Original version

BBC World Service News Internet

CrowdScience

Documentaries

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe

We take your questions about life, Earth and the universe to researchers hunting for answers at the frontiers of knowledge.

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

CrowdScience: What are the limits of human endurance?

Discussion & Talk

p06p553m.jpg

15/01/2021 GMT

What are the limits of human endurance?

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, What are the limits of human endurance?

Meet the athletes pushing against the limits of human endurance

CrowdScience joins a 246km running race in Greece, and meets the athletes pushing against the limits of human endurance

When it comes to speed, humans have got nothing on cheetahs - or greyhounds, kangaroos or zebras for that matter. It’s over long distances we really come into our own: when running for hours or even days, our body structure and excellent sweating skills make us able to outpace much faster mammals.

But what are the limits of human endurance? Can we run ever further and faster, and what’s the best diet to fuel such ambitions?

This week’s questions come from two CrowdScience listeners in Japan who already know a fair bit about stamina, having run several marathons and long-distance triathlons between them. We head to Greece, legendary birthplace of the marathon, to witness an even more arduous challenge: hundreds of athletes following in the footsteps of the ancient Greek messenger Pheidippides, to run an astonishing 246km across the country. The ever-so-slightly less fit CrowdScience team do our best to keep up, and try to discover the secrets of these runners’ incredible endurance.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Cathy Edwards

(Photo: a runner in the Spartathlon ultramarathon, with kind permission from the International Spartathlon Association)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

CrowdScience

What are the limits of human endurance?

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service News Internet

About BBC World Service