ABSTRACT

In the animal kingdom, humans are impressive runners. While human sprint speed does not compare favorably with other animals (e.g., ~10 m/s for ~15 secs vs. 15–20 m/s for several minutes in horses), human capacity for endurance running is seldom rivaled (1). Cardiopulmonary function is a key feature of endurance running capacity and therefore the cardiopulmonary system was an important component in the genetic development (evolution) of Homo.