This song is almost like something straight of a movie soundtrack.
Imagine, its a race (like in Chariots of Fire or Seabiscuit).
The beginning is the people all getting ready to go.
When the main theme comes in (54 sec.), that's when the race has started. All you see is the man firing the gun (no sound) and the people start racing off.
The main hero is behind, but keeping up with the crowd. The camera shifts to the audience cheering for the hero running at 1:14 with the new strings.
At 1:34 with the snare drum coming in, the hero gets his second wind and starts pulling forward. At 1:50, he's now up in 2nd place.
From here to 2:08, he's gaining on first place. At 2:08, he barely pulls ahead and the finish line is seen. And at 2:28, the camera freezes on the frame where he runs over the finish line in first, with the guy right behind him. Then the camera blurs and fades out.