When 44-year-old Kathleen Dolan of Columbus, OH, needed help powering through her first Iroman, she sang Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down" in her head over and over again. During her darkest race-day moment—when she almost drowned during the swim—she feverishly repeated her favorite line from the song: "You can stand me up at the gates of hell and I won't back down." Find a phrase or mantra that resonates with you and use it to find courage and motivation during your toughest workouts and races. Source: Dolan has completed two Ironmans and 80+ marathons as a member of the CLIF Bar Pace Team
