I’ll tell you. When I was a kid, I was fast. In grade school, there was only one person faster than me, and that was my friend, Jana. We’d blow the boys right out of the water in foot races. But then, once I got to high school, things changed. For one thing, the boys were faster. I could tell from afar without toeing up to the line for a footrace. And Jana? Well, she was smoking way too much to maintain any land speed records. Sadly, my days of the lightning bolt were over. I was still pretty quick, but there’d never be a chance I’d be the fastest person around.
So. Who is the fastest human being?
That would be Usain Bolt. For those of you who don’t know him, Bolt is a Jamaican born in 1986. In 2009, he set the world record in the 100-meter sprint at 9.58 seconds. It hasn’t been touched since. He also holds the record for the 200-meter sprint. He runs at about 27.5 miles per hour if you’re clocking speeds.
But who is fast besides us?
Lots and lots of animals. Like brown bears. The Grizzly variety. Those bears can run 35 miles per hour. They say you can survive a bear attack by running faster than the person with you.
There are a lot of animals faster than bears, though.
Like a quarter horse. They can run up to 55 miles per hour. They are faster than a thoroughbred, but those thoroughbreds can run longer races.
Another, faster animal is the Springbok. They live on the African Savanna and are closely related to the Wildebeest. They can run 60 mph.
But animals live in the air, the land, and the sea.
Like one fast flyer is called Anna’s Hummingbird. This baby clocks in at 61 mph.
Cheetah — 65 mph
Common Swift — 70 mph
Gray-Headed Albatross — 80 mph
Horsefly — 90 mph (maybe faster)
Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats — 100 mph
But who is the fastest on the planet? Who wins the gold?
It isn’t even close, really.
That distinction goes to the Peregrine Falcon, who flies at over 200 mph.
Yes, that’s right. Two hundred miles per hour and then some.
When it just flies around, willy-nilly, it goes at about 60 mph. But. But. But. It reaches its top speed by falling in a specialized hunting dive called a stoop. That’s when it breaks all the records. Look out, little birdies and mice below.
So yeah. We humans. Let’s see. The average human running speed is about 6 miles per hour.
Doh, doh, doh, doh. Doh, doh, doh, doh.
No matter. We all travel this life at different speeds. And while being the fastest may win the golden trophy, sometimes going slower truly wins the race. Those moments when we take the time to notice this life that is around us. Like Peregrine Falcons, flying high above in the white, white clouds, on a day where we can see forever.
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As you get older, time speeds up but life slows down.
— John C. Maxwell
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There is more to life than increasing its speed.
— Mahatma Gandhi
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Direction is more important than speed. You can go fast in the wrong direction.
— Redfoo
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Fast. Slow. We are snails.
