The fastest a human being can run is 27 miles per hour. The fastest ever recorded was Usain Bolt in the 100m, during his 9.58 second run, his speed averaged 23.3 mph but during the 60m stretch he increased it to 27mph. The strange part is that there isn’t much distinction between faster animals – cheetahs, dogs, ostriches, their tendons and muscles are not much different from ours.
Another surprise is that it doesn’t matter how many legs you have on your speed. The key to speed is now how fast the legs move but the force they exert on the ground. In a study, the slowest runner of the group repositioned her leg the same way Donovan Bailey repositioned his leg. A fast animal can exert 2.5 times their body weight in force on their feet. Human beings at this time can exert 4 times their body weight on their feet. Researches see our speed increasing by 5% as muscles get stronger.
Why are sprinters more muscular that distance runners? Distance running is more cardiovascular running that sprinting. The most important part of the body is the heart, not the muscles. A 100 pound antelope can run a marathon in 45 minutes compared to our marathoners clocking in under two hours because that antelope has a heart twice the size of ours, it increases the number of red blood cells in the system.
Sprinter, distance runner, recreational runner-it’s all in the genes. Let us make sure you have the right equipment on your feet.
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