“The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.”
Ecclesiastes, Ch. 9, v. 11
 
‘The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running” is a runner’s aphorism, based on Ecclesiastes, that has been cited in print since at least 1984. The saying has been popularized on posters and T-shirts.
 
Gamblers added a different ending to Ecclesiastes, “The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.”
     
   
7 August 1984, Seattle (WA) Daily Times, “Thousands meet the 10,000 meter Pepsi challenge,” advertising supplement:
As is often said, “The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.”
 
Google News Archive
18 October 1985, Tri-City Herald (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland, WA), “Thrill of the Marathon” by Gale Metcalf, pg. C1, col. 3:
Lord, help me to remember that the race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running. — Jogger’s Prayer
 
1 February 1987, St. Petersburg (FL) Times, “Murray lobbies for respect, not sympathy” by Stephen Buckley, pg. 1C:
The poster reads, “The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.”
     
Google Books
Rodale’s Runner’s World
Volume 22, Issues 1-6
1987
Pg. 57 ad:
“The race is not always to the swift but to those who keep on running.” This stunning Runner’s T-Shirt is silk-screened with five vivid colors: green, grey, black, blue and tan.
 
Google Books
Days of Healing, Days of Joy:
Daily Meditations for Adult Children
By Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty
New York, NY: Harper/Hazelden
1987
Pg. 30:
The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running. — Anonymous