which would be easier when having to travel over a very long distance without horse or some other means of conveyance: walking or running?
let’s qualify. by “easier,” we mean you arrive at your destination non-the-worse for wear but you’d want to be there at the earliest time. we’ll assume you can’t run longer than a marathon every day and your destination is more than 100 miles away. i don’t have figures for walking distances attained in one day. you travel light (just money to buy you sustenance and a bed for the night.) whether you run or walk, you stop to rest and eat as required, and you sleep at least 8 hours a day.
pure walking or long jogs followed by a siesta? a combination? were there experiments done by the military or some other institution?
Pedestrianismwas a major sport in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
6 day races were common with the winner covering around 600 miles using a combination of running, walking and napping. Often called “go-as-you-please” events.
Sometimes competitors would finish a race (run Monday-Saturday with Sunday as a day of rest) and promptly go right into another.
Modern-day trans-continental runners will cover 30-60 miles a day for the 3000+ miles across the US.
Depends a lot on the terrain. Is it hilly or flat? Is the walking path grassy or rocky? In many places you couldn’t run even if you wanted to.
I walked well over 100 miles from the last bus stop on the road (Lamasangu) to the Everest Base Camp area in Nepal in the middle of winter. Between the steep rocky trail and the snow on some of the passes, not to mention the altitude (18,000’+ at the end), running was not an option.
