Video: Discovery News explains why humans are made to run far

Discovery News, a branch of the Discovery Channel, released a YouTube video on Monday looking at reasons why humans are designed to run long distances.

The video examines runners who competed at the Trans Europe Foot Race, a 4,195-kilometre venture that took 64 days to complete in 2012. The winner finished the race in just over 354 hours.

Scientists found that within the first 2,000 kilometres of the race, competitors’ joints showed significant degradation. But in the latter half of the race, participant’s cartilage began to regrow in addition to having their Achilles tendon widen in diameter.

Discovery News goes on to note that a human’s butt is designed for running as it helps us maintain balance while running, in the same way a tail balances many animals.

The video also cites the “Endurance Running Hypothesis,” coined to explain that endurance running played an important role for early humans to obtain food.