140 Amazing Facts About Running

140 Amazing Facts About Running

You use 200 muscles every time you take a step.
A Japanese athlete vanished while running in the 1912 Olympics. He remained a missing person for the next 50 years.
Ladies' boobs run too. University of Portsmouth scientists say they don't just bounce up and down; they also move from side to side in a crazy figure-8 pattern.
On average, say Spanish researchers, women run their fastest marathon at age 29 while dudes do it at age 27.
When her luggage got lost enroute to the 2003 World Mountain Running Championships, New Zealand's Melissa Moon borrowed shoes to compete and won her elite category.
Skip breakfast at Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman's home! He used his waffle iron to make his first outsoles.
Love your shoes? It's normal. An NYU Tisch Institute of Sports professor says that "human brains are wired to make an emotional connection with our running shoes." Just don't try to marry yours.
Some runners are more excited about shoes than sex, says Marathoner Jason Fitzgerald. He calls these reactions "Shoegasms."
The oldest U.S. indoor marathon (the Zoom!Ya!Ya!), requires contestants to run 26.2 miles on a track while changing directions every 30 minutes.
A "Runner's World" survey says competitors agree that blister-covered feet are more distressing than GI issues.
Runners participating in ancient Greek Olympiads were required to run naked. Talk about feeling liberated!
People close to you or people you’ve just met may eventually tire of hearing how your particular footwear changed your life.
The top recorded running speed of a human, sprinter Usain Bolt, is 27 miles per hour. The top speed of a running grizzly bear is 35 miles per hour. Data does not yet exist, however, on how fast a human can run while running from a bear.
There are no hard-and-fast rules on what you should and should not eat before running; there is only your answer to the question “Have you ever pooped your pants during a run?”
If you’ve been running regularly but would like to find someone to tell you that you’re doing it wrong, you can find them on the internet.
13.1 miles is half the distance of a marathon, which is 26.2 miles. When running a marathon, at the 13.1-mile mark, you are halfway. However, at 14 miles, you are also halfway. And at 15 miles, 16 miles, 17 miles, and 18 miles, you are also still only halfway. This continues every mile until mile 25.5, when you are almost finished.
It's safer to run in cold weather over hot due to the dehydration factor.
Wear red running outfits if you want to win, say University of Durham researchers.
Don't drink water an hour before running! Drink 8 oz. 5 minutes before you run and you could avoid a loo stop.
Don't run in silence. Listening to your playlist can boost your running performance by up to 15-percent.
Budhia Singh started training at age 3 and finished 48 marathons before turning 5.
Buy cheaper shoes (under US$40) to experience half as many injuries as you might wearing kicks that cost over US$95, say University of Bern scientists.
Runners wearing knee-length compression socks feel 43-percent less sore at race end than those who don't wear them.
In order to learn more about how humans run, researchers study dead people, too.
Even Usain Bolt can't beat your cat since felines reach speeds of up to 30mph.
A 2016 Philly.com survey about "What annoys runners most on race day?" reports these top picks: 1) Selfie taking, 2) Obstructive walkers, 3) Phones used as boomboxes and 4) Runners in the wrong corral.
The reason medical science banned women from marathons before 1980? It was believed that uteruses would be torn by the exertion!
France's annual 100m Marathon Medoc is one weird experience. Runners sip wine at the start line, then navigate 43 refreshment and food stalls to reach the finish line.
Dietician Ruth McKean says 7-percent of elite distance runners arrive at the finish line dehydrated.
Eliud Kipchoge, who holds the world record for the fastest marathon ever, puts his shoes on one at a time, just like you. Which is nice to think about, but he would also fucking crush you in a marathon.
There is no “required clothing” for running. You can wear super-short shorts or take your shirt off in the middle of your run if you want to. The most important thing is that you’re comfortable.
Correction: many states and municipalities have laws requiring you to wear a certain amount of clothing in public spaces.
