Speed-skating races are run in pairs. Two skaters start at the same time, one on the inner lane and one on the outer lane. Halfway through the race, they cross over, switching lanes so that each will skate the same distance in each lane. Even though this seems fair, at the 2006 Olympics some fans thought there might have been an advantage to starting on the outside. After all, the winner, Cindy Klassen, started on the outside and skated a remark-able 1.47 seconds faster than the silver medalist.