It's inevitable. At some point, even the world's fastest man will lose. Maurice Greene had a dream season in 1999. He set a world record. He took four world titles. But he was blistered in two races. And defeat hammers at the most vulnerable spot in a dynamo's armor: his psyche.

Each race inflicts on sprinters a taffy pull of conflicting emotions. They won't win unless they are convinced that they will win, even though they know in their heart that they can be defeated on any given day. In victory, they must hold on to at least a scintilla of humility, lest they get too cocky -- and ripe for a takedown. In defeat, they must be arrogant, or they risk losing the confidence that fuels a winning performance.

"It's kind of a paradox. Just when you start winning a lot and really begin to master the sport, you've got to become more humble and realize how much more you still need to learn," says Smith. "And when you lose, you've got to stick your chest out and take on the persona of a winner. Other runners can beat you, but you can never, never let them defeat you. If you do, they'll take over your market."

According to Smith, no one was better at losing like a winner than Carl Lewis, arguably the greatest track-and-field athlete in history. Case in point: the 1994 Grand Prix meet in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the 100, Leroy Burrell didn't just blow by Lewis; he shattered Lewis's world record. "Carl lost," recalls Smith. "But Carl did the interview. I've never seen anything like it.

"Leroy was very emotional. He was crying and celebrating because he'd broken Carl's record. And Carl was genuinely happy for him. He hugged him. Then, during the TV interview, he talked about how well Leroy had run. It was Leroy's moment, but Carl was determined to share it. He wasn't going to let it get him down. As far as Carl was concerned, he didn't lose; he just didn't win. How did Leroy feel after that? He was probably pissed. You'll have to ask him.

"Mind games," says Smith with a hearty chuckle. "Man, they're just beautiful."

Bill Breen (bbreen@fastcompany.com) is a senior editor at Fast Company. Katrina Barnas (kbarnas@fastcompany.com), a Fast Company intern, provided research for this article.

Sidebar: How to Beat the Clock

Whether you're designing a new piece of software or launching a new marketing campaign, every project is a race against the competition -- and against the clock. And the gold goes to the person who flawlessly executes the three critical stages of a project: the fast start, the maxed-out middle, and the searing finish. You won't win if you don't have a plan, but you can use world-class coach John Smith's tactics for running the race....

Fast Start

"Many people believe that in order to win a race, you have to be the first one out of the blocks," says Smith. "They're wrong. The most important thing is to execute a balanced start. The first step sets up every step that follows. If you're the slightest bit overextended, you have to rebalance yourself -- which displaces energy and sacrifices time. But if you're balanced properly, you're prepared to handle the choreography that will allow you to win."

Maxed-Out Middle

"The middle part of the race is when you hit your top speed, but you can't rush it. Coming out of the start, your upper body should be parallel to the track. That way, your weight is pushed in front of you, and you're trying to catch that falling weight. If you snap your head up too quickly, you've destroyed all of your explosiveness. Instead, come up gradually, and you're in the best position to really power down the track."

Searing Finish

"Your finish depends entirely on how much energy you've displaced at the start. Burn too much fuel at the beginning, and you won't have anything left for the end. As you near the finish line, gravity starts to pull on you. Your body feels like it's breaking up, and your instinct is to tense your muscles. Instead, relax. The guys who tighten up at the finish are the guys who lose."