I shot this image during the men’s 10,000m final at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. I was lucky enough to have access to a photo pit that was sunk below the track level, which gave a very different vantage point.
This event is a long race so I had the time to explore with very slow shutter speeds which created a dynamic pan of the runners in action. The picture shows the graceful motion of the runners as well as the chaos of them all bunched together in the most important race of their lives.
A general view of the field during the Men's 10000m Final held at the National Stadium on Day 9 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 17, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Editor’s note: Streeter Lecka is an accomplished Getty Images sports photographer, having covered the Winter and Summer Olympic Games, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl, Golf’s four Majors, the Major League Baseball Playoffs and many more. His work is featured in publications including Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, TIME Magazine, Newsweek and the New York Times to name but a few. Want to follow him on Twitter? Find him at @StreeTweeter.
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