Endurance running hypothesis
Encyclopedia
The endurance running hypothesis is the theory
Theory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...

 that the evolution of certain human characteristics can be explained as adaptations to long-distance running.

Persistence hunting

The theory states that prior to the invention of the first projectile weapon (the spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...

) 200,000 years ago, ancient humans would use persistence hunting as their method of hunting animals, whereby, rather than outpacing animals, they would chase the animals over long distances until the animals would overheat and then kill them with a sharp object. Thus, adaptations favouring long-distance running ability would have been favoured in humans. After projectile weapons were developed – in evolutionarily recent times – the importance of long-distance running became lessened but the traits remained.

Relation to modern human traits

Proponents claim that the endurance running hypothesis explains traits in modern humans, including:
  • Hairlessness and an abundance of sweat glands, as a heat loss mechanism
  • Short toes
  • Large gluteal muscles
  • Human aptitude for endurance events such as ultra marathons
  • Increased bodyfat
  • Long legs with springy tendons
  • Intolerance of sedentary lifestyle, regarding obesity and diabetes related pathologies
  • Ability to breathe through the mouth while running


They claim that these traits often have little role in walking or other day-to-day activities.
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