The Human Race: Will We Keep Breaking Running Records?

Connor Barrett

11/4/14

Earth Science C Odd

Mrs. McClellan

Dickerson, By Kelly. "The Human Race: Will We Keep Breaking Running Records?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 01 Nov. 2014. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.

In the past decade the record for the fastest marathon has been beaten five times, most recently by Dennis Kimetto from Kenya while running in the German marathon. His time was two hours two minutes and fifty seven seconds, which means he averaged a four minute forty seven second mile for twenty six point two miles, something most people thought to be impossible more than a decade ago. Experts and scientists claim that a marathon under two minutes may come soon and this raises the question, “what is the limit on the human body?”. The reason why humans are improving so rapidly in their abilities is because there is a strong incentive to break records. Whether it is for fame or fortune, people are pushing their own limits while other animals are not, that is why we see such drastic improvements so quickly. The only thing holding us back is our own body and its limits, however scientists disagree on what causes those limits. The co-medical director for the boston marathon and head of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Massachusetts General hospital said that the bodies cardiovascular system creates the cap for running abilities. For sprinting, however, the cap usually comes from the abilities of the leg muscles and their ability to move quickly. Genetics also play a large role in the abilities of athletes. The amount of fast twitch muscle fibers you have can make long distance running harder than short distance. Fast twitch muscles are able to use glucose to create energy instead of oxygen, however they tire much quicker making them useless for long distances. The length of the athletes legs and their muscle to bone weight ratio all affect their ability to be a record breaking athlete. Experts and scientists agree that marathon records will continue to be pushed little by little until an outlier comes, one with the perfect genes and training needed to push the record to a point unreachable by anyone else.

The limits of our physical strength have always fascinated people and scientists and is frequently the subject of studies. Understanding what pushes athletes and what holds them back is also an important part in understanding how our own bodies work under the pressure of exercise. This article helps further interest in the limits of the human body and gives more information on the science behind running. Even though it does not present any new facts, it puts the information forward in a new way that is helpful and educational.

The article was written well, it was long enough to share facts and information about the science behind running, but it was concise enough to keep the readers attention. All of the evidence was stated in a straightforward and easy to understand way. Even though it did not contain any new scientific information, it was written to explain an increasingly important question, “What is the limit on the human body?”.