You can run in super-cushioned shoes, you can run in very minimalist shoes, and you can run barefoot. Any of these things can change your life.
It is a commonly held belief that ultrarunning is “not really running.” This is only one interpretation of ultrarunning, and there is some truth in it, as running is only one component of ultrarunning. Other components of ultrarunning include but are not limited to eating snacks, hiking, running with trekking poles, hallucinating, being sad, losing toenails, bleeding, despair, blisters, talking nonsensically, shuffling, and socializing with nice people who live in the forest next to folding tables displaying snack foods.
“Runner’s High” is a real phenomenon, not just an expression…and yes it is addicting 🙂
The oldest person to complete a marathon was 100 years old at the time (born in 1911), an Indian man named Fauja Singh. (And he didn’t even start running until he was 89, talk about never too late to start!)
The record for the most marathons run on consecutive days is 365. It was set in 2011 by Stefan Engels….aka the “Marathon Man” at the age of 49.
The fastest mile ever ran was in 1999 by Hitcham El Guerrouj. He ran a mile in 3:43:13. (WOW!)
The fastest mile for a woman was set by Svetlana Masterkova in 1996. She ran a mile in 4:12:56!
Running with music can boost your performance by 15%.
It takes 200 muscles to take a step when you run.
The human heart creates enough pressure when you run that it could squirt blood 30 feet! (My kids loved that one!)
Any real runner knows that in addition to a pair of shoes, you also need a steely resolve and the hard-won psychological tools to continually, day in and day out, drag your procrastinating ass out the door and actually begin running.
It is generally acceptable for runners to share usage of the same running path or trail at the same time, giving space to each other when passing.
It is generally unacceptable for runners to share usage of the same treadmill at the same time.
Many musicians have written songs that mention running in a metaphorical and/or literal sense, such as Iron Maiden's “Run to the Hills,” N.W.A.’s “100 Miles and Runnin’,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” and, more cryptically, the Nirvana song “I Hate Myself and Want to Die,” which is about ultramarathon running.
There are many ways to use technology to improve your running practice, such as using an app like Strava, which, with a few clicks, will communicate with satellites in order to tabulate your time and distance covered, or another app like GrubHub, which, with a few clicks, will enable you to have a bag of takeout food appear at your front door at the exact minute you arrive home from your run.
Japan's Hidekichi Miyazaki celebrated his 105th birthday by finishing a 100m race.
Once upon a time, athletes believed that the word Adidas was an acronym for "All Day I Dream About Sex."
Haitian runner Dieudonne Lamothe was ordered by his country's dictator to finish his race or he would be killed.
The most dangerous point for marathoners? The last 3 miles, where the most cardiac arrests occur.
Runner John Dunbar lost his Ironman triathlon lead after running out of water, switching to beer and finishing his race by charging into parked cars instead of the finish line.
At the annual Wales "runners against horses" marathon, humans only won twice in 10 years.
According to promising U.S. National Institutes of Health experiments, running has the potential to help kids deal more effectively with being bullied.
Every brain has FNDC5 molecules that spring into action during endurance running, at which point memory is sharper and it's easier to learn difficult subjects.
Food scientists at St. Louis University proved athletes can run faster by eating baked beetroot before they race.
Stretching before running isn't as effective as doing high knees or heel flicks to prepare muscles for exercise.
Male runners are more likely to produce daughters than men who don't run at all.
You can metaphorically circle the planet by running 12 miles daily for 2,075 days.
If you run, rather than walk, your chances of getting arthritis may be cut in half.
Four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers' secret to success is eating mayonnaise-covered pizza on race day.
There is no requirement that you have to own a couch to do the Couch to 5K program.
One hundred percent of the participants in the first marathon died upon completing the event.
No matter who you are, there is a very good chance that you can run five kilometers faster than you can run five miles. You might think, “Hell, I’ll just run kilometers from now on, then,” but unfortunately, that’s not how it works.
