Running Facts

There are times when you're walking that the pressure on your feet exceeds your body weight, and when you're running, it can be three or four times your weight.

According to a 2010 study by bio-mechanical expert Dr. Peter Weyand, humans could theoretically run up to 40 mph if our limbs could handle the ground forces—nearly 50% faster than Usain Bolt's record top speed of 27.8 mph.

A man called Dean Karnazes ran 350 miles in 80 hours with no sleep, ran a marathon in the South Pole in -25 °C temperatures without snowshoes, and ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.

A stray dog showed up on Day 2 of a 155-mile ultramarathon across China's Gobi Desert and ran 77 miles alongside British runner Dion Leonard, crossing a river and sleeping in his tent. He named her Gobi. She later went missing in a city of 3 million people, and Leonard flew back to search for two weeks with 20 volunteers. They found her with a head wound and a limp - and she ran straight to him. She now lives with him in Edinburgh.

A 61-year-old potato farmer named Cliff Young showed up at the inaugural 875km Sydney-to-Melbourne ultramarathon in work boots and overalls. The professional runners laughed - then slept the first night. Young had no idea runners were supposed to sleep, so he just kept going. He won by 10 hours. He gave $7,000 of his $10,000 prize to the other five finishers.

Ajay Haridasse collapsed 1,000 feet from the Boston Marathon finish line with severe cramps. Two strangers - Aaron Beggs of Northern Ireland and Robson De Oliveira of Brazil - stopped their own races, slid under his arms, and walked him across. The man they carried finished in 2:44:32. Beggs crossed 4 seconds later.

When the 2012 New York City Marathon was cancelled, more than 1,000 runners took the ferry to Staten Island with backpacks of blankets, batteries and food. Superstorm Sandy had wrecked the island, where the race starts, and the mayor called it off two days before. Sports doctor Jordan Metzl rallied them on Facebook, and his group ran 15 miles, then helped clear out a family's home.