# Factoid: "Humans are the best long distance runners on the planet". True? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758 "2013-05-19T20:43:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/41 "2013-05-20T10:53:29Z")
> [@ryanl](#): > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man\_versus\_Horse\_Marathon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_versus_Horse_Marathon) Interesting. Humans have won only a handful of times. And since the horse is carrying a rider, it would be more fair if the human runner was also carrying a proportional weight on their backs. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/42 "2013-05-20T11:26:40Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Interesting. Humans have won only a handful of times. And since the horse is carrying a rider, it would be more fair if the human runner was also carrying a proportional weight on their backs. Or maybe take the rider off and see how well the horses do. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/43 "2013-05-20T12:03:17Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Humans are specialized for endurance and dexterity I understand; our muscles are attached to our bones in a way that prioritizes control over power. Particularly throwing. Humans are _by far_ better at throwing (and hitting what they aimed at) than any other animal, even the other chimpanzee species in our immediate family. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/44 "2013-05-20T12:37:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Mijin** : > > Also, the way Iā€™ve heard this technique described it is not one individual, or a single group moving together, but a spread-out group. > > With a good knowledge of the area, humans could force the target to run towards other members of the party, tiring the animal ā€œfor freeā€. > > This would be much more efficient than running with the prey to the point that it collapses. More efficient, surely, and thatā€™s something that humans do for day-to-day utilitarian hunting. But if you want to prove your manhood, singlehandedly (or doublefootedly) running down a horse is a pretty good way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/45 "2013-05-20T13:00:04Z")
True. But just being part of a consistently successful hunting party would probably get you some 'tang, particularly since it would mean youā€™d have the surplus calories needed to beat up on other groups. Iā€™m not disputing that humans are good long-distance runners. And Iā€™m aware some modern tribes do occasionally hunt using the simple exhaustion technique. What _am_ I saying? I guess that I donā€™t think a compelling case has been made yet that it was ever our main hunting technique to purely run down our prey (without any aspect of ā€œrounding upā€). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/46 "2013-05-20T13:29:31Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Interesting. Humans have won only a handful of times. And since the horse is carrying a rider, it would be more fair if the human runner was also carrying a proportional weight on their backs. The thing is that a ridden horse has a human at the helm, pacing it. Humans are smart and can pace ourselves. We can eat and drink judiciously, surge forward or fall back according to a plan, etc. I suspect a smart human with a plan could outrun a feral unridden horse. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/47 "2013-05-20T14:54:51Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > The thing is that a ridden horse has a human at the helm, pacing it. Humans are smart and can pace ourselves. We can eat and drink judiciously, surge forward or fall back according to a plan, etc. I suspect a smart human with a plan could outrun a feral unridden horse. Humans run the 100 mile Western States Endurance Run as fast (and sometimes faster) as trained horses with experienced riders win the Tevis Cup (similar if not identical course - WS100 started when a Tevis Cup participant had his horse go lame and he decided to finish it on foot). Thatā€™s strenuous mountain running - 23,000 feet of descent and 21,000 feet of climb. Weā€™ve done this topic before I know - someone linked to a list of the animals that can outrun a human over long distances (many miles). While itā€™s not a short list itā€™s much shorter than people might assume. IIRC there were maybe 20 animals on it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/48 "2013-05-20T18:57:27Z")
Of course, we should also include the caveat that ā€œrunningā€ means on land. If you include birds, weā€™re nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Lazy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc29f/32.png) [@Lazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/49 "2013-05-20T21:06:59Z")
