Editing Running (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of physical training and fitness}}
[[File:Long Distance Runners, Ancient Greece, Amphora.png|thumb|An early 20th Century drawing depicting long-distance runners. It is copied from a [[Panathenaic amphora]] from Ancient Greece, circa 333 BCE]]
[[File:Runners MAN Napoli Inv5626-7 n02.jpg|thumb|Ancient [[Roman sculpture|Roman bronze sculptures]] of runners from the [[Villa of the Papyri]] at [[Herculaneum]], now in the [[Naples National Archaeological Museum]]]]

It is thought that human running evolved at least four and a half million years ago out of the ability of the ape-like [[Australopithecus]], an early ancestor of humans, to [[bipedalism|walk upright on two legs]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/historical/runevolve.asp |title=The Evolution of Human Running: Training & Racing |publisher=runtheplanet.com |access-date=26 June 2010 }}</ref>

Early humans most likely developed into endurance runners from the practice of [[persistence hunting]] of animals, the activity of following and chasing until a prey is too exhausted to flee, succumbing to "chase [[myopathy]]" (Sears 2001), and that human features such as the [[nuchal ligament]], abundant [[sweat glands]], the [[Achilles tendon]]s, big [[knee joint]]s and muscular [[glutei maximi]], were changes caused by this type of activity (Bramble & Lieberman 2004, et al.).<ref>{{cite journal | author = Ingfei Chen |url=http://discovermagazine.com/2006/may/tramps-like-us |title=Born To Run |journal=Discover |date=May 2006 |access-date=26 June 2010 }}</ref><ref name="Liebenberg ">{{cite journal |jstor=10.1086/508695 |author=Louis Liebenberg |title=Persistence Hunting by Modern Hunter-Gatherers |journal=Current Anthropology |date=December 2006 |publisher=Current Anthropology & The University of Chicago Press |volume=47 |issue=6 |pages=1017–1026|doi=10.1086/508695 |s2cid=224793846 }}</ref><ref name="Sears ">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vxxOw3FvOgwC&q=History+of+Running|author=Edward Seldon Sears |title=Running Through the Ages |publisher=McFarland, 2001| access-date=9 April 2012|isbn=9780786450770 |date=22 December 2008 }}</ref> The theory as first proposed used comparative physiological evidence and the natural habits of animals when running, indicating the likelihood of this activity as a successful hunting method. Further evidence from observation of modern-day hunting practices also indicated this likelihood (Carrier et al. 1984).<ref name="Sears "/><ref name=" David R. Carrier, A. K. Kapoor, Tasuku Kimura, Martin K. Nickels, Satwanti, Eugenie C. Scott, Joseph K. So and Erik Trinkaus">{{cite journal|author=David R. Carrier, A. K. Kapoor, Tasuku Kimura, Martin K. Nickels, Satwanti, Eugenie C. Scott, Joseph K. So and Erik Trinkaus |title=The Energetic Paradox of Human Running and Hominid Evolution and Comments and Reply |journal=Current Anthropology |volume=25 |issue = 4|pages=483–495 |publisher=The University of Chicago Press|jstor=2742907 |year=1984 |doi=10.1086/203165 |s2cid=15432016 }}</ref> According to Sears (p.&nbsp;12) scientific investigation (Walker & Leakey 1993) of the [[Nariokotome skeleton]] provided further evidence for the Carrier theory.<ref name="Walker, & Leakey  ">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3jNburL7OcgC&q=running |author1=Alan Walker |author2=Richard Leakey |title=The Nariokotome Homo Erectus Skeleton | page= 414|publisher=Springer, 1993| access-date=9 April 2012|isbn=9783540563013 |date=16 July 1996 }}</ref>

Competitive running grew out of religious festivals in various areas such as Greece, Egypt, Asia, and the [[East African Rift]] in Africa. The [[Tailteann Games (ancient)|Tailteann Games]], an Irish sporting festival in honor of the goddess [[Tailtiu]], dates back to 1829 BCE and is one of the earliest records of competitive running.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Matthews|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQFHe9RwE0wC&pg=PA2|title=Historical Dictionary of Track and Field|date=2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6781-9|language=en}}</ref> The [[Ancient Olympic Games#Origin mythology|origins of the Olympics]] and [[marathon|Marathon running]] are shrouded by myth and legend, though the first recorded games took place in 776 BCE.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cgkzWTugSj0C&pg=PA201|title=The Ancient Olympics|isbn=978-0-19-280604-8 |year=2006 |last1=Spivey |first1=Nigel |publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> [[Running in Ancient Greece]] can be traced back to these games of 776 BCE.

{{Blockquote|...I suspect that the sun, moon, earth, stars, and heaven, which are still the gods of many barbarians, were the only gods known to the aboriginal Hellenes. Seeing that they were always moving and running, from their running nature they were called gods or runners (Thus, Theontas)...|[[Socrates]] in [[Plato]] – ''[[Cratylus]]''<ref>Plato (translated by B.Jowett) - [http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/cratylus.html Cratylus] MIT [Retrieved 2015-3-28]</ref>}}