A marathon mentality means that you are in something for the long haul. You are not going to walk away or leave before the job is finished. Here, “long haul” means a long period of time or a great distance. For example, long haul truckers drive their large vehicles over great distances. Okay, now let’s talk about sprinters. If you have a sprinter’s mentality, you attack a problem with short, fast bursts of energy. There is no need to pace yourself. There’s isn’t time! A sprinter’s mentality means you do not hold back. You do something with all the energy you have. You can do this because you know the project (or problem) will only last a short time. Now, a person can have both a mentality of a marathon runner and a sprinter. It may depend on the situation or project. However, some people may be more one kind of person than the other.