One interesting thing about the marathon, especially if you're used to watching sprints, is how slow the runners seem to be going. The commentators in the clip above — from Saturday's women's marathon in Beijing — confirm this, saying they're "not sure that leg speed makes all that much of a difference after you've run 26 miles." Obviously, this doesn't mean the marathon is easy, it just means it's complicated — there's a lot to think about besides being fast. But 38-year-old Constantina Tomescu makes it look — and sound — simple. The oldest Olympian ever to win the Marathon says her coach told her "if the pace is slow for the first half, you can push. That’s all." (We dare you to tell us the roar of the crowd when she enters Beijing's National Stadium doesn't give you the chills.)

Send an email to Anna North, the author of this post, at .