People who hate running and would prefer to avoid it at all costs may refer to running as “cardio.”
Running burns about 50% more calories than walking.
In 1990 only 25% of road race finishers were women, now women make up more than half of competitors.
The average men’s finishing time in U.S. Marathons is 4:26.
The average women’s finishing time in U.S. Marathons is 4:52.
Human feet can produce up to a pint of sweat per day.
The Bay to Breakers in San Francisco is the largest U.S. running race with over 100,000 participants annually.
The world record for the fastest marathon is 2:03:23 set by Wilson Kipsanf of Kenya at the Berlin marathon in 2013.
Since 2003 the half marathon has been the fastest growing road distance in the U.S. and it continues to have double digit growth each year. It has become the most popular distance by every metric…debut racers, finisher totals, and by general interest. There are over 1500 active U.S. half marathons.
The fastest human foot speed on record was set by Usain Bolt during a 100 meter sprint with a speed of 44.72km/h (27.79 mph!!)
It is OK to take breaks while running. Sometimes breaks last a few seconds, and sometimes they last a few years.
There are no rules for what constitutes running or minimum required speed. But in the sport of racewalking, one foot is required to be in contact with the ground at all times or the walker is considered to be “running.”
People who hate running and would prefer to avoid it may refer to running as “running” and do it regularly for decades.
The first human usage of treadmills was in early 19th century English prisons. Since then, treadmills have evolved to make it possible for humans to safely watch cable news while running.
Lots of longtime runners say they love the simplicity of running because all you need to do it is a pair of shoes.
Many runners experience what’s called “runner’s high,” a euphoric feeling caused by chemicals released by the body during or after strenuous exercise.
Many runners also periodically experience a completely unrelated runner’s high, which is caused by extreme gastrointestinal distress while running and then making it to a restroom just in time to release other chemicals produced by the body.
Running increases testosterone levels in men by 15-percent, so the male sex drive gets a boost.
Frenchman Serge Girard once ran a total of 27,011km within a single year.
Twenty-percent of Earth's inhabitants don't have a "marathon gene," say researchers at Loughborough University. They can train all they like, but it won't help them win.
You can run off a half-block of yummy Lindt Dark Chocolate candy in less than 23 minutes. Then you can reward yourself with another.
On average, competitive runners take between 185 and 200 steps every minute.
Live longer by running 20 miles or less weekly, say researchers at the University of South Carolina.
Although the Boston Marathon started in 1897, women couldn't compete until 1972.
On average, your feet produce 1-pint of sweat daily. Reason enough to buy more socks.
At UK steeplechase races, runners sprint between church spires while overcoming 2 obstacle-filled miles.
Feeling lethargic at work? A short run can make you 23-percent more productive, says the "International Journal of Workplace Health Management."
Every run boosts midbrain function, the area controlling your hearing and vision. Up your running game and you might not need those glasses after all!
Over a billion pairs of running shoes are sold worldwide every year.
Less than 1% of the U.S. population has completed a marathon. (Around 0.5%)
Just 15 competitors ran the Boston Marathon in its inaugural year, 1897.
In 1972 the Boston Marathon was the first marathon competition to allow women to enter. However, in 1966 Roberta Gibbs hid behind a bush and competed in the Boston Marathon anyway, she was the first woman to complete the course. (With an unofficial time 0f 3:21:25, heck yea!)
The fastest marathon time for a woman is a 2:15:25 set by Paula Radcliffe in the 2003 London marathon. 11 years later her record still stands!
104.3 calories are burned every mile when running a 10 minute per mile pace.
In order to burn off a Big Mac (540 calories), a 140-pound woman would have to run at a 10 min per mile pace for 52 minutes!
Runners can store about 2000 calories worth of glycogen in their bodies, which is enough to fuel about 18-20 miles of a run.
At regular points during a run, both feet are off the ground. Check out the pictures below and you will see what I mean!

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