Writing Blog Number 2

20251010 Human Limits

Human Limits

So, I read a lot. Obviously. I am a writer. And I recently read a book where the protagonist, a farm-hand, ran “ten leagues” in a day to warn his father of some impending doom. He was not a trained runner – he was the son of a farmer. So he was fit, sure, but that’s 30 miles! An untrained boy doing that in a day, and, it clearly states, running.

I know I go on about this at times, but maybe a list of human achievements can help here. Now, I studied Exercise and Sports Science (majoring in Biomechanics, which I ended up doing as a pure physics degree) for my first university degree, so, yes, I have some actual knowledge in this!

The heaviest deadlift by a man is 505kg (1,113lbs). For a woman, it’s 325kg (717lbs).
         There are no statistics for averages, but data from Australian gymnasia show that the average deadlift a man in training can perform is 85kg, woman 70kg. My personal best is 225kg, when I was training power-lifting; my son, a triathlete, has a PB of 180kg; my daughter, a hockey player, can do 100kg. So training definitely helps.

The greatest distance run by a man in 24 hours is 310km by a trained ultra-marathoner. For a woman, it is 270km.
         Again, no averages, but untrained people can walk/run around 11km a day without a problem. Those who are well-trained seem to be able to jog around 35km a day, unencumbered and in appropriate attire.

The fastest speed a man has reached is 44km/hr, and that was Usain Bolt over 100m. For a woman it is 39.7 km/hr and that was Elaine Thompson, again over 100m. Humans cannot maintain this speed for any great length (estimates set a maximum of 500m).
         There are no averages, but a study in the UK in 2000 showed that most people can only maintain a top running speed for 25 metres, not even 100.

The record for a horse carrying a rider has travelled in a day is approx. 200km.
         An average horse on flat ground and trained to carry people and weight can travel up to 80km a day, though the average seems to be around 50km.

These are limits and averages that seem to be broken consistently by writers. Yes, adrenaline can add to this, but that is short-lived as the body does not constantly produce it; it needs to be created over time.
         Most people are not trained for physical efforts like this. Even back in Medieval times, people were fit based around the jobs they did. A farmer who used a scythe would have a strong back and great upper body endurance. But this would not translate to being able to run “ten leagues”; the muscles used are very different.
         The muscles are trained differently to be strong or explosive compared to endurance. Very few can do both; the training is insane. The closest athletes are elite level gymnasts (not state level ones, but those at the very peak of the sport) who train explosivity and endurance and do upwards of 30 hours a week in training.

So when we are writing characters who are performing physical feats, let’s make them realistic. Hmm?