What if I told you that in the not-so-distant future, speed races could be contested by people running on their hands and feet? This idea, worthy of a comedy film, could one day become a reality, but you might not be ready for that discussion...
Soil Contact Time
Usain Bolt, the man who redefined the limits of human speed, set a world record in the 100 meters that seemed unattainable: 9.58 seconds, for many experts the fastest the human body can achieve. But the biomechanics of running may have more surprises in store for us.
Bolt achieved his all-time record in 2009. When he set the record, he reached a top speed of 44.72 km/h, keeping his feet on the ground for only 43% of the time during the race. The rest of the time is known as "flight time," when neither foot is actively pushing forward. This flight time is crucial because it is when the runner is decelerating and preparing for the next phase of acceleration.
Let’s compare this to the cheetah, the fastest land animal. During its burst of speed, a cheetah keeps its paws on the ground for approximately 70% of the time, reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h. This longer contact time allows the cheetah to accelerate at incredible speeds, making the most of every phase of the race. An even more bizarre example is a sports car that spends 100% of its time accelerating. A Bugatti can exceed 400 km/h.
Image: Jamaica Pen Publishers
A Bizarre But Interesting Theory
The idea of a human running on all fours is a fascinating hypothesis. Quadrupedal running could theoretically increase ground contact time (acceleration time) and offer significant speed advantages.
Image: Guinness World Records
According to the Guinness World Records, the current record holder for quadrupedal running is American Collin McClure, who "ran" or rather galloped, the 100 meters in a time of 15.66 seconds. According to the record holder, he watched videos about quadrupedal running and realized that he had the natural ability to achieve it.
A groundbreaking study led by researchers Ryuta Kinugasa and Yoshiyuki Usami, titled “How Fast Can a Human Run? − Bipedal vs. Quadrupedal Running,” explores just such a hypothesis. The study presents a provocative projection: if current trends continue, it is possible that by 2048, a human running on all fours could break the 100-meter world record.
The researchers compared the evolution of quadrupedal running vs the evolution of bipedal running and concluded that if the evolution of quadrupedal running continues at its current pace, the speed of a quadrupedal human could reach 9.276 seconds, surpassing the projected bipedal record of 9.383 seconds.
While the idea of humans running on all fours may seem bizarre, it does have a scientific basis. And even if we never see this scenario come to fruition, it’s a great conversation starter!