Curiosities: Is there a limit to how fast humans can be?

“In my opinion there are no limits,” says Tim Gattenby, a faculty associate in kinesiology at UW–Madison. “People said that no one could break the four-minute mile, and then someone did. People said no one could get more gold medals than Mark Spitz [who won seven in the 1972 Olympics], but records are a carrot that stimulates people to go out and break them.”

Gattenby says long-standing records, such as Bob Beamon’s 1968 long jump record, which stood until 1991, are “anomalies, freaks of nature, where all the right ingredients went into the performance. A gifted athlete had a great day.”

Part of the credit for the regular establishment of new records goes to advancing technology, such as the springy, rubberized track surfaces that are simply faster than the old pea gravel, Gattenby says. “We are also improving our approach to injury prevention, which leads to better performance.”

However, Gattenby, who has coached and competed in ultra-endurance events like the Ironman triathlon, says psychology may be the most important factor. “Winning a triathlon is one part luck, not having a flat, one part training and one part your mental ability to handle adversity.”

Gattenby adds that it is common for gifted athletes to be well prepared and still mentally “take themselves out” of the competition. “It all can come down to the mental aspect. Being mentally tough means being tough against your environment, your competition and yourself.”