I wonder if hunters donā€™t have an advantage over the hunted, all other things being equal. In other words, if you were ā€˜itā€™ in tag, you would be able to catch your double consistently. Angles, and being able to choose a pace, and so onā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/50 "2013-05-21T00:43:32Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Particularly throwing. Humans are _by far_ better at throwing (and hitting what they aimed at) than any other animal, even the other chimpanzee species in our immediate family. [vaguely related trivia] Iā€™ve read in a book about Neanderthals that their physiology made them much more apt at throwing than ourselves [/vaguely related trivia] ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/51 "2013-05-21T01:34:59Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > True. But just being part of a consistently successful hunting party would probably get you some 'tang, particularly since it would mean youā€™d have the surplus calories needed to beat up on other groups. As it happens, attracting women _does_ seem to be one of the primary purposes of big game hunting in hunter/gatherer societies. Small game hunting is actually better in terms of how much meat such hunters get (with the exception of whale hunters). But _big_ game hunting means that you can go up to a woman youā€™re trying to woo and present her with the _very_ best cuts of meat from your latest kill to impress her. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/52 "2013-05-21T02:40:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > More efficient, surely, and thatā€™s something that humans do for day-to-day utilitarian hunting. But if you want to prove your manhood, singlehandedly (or doublefootedly) running down a horse is a pretty good way to do it. Plus you get a horse out of the deal. > [@Zsofia](#): > > I suspect a smart human with a plan could outrun a feral unridden horse. Itā€™s not so much outrun as run down. You never really out run it till the end. And if weā€™re on the receiving end of a chase weā€™re going to have a pretty rough go of it. ---
**Author:** ![Beingmanda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@Beingmanda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beingmanda)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/53 "2013-05-21T08:21:42Z")
For some extremely relevant and mind opening reading read ā€œBorn to Runā€ by Christopher McDougall. Seriously. Read it. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/54 "2013-05-21T09:31:54Z")
[BBCā€™s Life of Mammals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826HMLoiE_o) demonstrating a modern kudu persistence hunt amongst the San people of the Kalahari. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/55 "2013-05-21T13:31:48Z")
> [@Glazer](#): > > Itā€™s not so much outrun as run down. You never really out run it till the end. And if weā€™re on the receiving end of a chase weā€™re going to have a pretty rough go of it. I meant in a race, specifically. A well managed horse would do much better than a horse left to its own devices. Which is why those long distance horse/human races arenā€™t, IMHO, necessarily a good trial of the persistence hunter idea. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/56 "2013-05-21T13:36:22Z")
I wonder if other well-managed herd animals might also outrun humans, because part of the reason that humans can run them down is because they run in sprints rather than at a steady pace, which is what an unmanaged horse might do. So if you could control all those other species that we can run down as easily as you could a horse, they might not tire so easily. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/57 "2013-05-21T14:57:55Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > As it happens, attracting women _does_ seem to be one of the primary purposes of big game hunting in hunter/gatherer societies. Iā€™d be interested in seeing a cite for that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/58 "2013-05-21T15:28:14Z")
Last I checked, attracting women is one of the primary purposes of nearly everything men do. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/59 "2013-05-21T15:43:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Last I checked, attracting women is one of the primary purposes of nearly everything men do. \*ā€œAnd in that moment, Dan was reminded once again why he wanted to write in the first place. Itā€™s for the same reason anybody does anything: to impress women.ā€ \*- Jeremy Goodwin, Sports Night ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758/60 "2013-05-21T16:44:51Z")
Of course, a horse in an organized race probably has someone providing high-nutritional-value feed and fresh water at regular intervals. That I assume is the primary value of a fat-storing omnivore chasing down grass-eating grazers. Grass has very low nutritional value, so grazers spend a huge amount of time eating, even in ideal conditions. Part of the value of continual harrassment is not just to exhaust them, but to leave the animal starved for nutrients and water. Every seen a horse after an intense workout? The sweat is just pouring off them, not to mention other water-loss processes. As for dogs - IIRC, a dog does not sweat, it loses heat through its mouth (hence the dogā€™s head out the car wiindow, tongue drooling in the breeze.) I suspect sled dogs do well in a sled race in snow, but probably suck at endurance running in the African heat. Plus, they need water too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoid-humans-are-the-best-long-distance-runners-on-the-planet-true/658758.md?page=4)