I like to run.

I used to run about 15km 3-5 a week in grad school. A daily run each afternoon is how I fondly remember it, especially when the work was hard/focused.

These days I run 5km twice a week on my cardio days, and daily when I’m on holiday somewhere tropical.

My knees hurt, I use a treadmill instead of the footpath now mostly, but I still look forward to my runs.

Sometimes it’s hard when increasing the pace every kilometre, but I remind myself:

Humans are endurance hunters, you’re built for this!

Or maybe I was in my 20s, less so in my 40s.

Anyway, this is called the “Endurance running hypothesis”.

From Wikipedia:

The endurance running hypothesis is a series of conjectures which presume humans evolved anatomical and physiological adaptations to run long distances and, more strongly, that “running is the only known behavior that would account for the different body plans in Homo as opposed to apes or australopithecines”.

From Grok3:

The Endurance Running Hypothesis proposes that early humans evolved unique physiological and anatomical adaptations for long-distance running to enhance their survival through persistence hunting and scavenging. Unlike other mammals, humans developed traits like efficient sweating, large gluteal muscles, stabilized head and torso, and spring-like tendons, enabling them to run long distances at moderate speeds without overheating. This capability allowed our ancestors to chase prey over extended periods until the animals succumbed to exhaustion or to outcompete other scavengers for carcasses. Proposed by researchers like Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman, the hypothesis suggests that endurance running was a key factor in human evolution, shaping our ability to exploit high-protein food sources and contributing to traits like increased brain size and social cooperation. However, it remains debated, as some argue walking or other strategies were sufficient for survival.

It’s probably true, but it doesn’t matter.

I can pretend it’s true, remind myself, and get back to running.

Let’s dig a little.

What are the best arguments for this hypothesis (Grok3 again):

  • Unique Human Adaptations for Running: Humans possess specialized traits like efficient thermoregulation through sweating, large gluteal muscles for stability, elastic tendons (e.g., Achilles) for energy storage, and a nuchal ligament for head stabilization, which are optimized for endurance running and distinct from other primates or mammals.
  • Persistence Hunting Evidence: Ethnographic studies of modern hunter-gatherer groups, such as the San people, demonstrate successful persistence hunting, where prey is chased over long distances until exhausted, suggesting early humans could have used similar strategies.
  • Scavenging Advantage: Endurance running would have allowed early humans to cover large distances quickly to reach carcasses before competitors like hyenas, providing access to high-protein food sources critical for brain development and survival.
  • Fossil Record Support: Fossil evidence from early hominins, like Homo erectus (around 2 million years ago), shows skeletal features (e.g., longer legs, narrower pelvis) consistent with adaptations for long-distance running, aligning with the hypothesis’s timeline.
  • Comparative Mammalian Physiology: Unlike most mammals, which rely on sprinting and tire quickly, humans can maintain steady paces over long distances, a trait shared only with a few species (e.g., wolves), supporting the idea that this ability evolved for specific survival strategies.
  • Energy Efficiency: Biomechanical studies show humans are highly efficient at long-distance running compared to walking for covering large distances, suggesting evolutionary pressure favored running for foraging or hunting.
  • Brain and Social Evolution Link: Access to calorie-rich meat via running-based hunting or scavenging could have fueled larger brain development, while cooperative hunting strategies may have driven social bonding and communication skills.

So the best argument is that it explains our physiology or phenotype.

And, the best arguments against:

  • Sufficiency of Walking: Critics argue that walking, which is less energetically costly and still effective for covering large distances, would have been sufficient for scavenging or foraging, reducing the need for specialized running adaptations.
  • Risks of Persistence Hunting: Endurance running carries risks like injury, dehydration, or energy depletion, which could outweigh benefits, especially in unpredictable environments where prey might escape or water sources were scarce.
  • Limited Ethnographic Evidence: While some modern hunter-gatherer groups practice persistence hunting, it is rare and often supplemented by other methods (e.g., tools, traps), suggesting it may not have been a primary strategy for early humans.
  • Alternative Hunting Methods: The development of tools, weapons, and cooperative group strategies (e.g., ambushing) could have been more efficient than running down prey, questioning the necessity of endurance running adaptations.
  • Environmental Mismatch: In some ancestral environments, like dense forests or rugged terrains, long-distance running may have been impractical compared to stealth or short bursts of speed, limiting its evolutionary significance.
  • Overemphasis on Running-Specific Traits: Some anatomical features attributed to running (e.g., long legs, elastic tendons) may have evolved for other purposes, like efficient walking or climbing, and were only later co-opted for running.
  • Lack of Direct Fossil Evidence: While fossils show traits consistent with running, there is no definitive evidence that early hominins relied heavily on endurance running, making the hypothesis speculative and reliant on indirect inferences.

Nod.

Walking is probably enough.

(Almost) Everyone can walk, fewer can run. Although, looking around the playground at primary school when I drop off my youngest in the morning and you see “all” the kids running around.

I love walks. I have gone for daily walks or tried to since childhood. Until recently, my main exercise was a daily 5km walk.

Perhaps running is a bonus of our walking physiology that some of us can do/enjoy doing.

Back to work!