This is one of the most typical and well-known depictions of athletes in antiquity. This small statuette represents a young runner at the beginning of the race. His posture, however, is not typical of the starting motion. The athlete's arms are stretched out and his body leans slightly forward. His left leg is extended and slightly lifted. He has short hair, intense eyes and a slight smile typical of the Archaic period (the "Archaic Smile"). An engraved votive inscription marks his right thigh stating “Of Zeus”. A pentathlon winner offered this particular statuette to the sanctuary of Zeus along with a set of others representing a discus and a javelin-thrower, a jumper and a wrestler. The works were created by an Argive workshop towards the end of the Archaic period.