Sam Walton was an Olympian in this sense, a long-distance runner in the race for competitive ideas.

FORBES: Getting in Shape for the Idea Olympics

You see, I'm a long-distance runner, a marathoner, and those pinchable, inline controls meant I could skip songs without feeling around for a button or taking my eyes off the road.

ENGADGET: IRL: Nexus One, Sansa Clip Zip, DeLorme PN-60 and the HP TouchPad

She's a long-distance runner herself in a metaphorical sense.

NPR: Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Olympic Legacy

He himself had begun his career as a college-champion long-distance runner, had then risen to a senior position with the railway company, and for years had travelled the railroads, covering tens of thousands of miles to assure himself and the authorities that the proper safety levels were being maintained.

NEWYORKER: In the South