be my last Olympics"

"Oh, and on the subject of physio. Try to look after your body. You may feel bulletproof – especially during some of your greatest triumphs – but ignoring physiotherapy will create problems in the aftermath, especially during your marathon career. Injuries can – and will – cause huge frustration"

"At 40 kilometres I saw that I could improve my personal best. I hope to return here next year and improve my record"

"I know that Valencia is very fast. And [on the entry list] there are many strong competitors from different countries, so the expectations are very high"

"Running neck and neck with Kipchoge was a very difficult part of the race, but I believed my finish would be strong enough to win"

"you do not always train perfectly. Sometimes you will undertrain and you may not always have access to the best physiotherapy. These may prove crucial in achieving your career goals"

"My coach has been so supportive all through my training and has never ever lost hope in me, even when I was injured. On Saturday, part of the reasons why I will be pushing hard to run a good race will be to appreciate my coach for all the support he has been giving me and to make him happy. Another person that I am grateful to for making it possible for me to emerge out of my injury woes is my physiotherapist, Shadrack Kochong"

"I am happy that I improved my personal best from last year"

"During times when you struggle with injury, you may feel despondent and demotivated. You may not always be fully committed to carrying out the correct rehab exercises. But this will only make the marathon an even more difficult event to master"

"I have trained well. But, being my debut, I don’t have enough experience to be able to say the exact time I will be aiming for in this race. I will not be running against anyone or going to be under any pressure. I am just going to run my race"

"That injury has kept me off but am back, ready to take on any race ahead of me. This is my first race after injury and a win means a lot to me. The race was too slow and I decided to take the battle by myself"

"It’s more significant because of what has happened. Joy comes frequently in life, but grief of this level is something you encounter only rarely. I have grief in my heart and I have joy"

"I train hard, but I’ve been struggling for a long time with injury–I’ve never finished my [marathon] training in a good way"

"From an early stage of your athletics development, you acknowledged the importance of discipline. Continue to listen to your coaches, remain focused, and this will help you enjoy many great successes"

"Listen to your body and make the necessary sacrifices. If you do that, you can fulfil your marathon potential and finish your career with a flourish"

"The highest moment in my running career was when I won the world cross country title in 2006, in Fukuoka. I believe that, whether it is a junior or a senior title, the fact remains that you are the best in the whole world. A gold medal is a gold medal"

"I was to make my marathon debut in 2016 at the same marathon event, but an injury derailed my plans. Since then, it has not been a smooth journey for me as I have had a lot of ups and downs with injuries. I would train up to a point, and then get injured again"

"I am so excited to finally announce my debut"

"I have big hopes for Venice. Hopefully I will be able to lower my personal best"

"In athletics, it reaches a time when one will want to move on to a different distance, and I believe that my time to move on to the marathon is now"

"Maintaining fitness levels and full health as an athlete in your mid-30s will be hard. But don’t give up. Stick with it and aim to sign off your career on a high."

"I will now fight for a place in the team to World Cross Country because I feel I am in good form"

"I appreciate the schools that I got to pass through in my education as I tried to balance between my running career and school work. Teachers from my former primary school in my home village of Kaptabuk and those at the Riruta Girls High School in Nairobi were always so supportive. They would take me through what other students learned while I was out of school to compete"

"I am lucky to be working with the best manager in the world; the Demadonna Athletics Promotions. Gianni has been so good to me, he has been calling personally to offer support and encouragement whenever I have been having challenges in my training"

"I am very disappointed. I was very much looking forward to returning to the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, especially after how well I ran there last year. But a series of small niggles have prevented me from getting in the training block I require to be at my best and I have had to make the difficult decision to withdraw. I wish everyone who is running the TCS London Marathon on Sunday the very best of luck"

"It’s greater than my Olympic victory in Athens"

"These victories are more significant in my eyes than my previous ones, because in the past I had my fiancée with me, encouraging me"

"I never achieved my maximum effort in the marathon"

"Rio gave me self-confidence, experience and motivation to return to training and work hard."

"Sometimes I’m in doubt, but my coach reminds me that I can do something good. So I believe in myself."

"Young people sometimes like an easy life. But there are two things. Either you just want to do athletics or you want to leave a legacy. If you want to leave a legacy, you have to make sacrifices in your life."

"And people around me said, 'You are from Africa, I don't think you will become someone. I want you to continue your studies, to work in an office'. But I felt it, because I like to run so much. This is my way."

"It gives me so much confidence. I didn’t know that doing what I’m doing could be an example for other people. You don’t need much to become a star."

"I wake up every morning and I am in good health, so I’m not going to complain about money."

"Athletics is who I am today. Before, I didn’t love myself like that. With athletics, I see another part of me. It’s the only way to show what I can do."

"It’s nice to see people who want to take a picture with me, who want to become like me. But I tell them they should not want to become like me, rather greater than me."

"My results at the 2012 African Championships had made me realise that I had the potential to become an elite sprinter. Things did not work out for me [at the University] and I decided to return to Cote d'Ivoire."

"I want to be the greatest sprinter in Africa."

"I have been struggling after the Olympics. I didn't want to continue my season. But I did. It’s not always about winning, it's about not giving up, about giving your best every day, every time you pursue your dreams."

"I want to leave a big legacy. Not only for Ivorian girls, but for all African girls. I want to show that they can do something big if they believe in themselves."

"And the next day you see me smiling, you don't know what I'm going through because I tell myself, ‘People have other bigger problems than me."

"I am trying to think of me a lot this year, take care of myself and enjoy the moment…So one more race in New York and then I am off finally for honeymoon."

"I have been [through] ups and downs in my career, but this year has been harder because I hard to work really hard to be here."

"My older brother did not want me to carry on with football, fearing that I would become a tomboy."

"Even if someone say, ‘you will not make it!’, just show them that you can make it because life is not about always giving up. It's about working hard, sacrifice, and making yourself available to push your body to achieve your dreams."

"I just want to enjoy every competition and not pressure myself with thoughts like, ‘Oh, I need to run because I need the money or something else."

"When I started, my mother didn't want me to do it."

"I am just here trying to beat my personal best, and the rest will come."

"I'm going back to prepare in the United States and I'll come back stronger. This isn't the end of my career."

"I’ve never been African champion in the 100m, so it’s something I’ve always wanted to accomplish"