Humans: The Long-Distance Hunters

[jyl]

I stumbled across this. Apparently humans are "jack of all trades, master of none" - mediocre swimmers, climbers, fighters - but we are better than any other animal in one thing: in running for long distances in hot conditions. Our ability to sweat copiously, lack of insulating fur, and legs built for endurance allowed us to run prey to exhaustion. No other predator can do that. Cheetahs can only dash for 30 seconds, dogs and wolves overheat, but man can keep going for hours and days. Even horse cavalry cannot keep up with men on many-day marches.

Cool, eh?

https://mobile.credit-suisse.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mOpenArticle&aoid=286686&coid=286562&lang=EN

http://m.phys.org/_news95954919.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html

[aap1966]

Interesting.
If you look at the aspects of our anatomy and physiology that separate us from the other great apes, every difference can be explained as an adaptation to running. Our upright stance, narrow waist, hair predominantly limited to the scalp, ability to sweat....everything is exactly what you'd expect in a "running ape".
With that in mind, is it any surprise that if such an animal sits behind a desk or computer game all day there are significant health implications: diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression....shall I go on?
I'm 47 and run 15-20 km (10-12 mile) 4 times per week. Anyone here think I could do that if humans weren't designed from the ground up for running?

[RWebb]

yup - but humans are also a specialist in low energy locomotion - apparently the balance and bipedal gait allows walking over long distance for very low ergs/mile

[nynor]

yep. you can walk your dog to death. literally.

[Evans, Marv]

Didn't some American Indians catch their horses that way? I mean the ones they wanted for riding. They'd pick one and walk after it until the horse was exhuasted, walk up to it & put a rope or something around it's neck & take posession of it. I've never heard what happened after the horse recouperated though.

[vash]

not this human..

[aigel]

The horse was probably not a good example. Those things can take some heat and do sweat. It is more likely they were persistence hunting game.

Persistence hunting is an interesting topic. We had a discussion on here about it before when we discussed barefoot running. This is before I saw the light on that subject (I am now a minimalistic mid-foot runner). I wanted to see if it is doable in the US, hunting antelope got me thinking, and some guys tried persistence hunting them in WY and then some other guys (pro athletes) were successful in NM.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/nature/Fair-Chase.html
Not sure if they would have made it without a fence. But then, prehistoric humans were probably a lot better at gauging the situation and following an animal than the average modern runner doing an experiment.

The wikipedia site on the subject has a lot of info and further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting

G

[GeorgeK]

When I see the cartilage and general joint condition of the knees /ankles in the runners that come to me, I am less convinced that man is made for running (Im a radiologist).
You want endurance sport that will not (literally) wear your body out? Try rowing, nordic skiing, swimming.

[jyl]

How long were our bodies meant to last, though? In various ways, we physically peak around 30 y/o. And life expectancy was about that.

[Chocaholic]

And then we invented weapons. As soon as we realized we were the only species that could accurately throw/launch things it all changed. It's that discovery that makes us the ultimate preditor, not long distance running. Because its been a million years or two since that time, it's likely that evolution has caused changes leading to the injuries George describes above.

So...just because Homo Erectus may have run down his prey, it's not advisable for modern man to try running down a mountain lion or wild boar. But, some will, of course.

[targa911S]

I have run down a few boors in my life.

[herr_oberst]

I used to run a lot. Now, I can barely jog and it's not a pretty sight.

[GH85Carrera]

There is a race in England that pits a man on foot against a man on a horse. They go some crazy distance. Sometimes the horse and rider wins, but sometime the man on foot wins.

A human running in hot conditions has an real advantage over a dog. Don't try to run down a dog in a cold climate. A sled dog is born to run. No human could outrun a good sled dog in the cold.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by targa911S

I have run down a few boors in my life.

Coffee through the nose!



G

[aigel]

As always, things have to be done in moderation. I don't think it is a good idea to run multiple marathons a year and keep running 30+ miles per week for decades. You can run yourself ragged, or you can train and keep in shape smarty with plenty of cross-training mixed in. I also think that proper form and footwear makes a huge difference. (For decades hobby runners were wearing 3" cushions on their feet and heel-striking themselves into the ground).

In the US there are definitely more non-athletes with shot knees than there are long distance runners with the same. Of course this doesn't mean that there are only two choices (fat or run).

The OP was pointing out that running is the only thing we are really good at genetically. It is something that we haven't known for terribly long. I know that there were a lot of theories before why we have no coat and are bipeds. The running advantage certainly explains it.

I connect to my body when running in a way like no other exercise will allow me to. I also mentally connect to my roots in a profound way when I am hunting or spear fishing. One day I want to combine the two and go on a persistence hunt. Anyone coming?

G

[aigel]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

A human running in hot conditions has an real advantage over a dog. Don't try to run down a dog in a cold climate. A sled dog is born to run. No human could outrun a good sled dog in the cold.

Very true. If you bring water for the dog, you also will not stand a chance. I take my dog on 30 mile bike rides when it is cool. She doesn't even blink, as long as she gets some water along the way. There is the other advantage of humans. Even early ones were able to bring water.

G

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by jyl

How long were our bodies meant to last, though? In various ways, we physically peak around 30 y/o. And life expectancy was about that.

common misperception - life expectancy is talked about as an average, and that was held down by high infant/youth mortality

it only recently that people have started surviving longer once they reach say 50

[RWebb]

human running performance has been known for a few decades - I used to lecture on it ot grad. & ungrad students in the 80s so it is older than that

African tribesmen used to run down cheetahs in the heat - the cheetah would dash to a shady bush (at 70 mph) and these guys would jog or lope up to and flush it out with stick or stones; then repeat until it was exhausted

later, they started using Land Drovers

[Jeff Higgins]

Native Americans ("Indians" in those days...) referred to the infantry as the "slow walkers" during the plains wars. They simply could not outrun them or hide from them. Must have been like being the pursued in a bad mummy movie or something. Someday, they were going to catch up. They just never quit. "Dogged determination" applies more to us than our four legged friends.

[dewolf]

Originally Posted by nynor

yep. you can walk your dog to death. literally.

I saw an ********* the other day who was running with his dog in 38C afternoon temps. The poor effin dog's tongue was almost dragging on the ground. I pulled over and aksed wtf he thought his dog was, a fkn Kalahari Bushman or something. The poor dog was knackered. It could'nt stand still because the road was that fkn hot. I ended up calling the cops who sent out our version of animal rescue as well. They fined the prick $500 for cruelty to an animal.