The proposed device is predicted to allow almost double that speed. I think it’s pretty cool.

What? That’s faster than track cycling world records! The 200m flying start record is 9.1s which translates to 79km/h. The makers of this device are proposing to let humans run faster than a world record track cyclist!

Maybe I got the unit conversions wrong. The theoretical maximum speed is shown to be on par with world record track cyclists.

An odd sense of calm would come over me any time I got my bicycle going over 40 mph. “If I fall now, I’ll bounce twice and then blackness.” I no longer recall my top speed, either 42 or 45. One particular little river valley with very good pavement and clear sight lines.

There is no amount of money you could pay me to run at 52 mph.

Presumably there are areas/applications where "running" is important - otherwise we can just use a bicycle.

Historically, human survival. No other animal can cover ground the way we can. We've evolved to be highly efficient, one example; we cool ourselves better than any other animal we can maintain a fairly high power output almost indefinitely due to sweating.

Pronghorns would like a word.

Not only could they race an entire marathon, they would beat those inline-skaters. 30mph for hours and 150 miles in some journeys.

They evolved a different cooling system than sweating.

https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/211/5/749/18118/...

We have a cluster of veins at the base of the skull that dumps heat on the back of your neck after the blood reaches the brain, which is a similar convergent evolution. In the mid 90’s when I took an anthropology class, they had just worked out that the human family tree needed some adjustments based on the presence or absence of these ports on the edges of the occipital bone. These radiators were important to our big brain evolution. Without extra heat dissipation we’d cook our noodles. Humans with fevers over about 104-106 risk brain damage. It’s why willow bark tea and later aspirin were such pivotal discoveries.

(Recently learned that aspen bark also contained salicylic acid, which is how aspirin got its named).

There was a comedian who hit upon this in his act. Not only are we top tier endurance predators, we also have a very high wound closure capability. To the herbivores on earth we are all Mike Myers. Stop for a minute and he’s right there again. Wound him, and he comes right back.

He riffed on why aliens are always the scary ones in movies. Maybe we are the scary ones.

Yes, skating is mentioned in a graph near the end.