What Motivates You?
In this picture, I had just finished running a 10k, 400 meters, 100 meters, a mile, and marathon for a total of 33 miles of hard running, all on the same day. I looked like death warmed over and felt that way when I finished the race! I needed strong, meaningful motivation to finish this race.
The people who greeted me at the finish line made the day complete in many meaningful ways. It is a day I will always cherish for something much more important to me than winning the race.
Meaningful Motivation Matters
When people ask how I managed to win one of the toughest endurance challenges ever devised, they often expect me to discuss splits, mileage, or training blocks. Instead, I emphasize the importance of motivation and mental preparation. Yes, you need physical, mental, and emotional fitness, but motivation is the quiet fuel that carries you across the finish line.
I learned this firsthand during the Original Ultimate Runner Competition, an event that included a 10K, a 400m, a 100m, a mile, and a marathon—all on the same day. While I was in the best physical shape of my life, I was equally focused on strengthening my mental side: preparing to stay present through fear, fatigue, and the unknown. (I had never run a marathon before.)
That race taught me a powerful truth: when you’re pursuing your God-given potential, your mind, body, and motivation must all work together.
Training the Mind for an Impossible Day
How does anyone prepare to tackle five very different races in a single day—especially when the last one is their first marathon?
The answer is the same one I use today when coaching runners and others pursuing big goals: you must understand what truly motivates you. Mental toughness—along with its cousins grit, resilience, and perseverance—doesn’t come from nowhere. It is driven by deep, personal meaning.
Without meaningful motivation, even the strongest grit will eventually run dry.
Think of the stories we’ve all heard about parents who somehow lift a car off a trapped child. Extreme, yes, but revealing: there is more within each of us than we realize. When the purpose is powerful enough, the human spirit finds another gear.
Running is no different. Every race brings a moment when effort turns to pain and self-doubt whispers louder. Generic pep talks won’t carry you through that moment. Your own personal “why” will.
The Motivation I’d Never Shared
I have never publicly shared my primary motivation for participating in that Ultimate Runner Competition until this post—partly because it’s hard to capture how much it meant to me. But it shaped every stride of that day.
Several relatives came to watch the race, including a young family member with cystic fibrosis. At the time, the life expectancy for CF patients hovered in the late teens or early 20s. She was approaching that age, and despite everything she faced, she was one of the most joyful and likable people you could ever meet.
She came specifically to watch me race. She was excited and proud, and I felt an overwhelming responsibility not to let her down.
She struggled to breathe on an ordinary day. I had the privilege to run, to push my limits, and to breathe freely. On that day, I realized I wasn’t racing just for myself; I was racing for her.
With that purpose in mind, I found a gear I didn’t know I had. I left everything on the course and ran with all my heart. But winning wasn’t the real victory. The real victory came afterward—in the smile she gave me at the finish and the hug I received from her and her family, a memory I can still feel decades later.
She passed away years ago, but the memory of that smile is still more meaningful to me than the medal or title I earned.
Finding Your Meaningful Motivation
The most powerful motivation is always rooted in something bigger than yourself. It connects your daily efforts to a mission, a person, or a purpose that truly matters.
So ask yourself:
- What—or who—do I run for?
- What purpose lifts me when the race gets tough?
- What meaning fuels me when training is challenging and life feels overwhelming?
Your answer doesn’t have to be dramatic; it just needs to be genuine.
When runners tap into their true purpose—whether it’s family, faith, health, healing, community, or personal transformation—they access a deeper reservoir. This reservoir not only helps you finish races but also enables you to show up better in every aspect of your life.
Because meaningful motivation often transforms into something greater: love in action. Sometimes, one smile, one hug, or one person you carry in your heart is all the motivation you'll ever need.
Read about the Original Ultimate Runner Competition for more information about this event.
Blessings,
Coach Weber
Philippians 4:13
