Ellington

Runners were pacing themselves on South State street.

One of the best aspects of the marathon is all the fine folks that camp and line up around the race. They cheer and encourage the runners to "keep it up!"

Perfect weather for a race.

A marathon is 42.195 kilometers long or 26 miles and 385 yards.

No, you're the best!!!

“Some people train knowing they’re not working as hard as other people. I can’t fathom how they think.” -Alberto Salazar

“The will to win means nothing if you haven’t the will to prepare.” – Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner

“Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must move faster than the lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes up and it knows it must move faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be moving.” – Maurice Greene (attributed to Roger Bannister shortly after running the first sub-4 mile)

“Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.” -Steve Prefontaine

“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

I'm not going to argue!

“Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. 
Try to be better than yourself.” -William Faulkner

“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

“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

“It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.” – George Sheehan

The finish line was at the Mississippi Museum of Art.

“You only ever grow as a human being if you’re outside your comfort zone.” -Percy Cerutty

“Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like the muscles of the body.” -Lynn Jennings

“To move into the lead means making an act requiring fierceness and confidence. But fear must play some part…no relaxation is possible, and all discretion is thrown into the wind.” -Roger Bannister

“Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win.” – Tom Fleming’s Boston Marathon training sign on his wall