Which animal could run the fastest marathon?

Pronghorn antelope can run 53 mph and have been observed to be able to sustain 30 mph for about an hour. That's a 1-hr marathon.

I am pretty sure a giraffe could run maybe a 1:15 but its time might be slowed down by having to duck under power lines. If a downhill course, an armadillo could just roll up in ball and roll the whole way down...maybe 2 minutes or so if he or she really picked up some momentum.

A hyena. All those other animals have no endurance and would die of the lactic acid buildup.

"When a hyena zeros in on a target, usually a young, injured or weak animal, they can accelerate to over 50kph at a moment's notice. They may not be able to outpace their victims at first, but they have extraordinary stamina. After a kilometer, the wildebeest or antelope will often start tiring, while for the hyena the chase may not really have even began. After 2km, the prey is exhausted and at this time depending on the size of the animal will turn to face its pursuer. Any other hyenas noticing the commotion will help the hunter bring the animal down by whatever means they can. They tend to hold on to an animal and then tear it apart, sometimes eating the animal while it is still alive."

http://hubpages.com/hub/hyena

human

It's not running, but it's an animal. I would suspect that 26.2 miles is nothing for migratory birds.

Good luck at getting a hyena to run the tangents.

A horse maybe? Aren't they kind of designed for running?

Pronghorn1 wrote:

Pronghorn antelope can run 53 mph and have been observed to be able to sustain 30 mph for about an hour. That's a 1-hr marathon.

This must be the right answer.

The vast majority of fast animals are sprinters and couldn't run anywhere near 26 miles. I would say only a couple would have the endurance to go more than a few miles.

huskies

Fastest Flying Bird

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is the fastest living creature, reaching speeds of at least 124 mph and possibly as much as 168 mph when swooping from great heights during territorial displays or while catching pry birds in midair.

Right, humans are supposedly one of only four species with a natural inclination for distance running. The others are horses, dogs and hyenas. I'd imagine the answer is horse.

An ostrich may not win, but with top speeds of 70km/hr and sustained speeds of 50km/hr, it definitely should qualify for the elite start.

I would say finishing in the 1-1:15 range.

Iditarod dogs must be capable of running for 12 hours and covering 150 miles a day for 10 or more days in a row.

So, for a mere marathon, an Iditadog could likely break two hours.

A hyena's heart is 10% of it's body weight:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bigcat/animals/hyenas/hyenas.shtml

This year's Horse Versus Man 22-mile cross-country race was won by horse and rider; Dukes Touch of Fun ridden by Geoffrey Allen of Bewdley. They completed the race in 2:18:13, making for an exciting finish with the fastest runner, John Farlane of Thames Hare and Hounds finishing in 2:18:43.

Geoffrey Allen also rode the fastest horse, Lucy, last year but did not manage to beat the fastest runners (i.e., last year's race was won by a man).

that hose was juiced

A female camel can maintain a steady speed of up to 42 kilometers an hour.

Strike that last one re: camels.

Here is an interesting discussion of all of the above:

http://www.athletic-animals.com/

More proof... In the 1930s this guy chased ostriches in a vehicle for more than 2 hours at speeds up to 70mph...

"Ostrich Running 70 Miles an Hour Bulldogged from Auto."

The Science News-Letter, Vol. 20, No. 536 (Jul. 18, 1931), p. 45

"...After two days of preparation, we started out on the chase. For eight days we just looked for ostriches. Finally we caught sight of a small group of four ostriches, through our telescopes."

"And now the real chase began, at a speed of 115 kilometers [71 miles] an hour. The ground which harbors the Syrian ostrich is so unevenly bumpy that we were constantly in danger of overturning in our overpacked and over-loaded machines. Besides Sheikh Medjhem and Sheikh Chalid, a number of simple tribesmen, who were considered the best shots, accompanied us."

"Fortunately the ostrich always runs in a straight line, but he must be attacked from the flank, because the stones he throws behind him in running fly with such force that the glass windshields of automobiles cannot withstand them. After a wild and bitter chase that lasted over two hours, we managed to get near enough to shoot at one of the ostriches, which, however, made its escape into the mountains, where no auto could follow it. A second ostrich was killed, but we left it lying where it was, so that we could pick it up on our way back..."