There was a post awhile back about someone looking for running poems. Here's one that I had a copy of.
The Distance Runner's Soul
Looking deep inside this man,
to find what God has put within,
to be the best that I can.
All the days I won't forget,
the snow, the wind, the rain, the ills,
the injuries, the sunshine and the hills.
The sweet taste of victories felt,
and struggles through the defeats dealt.
The passion, the emotion of raw competition,
for it is a man with dreams that never fails.
Thousands upon thousands of miles literally run,
all for the love of the purist of fun.
The grit and grind, the toughening of the mind.
For only in your heart will you find,
what it means to be a champion.
One never HAS to run, instead they GET to.
The laps, the hill sessions, the intervals and all,
but to find himself,
a man only needs to go on a weekly long run.
The peace, the tranquility, the fire within.
The passion burns deep to compete once again.
For it was long before I first stepped to the line,
that the good Lord was preparing that desire in me
deep down inside.
From all over the world, have come people I've met,
all over the country races run that I'll never forget.
The love, the passion in my blood,
to be the best I could be no matter what.
From when I was a child to now as a man,
all I ever thought of was "I can".
No man can ever take that from me,
but now I hope to pass the fire on to thee.
By Mark Misch, 1998