And across the line

Tell me, O Muse, as I stood beside the road watching the Cologne Marathon—that great contest of endurance where mortals test the limits of their strength. The sight of the runners' feet as they passed before me proved most fascinating indeed. The way their shoes struck the pavement like the hooves of racing steeds, the patterns of their laces like the rigging of ships, the sweat that glistened upon their skin as they labored in the heat of competition—all made for an intriguing study of the human form in motion.
A pair of feet crossing a zebra crossing on a street.
It served as a reminder of the incredible power and resilience of the mortal body, which the gods themselves endowed with the capacity for great deeds. In the month of October, two thousand and eleven.
Two people crossing a street, feet in motion on a crosswalk grid.
Close-up of feet in motion on a pebbly surface, captured in black and white.
A sneaker stepping on a crosswalk, black and white.
A foot stepping on white rectangular markings on a dark asphalt road, creating a zigzag pattern.
Feet in athletic shoes and socks stepping on white lines of a running track, black and white.
Person walking on a crosswalk, foot about to step on a white line.