Sprint University

How fast can a human run?

The fastest humans on record reach about 27 to 28 mph (44 to 45 km/h). Usain Bolt covered 60 to 80 m of his 9.58 world record in 1.61 s, an average of 27.8 mph (44.7 km/h). A 2010 study led by Peter Weyand put the theoretical ceiling at 35 to 40 mph.

The fastest speeds ever measured

Average speed is distance divided by time, and peak speed is the fastest stretch inside a race. Most published “top speeds” are averages over a short segment of 10 or 20 m.

Who / whatmphkm/hm/s
Usain Bolt, 60–80 m of his 9.58 (IAAF 20 m splits)27.8 mph44.7 km/h12.42 m/s
Usain Bolt, laser-measured peak near 65 m (as cited by Helene & Yamashita)27.4 mph44.2 km/h12.27 m/s
Usain Bolt, average over the full 9.5823.4 mph37.6 km/h10.44 m/s
Tyreek Hill, NFL kickoff return, 2016 (Next Gen Stats)23.2 mph37.4 km/h10.39 m/s
Florence Griffith Joyner, average over her 10.49 world record (1988)21.3 mph34.3 km/h9.53 m/s
Xavier Worthy, average over his 4.21 Combine-record 4019.4 mph31.3 km/h8.69 m/s

Bolt's two figures differ because sources disagree by 0.02 s on his 60 m split (6.29 vs. 6.31). Griffith Joyner's record stands, though the zero wind reading for it has been disputed.

How speed builds over 100 meters

Bolt's official 10 m splits from Berlin show the usual shape of a 100m: a long acceleration, a peak between roughly 50 and 80 m, then a small fade. The splits are rounded to 0.01 s, so each 10 m speed is accurate to about ±0.15 m/s.

Usain Bolt, 9.58, Berlin 2009. First segment excludes his 0.146 s reaction time.
SegmentTimeAvg speedmph
0–10 m1.74 s5.73 m/s12.8
10–20 m0.99 s10.10 m/s22.6
20–30 m0.90 s11.11 m/s24.9
30–40 m0.86 s11.63 m/s26.0
40–50 m0.83 s12.05 m/s27.0
50–60 m0.82 s12.20 m/s27.3
60–70 m0.81 s12.35 m/s27.6
70–80 m0.82 s12.20 m/s27.3
80–90 m0.83 s12.05 m/s27.0
90–100 m0.83 s12.05 m/s27.0

What limits human running speed

Research led by Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2010, found that top speed is limited by how quickly a sprinter can apply force to the ground. At top speed an elite sprinter's foot is on the ground for less than a tenth of a second, and peak force arrives within the first twentieth of a second of contact. In that window, elite sprinters apply peak forces of 800 to 1,000 pounds per step with a single leg.

The team had sprinters hop on one leg on a treadmill and measured ground forces at least 30% higher than in top-speed running, so the leg has force to spare but runs out of time to apply it. How fast muscle fibers contract sets that time. If muscles could contract fast enough to apply near-maximal force in the window, the authors project speeds of 35 to 40 mph, far above anything a sprinter has run.

Your top speed

Enter a 100m or 40-yard time to estimate your top speed and see the gap to the fastest people alive.

Estimated 40-yard dash
5.29 s
from first movement, no reaction
Average speed over 100m
17.9 mph
28.8 km/h · 8.00 m/s
Estimated top speed
20.1 mph
32.4 km/h · 9.00 m/s

These numbers are estimates from a sprint velocity curve fitted to Usain Bolt's official Berlin 2009 splits. A 40 is timed from first movement and often by hand, so football 40s convert to optimistic 100m times. How the estimate works

You vs. the fastest, over 100m
The gap when the winner crosses the line.

FAQ

More on speed

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The Sprint University app builds max-velocity and acceleration training around your current speed and adjusts every session to how recovered you are. The program comes from Lawrence L.O. Johnson, a 6× NCAA All-American and Team USA sprinter.

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Sources

  1. World Athletics: “Bolt again! 9.58 World record in Berlin” (16 Aug 2009)
  2. Helene & Yamashita, “The force, power and energy of the 100 meter sprint,” Am. J. Phys. 78, 307 (2010): Berlin 2009 10 m splits and 0.146 s reaction (IAAF data)
  3. SpeedEndurance.com: “Usain Bolt splits 9.69 vs 9.58” (IAAF 20 m splits, 60–80 m in 1.61 s)
  4. Weyand et al., “The biological limits to running speed are imposed from the ground up,” J. Appl. Physiol. (2010)
  5. ScienceDaily: “Speed limit: Humans could run 40 mph, in theory” (SMU, Jan 2010)
  6. Chiefs.com: “Tyreek Hill had NFL's top two fastest runs in 2016” (Next Gen Stats, 28 Jan 2017)
  7. NBC Sports: “Fastest NFL players in the Next Gen Stats era” (Jul 2022)
  8. Wikipedia: Women's 100 metres world record progression (10.49, Indianapolis 1988, wind-gauge dispute)
  9. NFL.com: “Texas WR Xavier Worthy sets NFL Scouting Combine record with 4.21-second 40-yard dash” (2024)
  10. Samozino et al., “A simple method for measuring power, force, velocity properties, and mechanical effectiveness in sprint running,” Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports 26:648–658 (2016)
  11. Wikipedia: 40-yard dash (36.576 m; Combine hand-start/electronic-stop timing since 1999)