I also wish they had interviewed the runner more deeply. I'd speculate that her advantage is almost entirely mental. Middle-distance races inflict pain on the w

I also wish they had interviewed the runner more deeply. I'd speculate that her advantage is almost entirely mental. Middle-distance races inflict pain on the whole body - guts, arms, neck, everywhere - the legs are by no means the only part under stress. The quote about not knowing how much time she had left was also telling: not many high school runners have that kind of motivation, and motivation to train and race is 90% of the competition at that level.