Run and Become, Become and Run

Marathon

```

Marathon, marathon, marathon,

Eternity’s dawn!

O kindling, streaming flames

Of great Olympic Games,

O Greece-world vision-height,

Cosmos-oneness-delight!

Humanity’s transcendence-race,

Divinity’s supreme Grace.

```

Bill Rodgers

```

Bill Rodgers, Bill Rodgers, Bill!

O runner world’s Himalayan thrill.

Bill Rodgers, Bill Rodgers, Bill!

O king of the road,

O hero of the race,

Sun-joy treasures

Your heart, your face. ```

Don Ritchie

```

Don Ritchie, fastest ultra soul-delight!

Your silence-heart, your volcano-vision-eyes,

Your lightning-speed, your soundless-skies

Pierce the veil of stark ignorance-night.

Speed is your life, endurance your excellence-height.

Champion runner, champion teacher, champion leader-force!

In you the runner’s world finds its perfection-source.

Victory within and victory without, your progress-light.

```

The New York Road Runners Club

```

I am a member of the New York Road

Runners Club; indeed!

Promise, courage, newness, closeness,

Oneness-perfection I feed.

Quality my progress-choice,

Quantity my success-voice.

Himalayan pride, Atlantic light

With me every day run.

President Lebow, the world’s temple-body

Salutes your wisdom-sun.

```

One Hundred Miles

```

One hundred miles in a fleeting week!

Who says I am hopelessly weak?

Imagine, although I fail to imagine!

No wonder why so much commotion and din.

A bullock-body is drawn by a lion-soul.

No doubt mine are the slowest feet,

But they are perfectly clean, perfectly neat.

I shall ever reach my transcending Goal!

```

Emil Zatopek

```

Emil Zatopek, Emil Zatopek!

Teeming world records in a beaming deck.

O birthless, deathless will-power;

In endurance-life, Everest-tower.

Emil Zatopek, Emil Zatopek!

Breathless interval training-pioneer;

A sure oneness-heart far and near. ```

London-to-Brighton Runners' Race

```

London-to-Brighton runners’ race!

A shining American face:

Alan Kirik, Alan Kirik, Alan!

America, your breathless fan.

A flying Finn, Nurmi’s soul,

Singing, clasping your goal. ```

O Grand Marshall of All Time

```

O Grand Marshal of all time!

Your flower-heart has blossomed in every clime.

The child in you is pure and strong.

Around you cosmos-joys throng.

[Dedicated to Emil Zatopek] ```

Ted Corbitt

```

Ted Corbitt, Ted Corbitt, Ted!

Runner-world revolution-head.

O softness-runner-saint,

Measureless miles your legs did paint.

A brave champion is found

In Heavenly Silence-Sound.

```

I Am Running Around the Clock

```

I am running, I am running around the clock.

My Lord Supreme has aroused my sleeping lock.

Twenty-four hours I have been running,

Challenging my capacity-world and transcending

My power-friend sun, my beauty-friend moon,

My friends planets, stars and sky.

Here on earth, there in Heaven

My soul-bird and I fly.

```

Toshiko D'Elia

```

Toshiko D'Elia, Toshiko!

Inspiration-flood, aspiration-sea!

Your glory’s banner is flying

On the masters runners’ tallest tree.

Helpless children in you have found

Sweetness, fondness and oneness-home.

You and your compassion-heart

Around the globe roam.

```

Allison Roe, Allison!

```

Allison Roe, Allison!

O lightning wonder-speed,

O soaring energy-light!

You are your dauntless soul.

In you, a fount of delight.

New York sings Auckland’s Victory-Song.

O champion of champions,

New Zealand’s thunder-gong!

[Allison Roe of New Zealand was the 1981 winner of the Boston and New York City Marathons. In the NYC Marathon, she set a new world record of 2:25:29.] ```

Zatopek, Mount Everest Czech!

```

Zatopek, Zatopek, Zatopek!

O Mount Everest Czech!

Your body was earth’s tearing cry,

Success vast and progress high.

Your running knew no beguile,

Your soul was Heaven’s beaming Smile.

```

I Am Running a Marathon

```

I am running a marathon.

Self-pity, self-doubt, all gone.

The golden Goal is beckoning me.

I am now ecstasy-flood-sea.

```

He Runs

```

He runs like a man who has just been stabbed in the heart.

[Words by a European coach describing the running style of

Emil Zatopek] ```

Jesse Owens

```

Jesse Owens, Jesse Owens, Jesse Owens!

O deathless jump, O breathless speed,

Eternally, athlete’s world you will feed.

Dictator Hitler’s Aryan supremacy

Surrendered to your Himalayan ecstasy.

Champion of champions, Hero of heroes!

In your service-heart America glows.

In Berlin, four gold medals winner;

Eternity’s diamond-heart owner. ```

Roger Bannister

```

Roger Bannister, Roger Bannister, Bannister!

