No Man Will Ever Run 40 mph

New study does not say what everyone is saying it says.

A new study by scientists at the University of Wyoming is getting a lot of attention. Most of the media outlets reporting the results are mistakenly stating that the study concludes that the human body is capable of running upwards of 40 mph. This is not true. Rather, the research done by Dr. Matthew Bundle suggests that the body could withstand the ground reaction forces it would absorb at a running speed of 40 mph if anyone actually could run that fast. Previously, it was believed that the body’s ability to withstand ground reaction forces was the limiting factor in top-end human running speed, which is roughly 28 mph in the likes of Usain Bolt.

This does not mean that human beings could theoretically run 40 mph, as many are saying. Instead, it just means that top-end human running speed is limited by the maximum contraction rate of the muscles rather than by maximum ground reaction force absorption capacity.

For More: The Telegraph