[W Forum] You Must Run to Survive

In the jungle, humans without tools are infinitely vulnerable beings. Since the creation of sharpened weapons dates back 200,000 years ago, it means that for the previous 2 million years, humans survived by hunting without tools.

Firstly, survival was likely possible thanks to forming groups and cooperating. Secondly, having an excellent cooling system played a big role. Compared to other animals, we have less hair and can regulate body temperature by sweating, allowing us to run for long periods. Imagine running in a mink coat on the hot African savannah?it would be dreadful. No matter how fast an animal runs, they cannot run as long as humans because of their 'fur coats.' When humans run in groups for a few hours or even several days, eventually even predators have no choice but to give up. Our bodies are designed for endurance running.

An unexpected variable was the advent of agriculture. With agriculture, humans had to change their movement patterns from running to repetitive labor. After industrialization, even that movement drastically decreased. It has rapidly diminished to the point where only the pupils and fingers are used.

Coincidentally, for women, it was a devastating period that could be called a 'history of restricted movement.' Until just a few decades ago, women could not even run! In 1967, at the 71st Boston Marathon in the United States, there was an official who grabbed the shoulder of twenty-year-old college student Kathrine Switzer. With a fierce expression, he lunged and grabbed her shoulder. He had learned that a woman was participating in the race and tried to stop her. "Give me your bib number and get out of my race!" he shouted.

The photo capturing this moment became so famous that it was selected by Life magazine as one of the '100 Photos That Changed the World.' Thanks to that photo, the 'freedom for women to run' became a public issue. At the time, the medical community claimed that long-distance running could cause reproductive organs to fall out in women. People forbade running because they believed women's legs would become thick and hair would grow on their chests. The official acted similarly, aggressively confronting Kathrine for those reasons. Fortunately, with the help of acquaintances, she completed the marathon, but the organizing committee did not recognize her record.

Now, more than 50 years after the world blocked Kathrine's path, women's endurance running abilities are astonishing the world. It is an era where women in their late 30s who have given birth can win marathons. At the world's top mountain running event, the '2018 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB),' 36-year-old British woman Sophie Power ran for 16 hours, breastfed her three-month-old baby, and still placed among the top runners.

What about Kathrine? In 2017, at the age of 70, she completed the Boston Marathon?the very same race where she was once blocked because she was a woman. This was a triumph achieved 50 years after being stopped for running as a woman. Boston recognized her achievement. The organizing committee apologized and retired her bib number 261, which they had tried to snatch 50 years ago, honoring her.

The Tarahumara tribe, who live hidden in Mexico's Copper Canyon, have maintained their way of life until now. They still run. Even those in their 70s and 80s run. Literally, all tribe members, men and women, young and old, run distances comparable to ultramarathons. They are free from modern diseases such as heart disease, cholesterol, cancer, crime, violence, and depression. Researchers from prestigious American universities like Harvard and the University of Utah are closely observing them.

We must run to survive. From ancient humans to the present, our bodies are designed that way. Running long distances pumps blood from the heart throughout the body, delivers oxygen from the lungs to every corner, and expels waste through sweat, keeping us healthy. In the past, we ran to hunt; now, we must run to live. And we must run to forget?to shake off the stress that threatens us.

Seo Jae-yeon, Executive Director, Mirae Asset Daewoo Galleria WM