Designed for Running – How People Are Made To Run

Do you think people were made to run or walk? To climb trees? Live in wet conditions? No, seriously. What do you think? Well, the last two suggestions are pretty easily dismissed. We don’t have ape-like strength and dexterity allowing high flying acrobatics from tree to tree. Living in trees then isn’t really an option. Humans also don’t have gills, scales or fins. Obviously we weren’t meant for swimming as much as we were designed for an existence on land. But what about the first two? Most people would intuitively suggest that humans are meant to walk as opposed to running. Frankly because most people don’t run at all and assume that walking is the optimal use of our body’s design because of a rather sedentary lifestyle.

Research over the last couple of decades has steadily begun to suggest quite the opposite though. There aren’t just a few physiological adaptations that support this notion. The list of arguments, supported by scientific research, is extensive and very convincing. The theory suggests that humans are ancestors of primates that were tree dwelling animals. An ever-growing need to hunt down animals or left overs from a previous predator’s hunt led humans to dwell on land, and consequently develop physiological adaptations that made them more efficient at land travel. So that’s what humans did. We got better at traveling by foot. Don’t believe for one second though that we could take a leisurely stroll through African savannah, ripe with predators and and void of refuge. Travel by foot was done cautiously, quickly and evasively.

It was running that provided humans the means to hunt for food. Running gave humans a sprinters chance at fleeing for safety. Running also helped us spread as a species to the corners of the planet. As the research hypothesizes, it was from these origins and necessities that humans have become running creatures. In short, running isn’t simply a bi-product of being able to walk. There is much more to our two legs than most would assume.

Let’s have a look at some of the physiological adaptations that make us runners.

Leg length – compared to several other primates, humans have much longer legs. Pull up a picture of a chimp and you’ll see what I mean. Just like chimps and other primates have long, powerful arms for climbing, humans have long, powerful legs for running.

Achilles tendon – consider this the spring of the human body. The Achilles is a massive and incredibly powerful tendon that absorbs and releases enormous amounts of energy during running. Like a spring, the Achilles propels us upwards and forwards while running. At no point does the Achilles produce the same spring-like action while walking. No doubt about it, this bad boy was made for running.

Calcaneus – this enlarged bone that sits at the heel of the foot acts as a shock absorption mechanize. Combined with the Achilles tendon, the Calcaneus provides exceptional shock absorption and spring. Both components of the foot are meant for running.

Human skin – several square feet of epidermis housing millions of pores allow humans to efficiently release heat during exercise. Land animals covered with hair or fur typical do so by panting yet it’s not nearly as effective as human skin. The end result is that humans are able to exercise for longer periods of time without overheating. Cheetahs for example, although incredibly explosive and fast, can’t sustain long periods of running without quickly overheating. Put humans against Cheetahs in a sprint and we have no chance but put them together in a marathon and the cheetah will never see the finish line.

These are just some of the physiological adaptations that suggestion humans are made to run just as much as we are made to walk. Check back in for more articles as we examine aspects of the human body that make us excellent distance runners.