I have never ran fast, never had real speed at my beck and call. In fact, I am downright slow. But I can really appreciate seeing the true magnificence and beauty of pure and simple raw speed.
This past week, at the World Championships for track and field in Berlin, Usain Bolt of Jamaica ran faster than anyone ever has before, shattering his own records in the 100 and 200 meter sprints.
Bolt is a marvel to see run. He is very large, something in the range of 6′ 5″ tall, and when he unwinds those long, powerful legs, it is a thing of beauty. It is all power and rhythm, channeled perfectly with little wasted effort to the track surface. In fact, there is so little waste that he seems to move effortlessly, an incredible feat for someone running over 30 MPH. His competitors seem to be expending twice as much energy yet are left far behind, 5 or 7 meters in his wake.
There is an artistic sense of perfection in his races. Like looking at a painted masterpiece where there are no extraneous brushstrokes, each stroke having it’s necessary place. Like watching a great film where there is no word of dialogue or movement that doesn’t move the story forward, doesn’t add something to the whole. Like listening to a great piece of music, where one note more would destroy the entire structure of the composition.
It seems also that there is more to come from Bolt, that he still has more in reserve and that is, in itself, incredible. I will be watching…
Here’s yesterday’s 200 meter race. 19.19 seconds…
Redtree Times 