Uganda, March 3 -- Foot track racing too closely reminds me of cave hominids and wild animals pursuing each other in the open savannah.

I find watching a skater gliding to etch 3-D figures of Ravel's Bolero over an ice-sheet or clay specialists crisscrossing a tennis court more rewarding than blinking as brutes like Usain Bolt tear themselves from the track over nine seconds, their skill and sheer physical prowess notwithstanding. A marathon is more boredom.

However, there is a type of race that intrigues me; the hurdles. Thinking about it, doing the job properly requires a lot of brain-and-muscle co-ordination.

Even if you are an otherwise very fast runner, to be champion, the natural hesitation before each hurdle must be squeezed to ...