Top 40 Summer Sanders Quotes (2024 Update)

1. “It’s not really about the competition. Your biggest challenge in a race is yourself. You’re often racing against time. You’re frequently running everything through your mind. You’re always competing against preconceived ideas. It’s not really the person next to you that you worry about.”

— Summer Sanders

2. “Don’t just tell your kids to be active and to get outside and play. Lead by example.”

— Summer Sanders

3. “The first mile is mental. The rest are all heart.”

— Summer Sanders

4. “At the end of a marathon, it’s going to hurt whether you’re speeding up or slowing down. You may as well push.”

— Summer Sanders

5. “The things you learn from sports – setting goals, being part of a team, confidence – that’s invaluable. It’s not about trophies and ribbons. It’s about being on time for practice, accepting challenges and being fearful of the elements.”

— Summer Sanders

6. “Here’s what I’ve learned about eating healthy when you’re busy: It’s all about preparation. Make your snacks on Sunday, and you will be good to go until Thursday or so.”

— Summer Sanders

7. “I love to swim. When I jump in the water, I feel like I’m 12 years old again. It’s really funny how it does that to me.”

— Summer Sanders

8. “It’s hard to go out and practice every single day, and you get really tired. But you have to believe in yourself.”

— Summer Sanders

9. “When I was younger, I would eat everything.”

— Summer Sanders

10. “For me, music makes my smile brighter during my workouts. It adds that extra something that motivates me to go further or work harder!”

— Summer Sanders

11. “That’s what I love about running – I feel like we all celebrate each other. Even if you’re racing somebody at the finish, it’s like you’re in it together.”

— Summer Sanders

12. “I enjoyed every bit of my swimming career. I think that’s the most important advice – to enjoy what you do.”

— Summer Sanders

13. “Thinking about your training should put a smile on your face. As cliche as it sounds, you are worth all the time and energy you’ve put in. Unleash your emotions with a cheer, or even a signature roar, after a tough workout.”

— Summer Sanders

14. “Sports have always been a huge part of my life and my conversations. It is a thrill and an honor to be a part of this ground-breaking show. I am a competitor at heart, but a true sports fan to my core.”

— Summer Sanders

15. “There is nothing in this world that I love more than my family. To be able to share the joy of running with them at the Runner’s World Half Marathon and Running Festival where we can all participate together is as close as you can get to a perfect weekend.”

— Summer Sanders

16. “I’ve been barefoot most of my life: either flip flops or barefoot on the pool deck. Although you’d think that would make me a good candidate for barefoot running, that doesn’t work with me.”

— Summer Sanders

17. “Boston is the cream of the crop of the marathon world. It has such history that you feel such honor just being a part of it. All the other races have pacers to get you to a Boston qualifying time.”

— Summer Sanders

18. “I don’t care how much you’re working out; when you go to put on that bikini, you’re like, ‘Oh no!’”

— Summer Sanders

19. “I love to run, but training can be hard, especially with a family and a crazy travel schedule. I often do sprints with my kids, where they bike and I run along side them so we can ‘race’ each other for a quarter-mile or shorter repeats.”

— Summer Sanders

20. “It really was my brother who got me involved in swimming. I wanted to be just like him and do everything he was doing.”

— Summer Sanders

21. “I was a die-hard, obsessed fan of Michael Jordan. I’d take his posters with me to away meets, I’d walk out on the deck in my Air Jordans before I swam, I’d write 23 on my cap. I’m just a huge Jordan fan.”

— Summer Sanders

22. “I have so much to learn when it comes to running. I just don’t ever want it to feel like a chore. When I choose to sign up for a race or go out for a run, it’s to make myself feel good, and I almost always do.”

— Summer Sanders

23. “I slice up a ton of cucumbers, celery, carrots and red and yellow peppers. Keep them in your fridge so you always have something handy to curb your snack attack.”

— Summer Sanders

24. “Swimming is great because there are levels of goals. First, when I was four, it was making it to the other end and overcoming the fear of standing up in front of everybody at a swim meet because I was such a shy kid.”

— Summer Sanders

25. “As a woman, you need to take control of your health. There’s no harm in going in and getting checked out. Eventually, you have to ask yourself: ‘Do I want to live at 100% or 80%?’”

— Summer Sanders

26. “I think some parents fall into a trap, teaching their kids that everything is always perfect and everyone is always a winner.”

— Summer Sanders

27. “The kids know what I’m doing when I exercise, and that’s powerful. So don’t just tell your kids to go play outside. Take a moment off your computer, put on your tennis shoes, hop outside and help them start their game and run off some energy.”

— Summer Sanders

28. “For as long as I wanted to swim, I also wanted to do something on TV. My best friend in high school, we used to pretend like we had a TV show, and we had this dream of being the next ‘Kate Allie.’ Having that kind of a shtick.”

— Summer Sanders

29. “I worked at this place called Water World; it was a waterslide park. My brother and my dad framed my first paycheck from this place – which was for $0.00 dollars – because I didn’t even make enough to cover the cost of my uniform!”

— Summer Sanders

30. “Quite simply, my diet has and will always be everything in moderation. People look at Olympic athletes and think they must cut out all those things everyone else indulges in, and speaking for myself, I never did.”

— Summer Sanders

31. “When I was training for the Olympics, I didn’t eat the way I should have. I missed out on much-needed protein and opted for every easy carb.”

— Summer Sanders

32. “Protein is important and hard for me to get in a hurry. We’re busy. I don’t always remember to thaw the chicken for dinner. I always have eggs, and they’re light and satisfying. I never feel stuffed at the end of it.”

— Summer Sanders

33. “Daily repetition matters when a kid is learning to swim. It can be 20 minutes in a lesson or an hour practicing for a couple of weeks.”

— Summer Sanders

34. “I grew up in northern California, where it was consistently in the hundreds in the summertime. My dad didn’t think he should have to turn on the air conditioning when we had a swimming pool in our backyard; it was our built-in air conditioner.”

— Summer Sanders

35. “You can’t go wrong with some nuts. The key word is ‘some.’ Eat them one at a time, not by the handful.”

— Summer Sanders

36. “Preparing mentally takes more out of you than the physical aspect of it.”

— Summer Sanders

37. “The more sleep you get in before the clock turns midnight, the more rested you feel no matter what time your alarm goes off.”

— Summer Sanders

38. “When people say, ‘Hey, wanna come to our house for dinner?’ I say, ‘Yeah, what should I bring?’ They say, ‘How about the dessert?’ I just don’t skimp on the dessert. I make it the yummy way it should be made, and then I just don’t eat the whole pan.”

— Summer Sanders

39. “I started swimming when I was four because my brother wanted to join a swim team, and I wanted to do what he did. They said I had to be six, but if I could swim a lap, then I could participate. So I swam a lap, and the rest is history.”

— Summer Sanders

40. “At 4, I joined a summer rec team called the Sugar Bears.”

— Summer Sanders

41. “A great way to get all the right nutrients is to make a colorful plate – mix of good vegetables, carbohydrates, and protein. If you notice all your vegetables are green, change it up and add another color for a variety of benefits in one meal.”

— Summer Sanders

42. “Honestly, if I can plan out a few meals ahead of time, I feel much more organized.”

— Summer Sanders

43. “Indoor pools just don’t seem as inviting to me.”

— Summer Sanders