We know the Games are special. But here’s what makes the quadrennial event stand out for runners. – By Erin Strout

Track and field captures the attention of the world once every four years. To seize on the opportunity, the elite athletes’ lives revolve around the Olympic cycle and making sure the big event includes a performance of a lifetime.

We’re almost at the end of the 2016 Rio Olympics, which concludes on Sunday with the men’s marathon. In that time, we’ve noticed what makes this 10-day athletic event unlike any other.

Photographers and media are absolutely everywhere.

Every second of the Games is captured by the 5,800 accredited members of the media. That means that when athletes are not competing, most likely they’re being photographed or interviewed. The spotlight on track athletes is never brighter – it’s a sport that is often neglected by mainstream media otherwise.

“There’s more of you guys,” Emma Coburn, bronze medalist in the steeplechase, told a group of reporters. “There’s definitely more hype and media and people wishing you luck that you haven’t talked to in 10 years, which is nice. It’s just a much bigger net of fans and media and attention.”

Athletes often can’t find their coaches after they race.

Personal coaches who were not officially chosen to lead sports teams get little special treatment or access to the track. So when an athlete wins a medal or sets a new record, they often have to wait until they get through media interviews, doping control, and other obligations until they find the mentor who brought them this far.

Take, for example, when Wayde van Niekerk won the men’s 400 metres and set a new world record. Anna Sofia Botha, Wayde’s 74-year-old coach, tried to get down to the track to share in the once-in-a-lifetime moment with her athlete. But she got turned away even with her credentials.

“At every entrance there was security and they just wouldn’t let me go through,” she said. Luckily van Niekerk found his South African fans and his girlfriend during his victory lap.

There’s a victory ceremony dressing room

Having a gold, silver, or bronze draped around your neck in front of the entire world is a pretty big deal. It’s imperative to look good for a moment that will be captured from every angle. Right off the track in Olympic Stadium, there’s an otherwise innocuous-looking gray door that leads to a dressing room where the fastest athletes of our time make sure they don’t have any spinach in their teeth and brush their hair.

An official plays with remote-controlled cars all day.

Christopher Harting of Germany won the discus with a throw of 68.37 metres. But a few small, green remote-controlled cars played a big part in that gold-medal moment. An official uses the cars, which zip back and forth from the throwing cage to the discus landing spot, where another official loads up the discus before it drives it right back to the cage. It’s an efficient and captivating way to keep the competition moving. (And people are taking notice.)

Moments are often remembered more than medals.

The Olympic spirit is that warm, fuzzy feeling that transcends competition, politics, and all that is evil in the world. Sport is supposed to bring all cultures and creeds together, unified for two weeks in the pursuit of excellence. It doesn’t always work out that way, which is why any brief display of kindness, sportsmanship, or humanity receives so much adoration – they’re often what is celebrated above-and-beyond those hard-earned medals.

When Team USA’s Abbey D’Agostino and New Zealander Nikki Hamblin collided and fell during their race, then helped each other back up, the world rightfully applauded. We hope there are more reasons to grab a couple of tissues before the closing ceremony on Sunday. We have a feeling there will be.

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