But finally young man called Hippomenes obtained from the Goddess of Love three golden apples, and he was told that if he dropped these apples while running, the girl would stop to pick them up, and that in this way he might be able to win the race.

So he ran, and when he found himself about to be beaten, he dropped one apple.

She stopped to pick it up and thus he gained a little.

In this way he won the race and married Atalanta.

Greek mythology says that afterwards she and her husband were turned into lions because they offended the gods; however, that need not concern us here.