Hi twfowler; Of course I really don't know whether people can outrun horses. But I have read this supposed fact many times. Here are some examples on the web, showing, at least, that I am not alone in my delusion:
It is a known fact that a man in good condition can run down a horse. (56) It is obvious that the horse can run faster than the man, but the horse, being herbivorous, tires more quickly and will have to keep stopping to browse. Each time the man begins to catch up, the horse will be forced to run again. In the end the horse exhausts its energies and allows itself to be caught. The Indians of the Plains could apparently catch horses this way, and such horses once caught were less likely to run away even when free to do so.
custance.org
It has been said that with proper pacing, a human can outrun a horse. I never thought I'd see that put to the test but there I was, 32 km into my first ever ultramarathon when I ran past the first of what would turn out to be about 15 horses (and their riders).
runningroom.com
We marvel at the strength, speed, endurance and agility of lower animals; we even marvel at these same qualities in exceptional civilized individuals. We marvel at an Indian running a hundred miles a day; we think that he must be very swift of foot and as enduring as the strongest animal, that he may thus outrun the swiftest horse. But the obvious fact is that our standard of health is so low that we have lost the strength and endurance, grace and agility, that we so much admire in others. The Indian has no special qualities. There is no reason why civilized man may not have the same health, strength and endurance.
living-foods.com
The real problem with most animals expending large amounts of energy over long distances is a combination of either endurance or overheating. Humans have a highly efficient cooling mechanism (sweat) that allow them to wear out most other animals. Dogs are a great example of this. The long distance big time dog races are held in Alaska in the winter for a good reason.
Over very short distances, humans (like most predators) can outrun horses according to this erudite writer:
Over short distances a determined human can outrun a horse, because they've only got half as many legs to sort out.
digiserve.com
-- Carl
P.S. A fascinating look at the year 2000 supposedly written in 1900:
timescapsule.com |
