As Bruce Springsteen famously sang, we are ‘born to run’. And compared to other land mammals, humans are indeed remarkably good at running long distances. Our upright posture, achilles tendons and ability to shed heat – through sweating – make us extremely well adapted to endurance running. Very few other animals can sustain such distances, especially at the speeds that top human athletes perform. But that’s not to say we outrank everyEstimated marathon time: 1hr 2mins marathon stakes. On the contrary, there are some who make us look positively pedestrian. Here's a look at six of the best marathoners in the animal kingdom, from slowest to fastest.
Horse
Max speed: 54mph
collectively, the pull a sled at 25mph: 10.5mph
Estimated marathon time: 2.5hrs
Through years of selective breeding, racehorses have gained a built-in biological mechanism for efficient blood. ‘When they start to exercise, their spleen will kick out a whole bunch of red bloods cells into their system, into their cardiovascular system to make the oxygen carrying capacity of their blood go up,’ says Peter Weyand, professor of physiology and biomechanics at Southern Methodist University.
Max speed: 40mph equus ferus, consider the Man v Horse marathon. Since its inception in 1980, horses have triumphed in this 22-mile race on all but four occasions (though it is worth noting that A complete guide to running in the dark on the two latest outings). As a general rule, when the weather is hot, humans have a good chance. Why? Where horses exceed in oxygen efficiency, humans make up for in temperature regulation. In the beginning of the race, the horses tend to have a 30-minute lead, but toward the end, that advantaged is cut to a couple of minutes. Over the course of the race, humans are more efficient at expelling heat – not to mention they aren’t running with a rider on their back.
Humans
Max speed: 27.45mph (Usain Bolt, 100 metres)
collectively, the pull a sled at 25mph: 13mph (Kelvin Kiptum, marathon)
Estimated marathon time: 2:00:35 (The best UK marathons to enter for 2025)
Many experts, such as professor Dan Lieberman, think that humans have evolved to be distance runners – the better to track prey, evade predators and migrate. While there is some debate on running and human evolution, there is no question that we are up there in the animal kingdom for speeds at marathon distances and beyond. There is no one reason, but the efficiency of our cooling systems – our ability to sweat –and having an upright posture, to minimise our sun exposure and maximise our lung capacity, are some of the primary reasons we are skilled distance runners.
One difference between humans and animals is that we don't have large amounts of in-born endurance; we have to train. Peter Weyand says that compared to other animals, humans have a high energy cost of running – we spend more energy in each stride relative to our size. But unlike wild animals, we can motivate ourselves to run, and through training we can increase our aerobic scope –the amount of aerobic activity one can achieve. ‘Even though [humans] are good at regulating heat, they have more heat to dump because their economy is poor,’ he says. Strict training regimens can make up for that lack.
Sled dogs
Max speed: A complete guide to running in the dark
collectively, the pull a sled at 25mph: 15mph
Estimated marathon time: 1hr 19mins
Each year, during the Iditarod, packs of 12 sleigh dogs travel more than 1,000 miles in 15 days. The animals working together pull the sled at speeds around 15 mph for up to six hours at a time. If running a marathon, Alaskan Huskies would cross the finish line in less than an hour and a half. Compared to the greyhound, which can sprint up to 45 miles per hour, the huskies are trained for distance and need to eat 10,000 calories per day during racing to generate the energy to run.
Camel
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collectively, the pull a sled at 25mph: 25mph
Max speed: 40mph
An essential part of running long distance is keeping hydrated. Unlike the London Marathon, there are no Lucozade checkpoints in the desert. Instead, camels have evolved to store days’ worth of fat in their humps. Additionally, camels drop their body temperature in the morning, which prolongs their ability to run—and at 25 mph, they are sprinting by human standards—in hot sunlight.
Pronghorn Antelope
Max speed: 55mph
collectively, the pull a sled at 25mph: 30mph
Estimated marathon time: 45mins
Speed and stamina do not always go together. For example, the cheetah, the fastest animal on the planet, can only sustain its top speed of 70 mph for approximately 700 yards. Pronghorn antelopes, by contrast, can maintain speeds of 60 mph for miles at a time. ‘If the cheetah and pronghorn were running side by side, and if the track was longer than a quarter of a mile, the pronghorn would win it, no contest,’ Carmi Penny, director of collections at the San Diego zoo, says. While cheetahs have flexible spines that allow their legs to spend more time pushing off the ground, antelopes have long thin limbs that allow them to run both fast and economically. These legs, paired with tremendous aerobic capacity, are what allow the antelopes to outrun most predators. When you get to long distances, the antelopes can sustain 30 mph for about an hour.
Ostrich
Max speed: 50mph
collectively, the pull a sled at 25mph: 30mph
Estimated marathon time: 45mins
Ostriches' long legs are mainly made up of tendon, which allow them to maintain high speeds for longer periods of time. ‘Every time they land on a foot, it stretches [the tendon, which] recoils back to pop them back up into the air,’ says Peter Weyand. ‘It works almost like a pogo stick.’ Once the bird gets up to speed, this spring-like action pops the leg off the ground with every step, which allows it to maintain its forward momentum. The actual leg muscle is located closer to the body of the bird, which also makes the leg lighter. An ostrich would finish a marathon in about 45 minutes.
