Humans are built to outrun nearly every other animal on the planet.

[Matt Emery]

Check out this article if you want to look into the age old debate of who can run faster, man or horse.

Here's a few extracts;
"Every year since 1980, Llanwrtyd Wells has hosted the Man Versus Horse Marathon, which pits hundreds of runners against dozens of horses with riders. On two legs or four, contestants take on 22 miles of challenging trails laced across a dazzling green countryside. They trot through fragrant pine forests, scramble up mountainous rock-strewn sheep trails, cross rolling moorlands, and ford rivers. In June 2004, for the first time ever, the human won."

"...under the right conditions, they can also outrun just about any other animal on the planet—including dogs, wolves, hyenas, and antelope..."

"Chimps and other primates have little buns. Our own rear ends are huge; the upper part of the gluteus maximus is greatly expanded. Although few scholars have studied its role in running, the butt is, according to Bramble, "basically a substitute for a tail.""

Here's the article: http://discovermagazine.com/2006/may/tramps-like-us

[Phanatic]

Yeah, I think we are designed to be able to outrun many animals and it would explain why sprinting is one of the best butt exercises. Actually this makes a pretty good case for fat as a fuel as well - when you run out of glycogen you "hit the wall" as marathon runners say, a huge amount of fatigue sets in when you have to make the shift from glucose to fat fuel. What if we used fat exclusively for long distance running? Would we find it less painful to run long distances?

[bodhi9]

Wow, very cool read! very informative thanks for the article!

[BigKhanz]

During the Apache Wars in the US, the Apache warbands proved this again and again by outrunning and outmaneuvering the army CALVARY. The Scots did the same to the English calavary and knights during their wars as well.

But it has to be over a long distance. A bear, wolf, lion, horse or cheetah can easily overtake a man in a sprint. It's as a distance run that humans can out run most anything.

 In a sprint we just get eaten.

[Tobias]

I don't know if anyone here has read Robinson Crusoe, I wonder because it was based upon the true story of Alexander Selkirk a Scottish sailor who was marooned for four yeas. In isolation he rediscovered his inner primitive, when he was finally rescued he could barely speak and at first terrified his rescuers as he was clad from head to toe in goatskins and quite ferocious. I Bring this up because one of his astounding transformations was the ability he gained to out run any prey animal, infact before the eyes of the crew he ran after a goat, tackling it to the ground and slaughtering with his bear hands before dragging it back to the crew in thanks for their rescue.

[Matt Emery]

I don't know if anyone here has read Robinson Crusoe.

I did when I was a kid, it was probably a simplified version though.  I might dig it up again, thanks for the reminder!