Walk to Go the Distance

“Humans are slow animals,” wrote Rebecca Solnit. “What we excel at is distance, sustaining a pace for hours or days.” The theory would be put to a test in 2016 at what was billed as the “Man Against Horse Race” in Prescott, Arizona.

Conceived in a Prescott bar when an avid runner bet his equestrian friend that good runners could beat horses over a long distance, the contest was chronicled by Daniel Lieberman in his 2021 book, Exercised: The Science of Physical Activity, Rest and Health.

Dr. Lieberman, a professor of Biological Science at Harvard, was one of the marathoners who volunteered to run the 25-mile course over the Mingus Mountain (7700 feet of elevation gain). All told, 40 runners competed with 53 horses and riders.

Lieberman had a wager with his daughter that he could beat at least one horse, a bet he felt sure to lose as the horses greatly outdistanced him and his companions in the opening minutes of the race. For the next several hours he ran alone, always upward in the increasing hot, high desert air. Near the summit he passed his first horse whose rider had stopped to let the animal cool down.

Did I mention that other than having muscles designed for long distance, homo sapiens also have an excellent cooling system? “Humans are the sweating champions of the animal world,” wrote Lieberman. In the end, the college professor, an average marathoner, crossed the finish line before 40 of the 53 horses.

I share his story knowing that the average walker is not a marathon runner (you’re not going to race horses over a mountain), but to let you know you are designed to go the distance, even in your senior years.

In tomorrow’s blog, I’ll introduce you to Emma Gatewood.