Before the championship relay, Emek and Tara compared two possible runner lineups using results from 30 recent practice races for each lineup. The team needed both a fast start and a successful finish. Lineup A had a fast start in 21 races and a successful finish in 24, but both events occurred together in only 17 races. Lineup B had a fast start in 19 races and a successful finish in 23, with both occurring together in 18 races. At first, Emek noticed that Lineup A had the higher individual rates for both fast starts and successful finishes. Tara pointed out that the championship required both conditions in the same race, so those separate statistics were not enough. They calculated the combined-event probabilities: 17/30 for Lineup A and 18/30 for Lineup B. Although Lineup B had fewer fast starts overall, its 60% probability of meeting both requirements was greater than Lineup A's probability of about 56.7%. They selected Lineup B, confident that considering the combined events gave them the stronger championship strategy.