Despite having significantly inferior physical abilities compared with other animals, humans possess an overwhelmingly superior capability—endurance. In the hunting era, when humans lacked strength, speed, and natural weapons such as sharp horns, teeth, or claws, endurance was their only means of survival. Unlike cheetahs, ostriches, horses, or antelopes, which rely on bursts of speed, early humans depended on persistence hunting, relentlessly pursuing prey for hours until it collapsed from exhaustion. This extraordinary endurance allowed them to overcome their physical disadvantages and thrive.
According to researchers, the human body is uniquely designed for long-distance running. Features such as a cooling system that expels heat through sweat glands, strong neck ligaments that provide stable vision over long distances, long and resilient Achilles tendons that store and release energy like springs, and relatively large, powerful calf and gluteal muscles all contribute to sustained movement. These physical adaptations, combined with an unmatched ability to endure, allowed humans to push past natural limits.
In 2013, a female ultramarathon runner1 from New Zealand set a world record by running 500 kilometers (311 miles) non-stop for nearly four days—without sleep. She endured extreme heat, dehydration, exhaustion, and muscle pain, proving that the true limits of human endurance are far beyond what we imagine. Beyond athletics, endurance has played a key role in human progress, driving exploration, medicine, invention, and the arts. The development of mankind is a triumph of endurance, where individuals refused to yield to the stop sign of pain and limitations.
1. It refers to an athlete who competes in ultramarathons, races that exceed the official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers (26.219 miles). Ultramarathons vary in length, ranging from 50 kilometers (30 miles) to as long as 4,700 kilometers (2,920 miles). These races are typically categorized into two types: timed races, which measure how far a runner can go within a set period and distance races, which compare the time it takes to complete a predetermined distance.
On a personal level, endurance determines whether we move forward or stop. If one succumbs to difficulties, that moment becomes their limit. When faced with similar hardships again, yielding once more cements that boundary. But by gritting one’s teeth and pushing forward with unwavering determination, one can break past limitations and grow stronger.
In the wilderness of faith, we face sandstorms, wind and rain, drought, and thorns—trials that test our perseverance. Yet, we endure because of our unwavering hope in entering the kingdom of heaven. This goal is far greater than the survival instincts of early humans or the relentless drive of an ultramarathon runner. To finish the race of faith, we must cultivate spiritual endurance—a determination to press on regardless of hardship, fatigue, or setbacks. Let us push our spiritual endurance to the maximum, never settling for yesterday’s limits. Instead, let us set new records of faith each day, running toward the eternal crown of life that awaits us.