Sub-four-minute pioneer-miler!

Impossibility bows low,

A stupendous ecstasy-flow.

Mother earth, Father Heaven together dance

And bless you with their victory’s lance.

```

Stan Cottrell

```

Stan Cottrell, Stan Cottrell, Stan Cottrell!

You are the Christ’s victory-bell.

Saviour’s compassion-flow,

Saviour’s satisfaction-glow.

East coast, west coast together boast:

Your heart’s smile is their ecstasy-host.

O greatness-life, goodness-soul,

You are your blessedness-role.

```

Gayelene de Castella

```

Gayelene, Gayelene de Castella, Gayelene!

A brilliance-soul, inner core hyaline!

A tender swimmer won Naiad’s heart;

Victory’s glory-crown her journey’s start.

Years advanced with Mercury’s blessing-speed;

Success-progress-worlds feed her, feed.

```

Robert de Castella

```

Robert de Castella, O splendid runner, indeed!

The runner’s world you unreservedly feed.

Deekas gracious, Deekas precious, Deekas!

Aussie’s journey’s start is crowned with triumphs enormous.

```

Tom Fleming

```

Tom Fleming, Tom Fleming, Tom Fleming!

O marathon-speed-lightning!

Within, without, a stoic soul,

Beyond the sea of dole.

Sub-2:20 marathon-king!

Your triumph-songs we sing.

```

Gary Fanelli

```

Gary Fanelli, Gary!

O heart soulful and merry!

Champion-runner, humility-lover,

Deer-speed and dove-soul,

You live in Oneness-Goal. ```

Terry Fox

```

Terry Fox, Terry Fox, Canada’s hero supreme!

Humanity’s Everest death-conquering dream.

O immortal of immortals, O Eternity’s pride,

Perfect man and content God no more shall hide.

```

Saumitra Werner Haubrich

```

Saumitra, Saumitra, Saumitra,

O good friend, O true friend, O universal friend!

A German mind and Indian heart

In oneness-blend.

My coach, my friend, my joy, my pride.

In our flower-soul-chariots we ride.

```

Jay Helgerson

```

Jay Helgerson, Jay Helgerson, Jay!

A giant player in God’s Cosmic Play.

Seven fleeting days you appear, reappear,

O tireless, selfless train, for a whole year!

Impossibility — a false reality.

Courage-prince, patience-king, joy-emperor —

In the soul-world, the body-ambassador. ```

Brooks Johnson

```

Brooks Johnson, Brooks Johnson, Brooks Johnson!

Champion-coach of promise-dawn.

Your oneness-heart is amazingly strong;

All speed-lovers before you must throng.

```

Nina Kuscsik

```

Nina Kuscik, Nina Kuscik, Nina Kuscik!

A heart-thrilling, a life-blossoming music.

No more her race shall lag behind;

For all, she smites ignorance-blind.

Man and woman towards the selfsame goal

Fulfil their equality: satisfaction-role.

```

Arthur Lydiard

```

Arthur Lydiard, Arthur Lydiard,

O father-hand

Of slow joggers’, fast runners’

And champions’ land!

O coach of coaches,

Fearless and endless wisdom-light!

In you the final, happy death

Of our ignorance-night.

```

Marcy Schwam

```

Marcy Schwam, Marcy Schwam, Schwam!

O conqueror of sleepless energy!

March Schwam, March Schwam, Schwam!

We strike your victory’s stupendous drum,

Here and there and everywhere,

O world-crown’s glory-treasure!

```

Craig Virgin

```

Craig Virgin, Craig Virgin, Craig Virgin!

Teeming victories’ streaming origin.

The deer-speed and the lion-roar:

American runners’ treasure-core.

A doleful weakling is now a twinkling star —

Glory within and without, near and far.

```

Cahit, Cahit

```

Cahit, Cahit, Cahit, Cahit!

His company, a great profit.

Cahit, Cahit, Cahit, Cahit!

Love, concern, compassion lit.

In the runners’ world, a wisdom-sea:

His life a soulful ecstasy.

```

O Marathon Runner

```

O marathon runner,

God the Smiler-Winner!

Bondage-body’s supreme victory

Challenged life’s summit glory.

You claim today for every day

In the Captain’s cosmic Oneness-Play.

```

Run and Become

```

Run and become.

Become and run.

Run to succeed in the outer world.

Become to proceed in the inner world.

```

Run (1)

```

Run, run, run ```

Run (2)

```

Run, run, run ```

Twenty-Six Miles

```

Twenty-six miles I am running,

Smiling, dancing, no crying.

