How Fast Can a Human Run? − Bipedal vs. Quadrupedal Running

Background: Usain Bolt holds the current world record for a 100-m run, 9.58 s, and has been described as the best human sprinter in history. However, this raises questions concerning the maximum human running speed. Can the world’s fastest men become faster still? The correct answer is likely “Yes”. Methods: . We plotted the historical world records for bipedal and quadrupedal 100-m sprint times according to competition year. These historical records were plotted using several curve-fitting procedures. Results: . We found that the projected speeds intersected in 2052, when for the first time, the winning quadrupedal 100-m sprint time of 9.249 s was projected to be lower than the winning bipedal time of 9.350 s. Conclusion: Quadrupedal running is not a new running style, and has been used by all humans. This running style simply awakens a human locomotive instinct from an enduring sleep.