Could you outrun this animal?
The honest answer is almost always no. Here is exactly how badly, drawn against the animals in question.
84% of a hippo
25 km/h is faster than 3 of the 11 references on this page.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| garden snail | 0.0468 km/h | 534× | |
| walking human | 5.04 km/h | 4.96× | |
| chicken | 13.3 km/h | 1.88× | |
| hippo | 29.9 km/h | 0.837× | |
| Usain Bolt | 44.7 km/h | 0.559× | |
| house cat | 48.2 km/h | 0.518× | |
| grizzly bear | 56.2 km/h | 0.445× | |
| racehorse | 69.8 km/h | 0.358× | |
| ostrich | 69.8 km/h | 0.358× | |
| greyhound | 72 km/h | 0.347× | |
| cheetah | 104 km/h | 0.239× |
Worth knowing
- A grizzly bear runs at about 56 km/h — faster than Usain Bolt, uphill or downhill, over any distance that matters.
- Humans lose every sprint and win most marathons. Persistence hunting works because we shed heat by sweating and quadrupeds mostly cannot.
Frequently asked
Can you outrun a bear?
No. Every bear species is faster than every human over every distance. Running also triggers a chase response, which is why the advice is never to run.
What animal can a human outrun?
Over distance, most of them — including horses, over a long enough course. The 35 km Man versus Horse race in Wales has been won by a runner twice.