This Runner's Entire Career Hinges On Less Than One Second

At the elite level, a 1500m footrace – which is almost one mile – takes roughly three-and-a-half to four minutes. In the front of the pack, the margins of victory can (and often do) come down to tenths or even hundredths of a second. In a short race, like a 100m sprint, you’d expect those tiny margins. The whole thing is over in less than 10 seconds, so of course the outcome will be decided by fractions. But a middle-distance event is something else. It's nearly four full laps around the track. Minutes of sustained torture. Because we are obsessed with watches and time, we can't help being fascinated by this. All those years of training. All that sweat and hurt. All the sacrifice. Who would put themselves through it, with such a razor-thin line between earning a trip to the podium and going home empty-handed? Nick Willis would. When the 38-year-old New Zealander lines up to race on August 3, it'll be his fifth appearance on the world's grandest athletic stage. Two previous races ended in medals – both decided by less than one second. For the full story visit: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/this-runners-entire-career-hinges-on-less-than-one-second