--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I was a…" description: "\"Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I was a 5,000m runner.\" — Don Kardong" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cae/don-kardong-15282_olympics_prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000_1686608.png" --- # Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I was a 5,000m runner. ![“Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I was a 5,000m runner.” quote by Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cae/don-kardong-15282_olympics_prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000_1686608.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cae/don-kardong-15282_olympics_prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000_1686608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cae/don-kardong-15282_olympics_prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000_1686608.png) > “Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I was a 5,000m runner.” [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. His past as a distance runner informs his perspective on competition. **In simple terms:** Former runner reflects on Olympics. Key Takeaway Leverage past experience for future goals. Themes sports reflection career history Mood reflective determined Type motivational historical When to use this quote - coaching - public speaking - writing memoirs - motivational workshops Key Concepts motivation legacy athletics Questions to Reflect On - What lessons from running apply to other fields? - How does past performance shape current ambition? A Different Perspective Athletic identity may limit broader relevance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [000M Runner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/000m-runner-1010809/) [1976 Olympics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1976-olympics-1010808/) [Olympics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympics/) [Olympics 000M](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympics-000m-1010810/) [Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prior/) [Prior 1976](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prior-1976-1010811/) [Runner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runner/) [Runners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runners/) ## Related quotes > [Clearly, there are things a runner does, intentionally or not, that disrupt team cohesion. And there are also things a runner doesn't do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/clearly-there-are-things-a-runner-does-intentionally-or-not-that/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [Sure, the first light snowfall may be a chance to dance giddily, leaving squeaky footprints through the neighborhood, marking the runner's right to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/sure-the-first-light-snowfall-may-be-a-chance-to-dance-giddily/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [Cheer for your teammates, regardless of whether they're fast or slow, veteran or neophyte, varsity or JV. Or rally the spirits of someone who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/cheer-for-your-teammates-regardless-of-whether-they-re-fast-or-slow/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [In those long, lonely miles you put in during the off-season, and in those knife-in-the-gut repetitions and hill repeats that buckly your knees -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/in-those-long-lonely-miles-you-put-in-during-the-off-season-and-in/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [“I take each thing as it is, without prior rules about what it should be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-take-each-thing-as-it-is-without-prior-rules-about-what-it-should-be/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [I think it is really important that people at least have some potentially difficult discussions about what their expectations are - and not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wasser/i-think-it-is-really-important-that-people-at-least-have-some/) [Laura Wasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wasser/) > [Indeed, bull markets are fueled by successive waves of prior skeptics finally capitulating as their fears fade. 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Your life may not be built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-vision-of-life-is-not-a-discovery-it-s-a-work-and-whatever/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I really didn't have any plans to record prior to doing My Own Best Enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marx/i-really-didn-t-have-any-plans-to-record-prior-to-doing-my-own-best/) [Richard Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marx/) ## More by Don Kardong > [Runners like to train 100 miles per week because it's a round number. But I think 88 is a lot rounder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/runners-like-to-train-100-miles-per-week-because-it-s-a-round-number/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [The toughest trail I ever ran was the Escarpment in the Catskills of New York State. This was an 18-mile race through Rip Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/the-toughest-trail-i-ever-ran-was-the-escarpment-in-the-catskills-of/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [Beginning runners come in all shapes, sizes and pre-existing conditions, so there's no magic formula for determining exactly how much basic running is needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/beginning-runners-come-in-all-shapes-sizes-and-pre-existing/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [In those long, lonely miles you put in during the off-season, and in those knife-in-the-gut repetitions and hill repeats that buckly your knees -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/in-those-long-lonely-miles-you-put-in-during-the-off-season-and-in/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [Cold is not without its risks to runners, of course, especially ones who don't head south when winter visits their neighborhood. 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Part of it was simply safety, the question of whether level ground would truly appear under each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/running-at-night-used-to-frighten-me-part-of-it-was-simply-safety-the/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [A good teammate is someone willing to get outside of personal thoughts and emotions, a friend who tries to understand, appreciate, and encourage other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/a-good-teammate-is-someone-willing-to-get-outside-of-personal/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [We (ultra runners) alternate between depression and stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/we-ultra-runners-alternate-between-depression-and-stupidity/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [You entered a marathon with hills? You idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/you-entered-a-marathon-with-hills-you-idiot/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [When I was in middle school, and teachers lectured about World War II, the conflict seemed impossibly distant and irrelevant. And it had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/when-i-was-in-middle-school-and-teachers-lectured-about-world-war-ii/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [When I started running, a gadget was a wristwatch with a secondhand on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/when-i-started-running-a-gadget-was-a-wristwatch-with-a-secondhand-on/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [If you run 100 miles a week, you can eat anything you want - Why? Because (a) you'll burn all the calories you consume,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/if-you-run-100-miles-a-week-you-can-eat-anything-you-want-why-because/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [For most teenage runners, the right foods means a varied diet, decreasing the amount of fat found in the typical American diet and replacing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/for-most-teenage-runners-the-right-foods-means-a-varied-diet/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) [Explore all 43 Don Kardong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) ## More Olympics quotes > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [When I was 3, my parents strapped on a pair of Playskool plastic roller skates to my feet, and that's where the story begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-celski/when-i-was-3-my-parents-strapped-on-a-pair-of-playskool-plastic/) [J. R. Celski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-celski/) > [No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/no-matter-what-wherever-your-mind-wanders-it-seems-to-turn-up-at-the/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [Skateboarding is training, but I don't think of it as training. It's fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-white/skateboarding-is-training-but-i-don-t-think-of-it-as-training-it-s-fun/) [Shaun White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-white/) > [All the people in Korea are cheering me like I'm a gold medalist or something, so I have a responsibility to my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psy/all-the-people-in-korea-are-cheering-me-like-i-m-a-gold-medalist-or/) [PSY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psy/) > [I miss my kids, and they miss me. It's very difficult, but I have to do it for my country and fulfill my dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kom/i-miss-my-kids-and-they-miss-me-it-s-very-difficult-but-i-have-to-do/) [Mary Kom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kom/) > [If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Sporting events like the Olympics have developed and maintained a clear message of promoting gender equality as an essential criterion in the success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-attias/sporting-events-like-the-olympics-have-developed-and-maintained-a/) [Richard Attias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-attias/) > [There are 16 year olds competing at the olympics and i still push on pull doors & struggle getting through the whole day without a nap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-eastwood/there-are-16-year-olds-competing-at-the-olympics-and-i-still-push-on/) [Scott Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-eastwood/) > [Think about how much skateboarding opens your eyes to see the world differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/think-about-how-much-skateboarding-opens-your-eyes-to-see-the-world/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [The Games have been decimated. If you take away the Eastern Bloc, you take away 50% of the medals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-pickering/the-games-have-been-decimated-if-you-take-away-the-eastern-bloc-you/) [Ron Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-pickering/) > [I think skating helped me find myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/i-think-skating-helped-me-find-myself/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [Anyone who's been the Olympic trials before is a veteran.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-aaron/anyone-who-s-been-the-olympic-trials-before-is-a-veteran/) [Max Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-aaron/) [Browse all 3,155 Olympics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I was a 5,000m runner.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don Kardong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000m-runner/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Olympics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000m-runner/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cae/don-kardong-15282_olympics_prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000_1686608.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cae/don-kardong-15282_olympics_prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000_1686608.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cae/don-kardong-15282_olympics_prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000_1686608.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I was a 5,000m runner.” — Don Kardong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Don Kardong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Prior to the 1976 Olympics, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000m-runner/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/prior-to-the-1976-olympics-i-was-a-5-000m-runner/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```