Introduction
Running is a technique of earthbound locomotion that allows people and animals to move swiftly on foot. One of the characteristics of running is the ariel phase, where the feet of the runner are higher than the ground (Kassens-Noor 8). During running, the alterations in potential and kinetic energy happen concurrently within a step, and the body reserves vitality through tensile tendons and passive muscle stretching ((Kassens-Noor 9). Track racing sport assesses the participant’s resilience, skill, potency, and speed (Kassens-Noor 7). There are distinct categories of track races distinguishable by speed, distance, and the nature of the playing surface (Kassens-Noor 7). Evolution is crucial in the running of the early man and various historical events led to the adoption of running as a sport.
Role of Evolution in Running
Kanin posits that man was able to run during the Australopithecus phase of evolution more than 4 500 000 years ago (24). At that stage, the ape-like being moves in an upright posture with its hind legs. The hunting practice adoption by the Australopithecus necessitates their quick movement to keep up and overtake prey during a chase. The development of nuchal ligaments, excretory glands, extensive knee joints, Achilles tendons, and muscular glutei maximi in the human body is due to the integration of running with hunting (Kanin 26). Carrier presupposes that running was an effective hunting technique during that evolution phase by comparing morphological evidence to the natural environs when moving fast (Kanin 27). Running was essential for survival in that period for fleeing from predators and life-endangering situations.
Schulkin suggests that long-distance running is due to group hunting practice evident in evolution about 2 000 000 years ago (546). The Homo habilis and Homo Erectus moved in groups for long-distance hunting and moving uninhabited territories. Additionally, various skeleton modifications, such as a narrower trunk, made hunting possible. The head of the Homo habilis is more stable and has short toes to increase stability and longer hind limbs for longer strides (Schulkin 548). Homo erectus depict a shorter forearm and thinner chest for rotating their trunk and a higher height for regulating temperature (Schulkin 549). Homo sapiens display a smaller femoral neck for easing stress in exacting circumstances.
Egyptian Races
Egypt is one of the first countries with a record of a running race. The run is celebratory and dates to as early as 2670BC (Kanin 12). The heb sed festivities celebrate the reign of the Pharaoh in power and occur 30 years in his rule and every three years after that (Kanin12). The ruler of that time participated in the race to display his physical fitness in leading, especially since he was at the frontline of the war. Egypt holds a competitive race in the 700BC under Pharaoh Taharqa’s reign. Taharqa sets up the back-and-forth race for his soldiers in different units from Memphis to the Faiyum Oasis within 2 hours ((Kanin 14). The race has no distinct name and is about one hundred kilometers, almost two and a half times the stretch of the current contests.
The Tale of Pheidippides
The marathon games honor Pheidippides, a foot race runner in the traditional Greek. Hemerodromos, a group of day-long runners, trained for long races for messenger duties in ancient Greece (Kanin 16). In 1490 BC, the Greeks manage to push back the Persians from the coastal plain of Marathon during combat (Kanin 17). Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger, runs to the Spartans to ask for their aid to fight alongside the Greeks to defeat the Persians. He then runs from Marathon to the Acropolis to deliver the good news of the Persian’s defeat, more than twenty-five miles away (Kanin 17). He collapses and dies immediately after dispatching the message due to burnout.
Mediterranean Race
The Olympic games originate from the archaic Greek practice in the early 1000 to 900BC. The sports aimed to show reverence to Zeus, the Greek supreme god. The Greeks gathered at Olympia, a sacred place named after Mt. Olympia, the home of their mighty gods (Charles River Editors 53). The competitors were all males from all the Greek cities, and archeological evaluations show that their winners’ awards were bronze tripods (Kanin 19). The Olympic games are evident from 776BC to 393AD and occur every four years. In 776BC, Koroibos, a cook from Elis, won the stadion race (Charles River Editors 134). The stadion race was the only tracking event in the Olympics till 724BC and covered six hundred feet.
Ancient to Modern Olympics
The long-distance race first materialized in the Olympic games in 1896 and was forty kilometers from Marathon to Olympic Stadium. Baron Pierre de Coubertin rebirths the Olympics after more than a millennium and a half in memory of Pheidippides (Kanin 139). In 1908, Queen Alexandra altered the game’s distance from 25 to 26.2 miles to make it possible for the young royals to watch the event (Kanin 139). During the 1928 games in Amsterdam, the Dutch added the Olympic torch to the game. Women participated in the sport in 1984 but were competitors in the Boston marathon from 1978 (Charles River Editors 53). Currently, marathon races happen globally at the local and international levels.
Conclusion
The early man adopted running for his sustenance through hunting and well-being. Morphological modifications of the early man, such as a shorter forearm and narrower trunk, made running possible. The running races occurred first in Egypt and the Mediterranean region. Initially, the games had only male participants, but in 1984, women were allowed to compete. A Frenchman revived the Olympic Games in 1894, and they continue to date.
Works Cited
Charles River Editors. The Pan-Hellenic Games in Ancient Greece: The History of the Olympics and the Other Major Greek Competitions. Charles Rivers Editor, 2020.
Kanin, David B. A Political History of the Olympic Games. Routledge, 2021.
Kassens-Noor, Eva. Los Angeles and the Summer Olympic Games: Planning Legacies. Springer, 2020.
Schulkin, Jay. “Evolutionary Basis of Human Running and Its Impact on Neural Function.” Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, vol. 10, 2016, pp. 542–603. Web.