I am a marathon runner:

Body’s ignorance-hunter.

```

O, Grant Me the Fastest Speed

```

O, grant me the fastest speed

To feed my champion hunger-need.

O, grant me the green courage-light.

I must win the victory’s delight.

```

O Great Champion

```

O great champion, O great champion!

You are your achievement-sun.

Endless energy, sleepless speed

Feed our running hunger, feed.

```

Coamo Race

```

Coamo race,

A child-heart’s face.

Coamo race,

Spontaneity-grace.

Country’s beauty-crown,

Ecstasy renown.

Island’s blue-gold throne,

A oneness-telephone.

```

At One Time

```

At one time I was so confused by various doctors’ good advice that I almost died of hunger and thirst. If you come to think of it, you never see deer, dogs and rabbits worrying about their menus, and yet they run much faster than humans.

[Words of Emil Zatopek]

```

Children Play for Joy

```

Children play for joy; adults play for medals.

Medals are the means to promote sports,

but the goal is to contribute a healthy, happy

and harmonious life to man.

[Words of Emil Zatopek] ```

If One Can Stick to the Training

```

If one can stick to the training for many long years,

then will-power is no longer a problem. It’s raining?

That doesn’t matter. I am tired? That’s beside the point.

It’s simply that I just have to.

[Words of Emil Zatopek] ```

I Shall Learn to Have a Better Style

```

I shall learn to have a better style once they start

judging races according to their beauty. So long

as it’s a question of speed, then my attention will

be directed to seeing how fast I can cover the ground.

[Words of Emil Zatopek] ```

It Was My First Competition

```

It was my first competition in Olympic Games and I was

surprised to come to Olympic stadium and to read most

important things about the Games: “Not to win but to take

part.” What — not to win? Ah, but I wish to win!

[Words of Emil Zatopek] ```

Great Is the Victory

```

Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater.

[Words of Emil Zatopek]

```

There Is a Great Advantage

```

There is a great advantage in training under

unfavourable conditions.

[Words of Emil Zatopek] ```

You Must Be Fast Enough

```

You must be fast enough. You must have endurance.

So you run fast for speed and repeat it many times for endurance.

[Words of Emil Zatopek] ```

Winning

```

Winning is as beautiful as it is useful to lose.

But one learns more from defeats than laurels.

[Words of Emil Zatopek] ```

He Ran as if Tortured

```

He ran as if tortured by internal demons.

[Words of Kenny Moore referring to the running style of Emil Zatopek]

```

A Scorpion in Each Shoe

```

He ran every step of a race as if there was a scorpion in each shoe.

[Words of William Johnson referring to the running style of Emil Zatopek]

```

He Looked As If

```

He looked as if he might be having a fit.

[A critic referring to the running style of Emil Zatopek]

```

I Have Found God

```

I have found God, but that does not mean I cannot lose Him.

[Words of Jesse Owens]

```

I Never Tried to Cheat Anyone in My Life

```

I never tried to cheat anyone in my life, your Honour —

except possibly Jesse Owens, so help me God.

[Words of Jesse Owens] ```

Two Unmatchable Teammates

```

Two unmatchable teammates:

My wife of almost fifty years, Ruth,

And the Nazi

Who fought Hitler with me,

Luz Long;

Three unique leaders:

My father,

My mother,

And Charles Riley.

But, most, and most humbly,

To the Great Referee.

[Words of Jesse Owens]

```

The Human Struggle

```

No athlete better symbolised the human struggle

against tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry.

[Words of President Jimmy Carter about Jesse Owens] ```

Ron Clarke

```

Ron Clarke, Ron Clarke, Ron Clarke, Ron Clarke!

O runner-world’s pinnacle-spark,

Australia’s pure treasure-light,

The world salutes your champion-height.

In distance-speed a stupendous soul.

With seventeen crowns, yours is the goal.

```

Speed Is a Skill

```

Speed is a skill. Some appear to be born with it.

Others can acquire it.

[Words of Brooks Johnson] ```

My Record Will Go

```

My record will go, and that will be good. I like to see

records broken, even if they are my own. That is what

running is all about.

[Words of Bill Rodgers]

```

I Don't Know of a More Exciting Athlete

```

I don’t know of a more exciting or more modest or more

competent athlete in the world than Bill Rodgers.

[Words of President Jimmy Carter]

```

You Cannot Go Out Fast

```

You cannot go out fast and expect to maintain it.

You have got to start the marathon feeling that you are running within yourself.

[Words of Allison Roe] ```

I Respond to Pressure

```

I respond to pressure. I enjoy it. I feel that every race

is a performance, and this is my theatre.

[Words of Craig Virgin] ```

From:Sri Chinmoy,Run and Become, Become and Run, 1982
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/rbs