Before me, sprinters retired at 23 or 24. I run because I still like it, I can make a living, and I feel I was born to do it. And because people tell me I can't do it.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I always wanted to be a sprinter.
I am a bit different from the other sprinters because, I would say, I can run many different ways while the other guys they just came on and they can only run one way.
I made my first Australian senior team when I was 16, first Olympics when I was 19, and I retired. I'm 32, I retired four years ago, so a good third of my life or nearly a third of my life has been all about running.
When I hit New York in 1972, I thought I was a sprinter. I thought that I would star in a Broadway show and do a movie and win an Oscar by the time I was 25. It turned out that I'm a long distance runner.
I admire runners older than I - they are now my heroes. I want to be like them as I grow older.
I can't run forever. I decided to go back to school for my degree, because I know now there's more to life than track.
I don't have a sprinter's body.
We crave instant success these days. If you are a really good sprinter and long jumper, you don't want to spend two or three years on a whole new set of events. You're used to doing well and it's difficult to give that up.
As a scientist, I play in the top league - the Olympics, the World Championships - and I want to be in the lead. As a runner, I set personal goals, and I want to push beyond my own personal limits. I was very happy when I practiced for several months and then reached my goal to run a marathon in 2:50.
When I was a little boy, I always wanted to run. I loved competing with my friends.
No opposing quotes found.