I always thought people that ran marathons were crazy but it turns out that humans are built to run long distances – that’s how we used to hunt. Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners explains how our ability to run long distances gave us a competitive advantage. We can run longer (although slower) than all other animals. One of things that allows us to run long distances is the fact that we can sweat. We can lose the excess heat while we are running – all other animals have to stop and pant to cool down.
So I guess I should stop thinking all those marathon runners are crazy – sorry Dana and Dad!
By the way, the article said the other two animals that are distance runners are dogs and horses. So see, I really wasn’t torturing Teddy all those years! (I knew I wasn’t but I had friends who thought otherwise. She loved our daily runs although I’m sure she would have preferred walking. More time to smell the roses – or to roll in stinky things.)
Photo by Hugo*.