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Author: Maxine Clarke
From a young age we all learn that the cheetah is one of Earth's speediest land mammals, but if you have ever spent time in pursuit of a gazelle, you will know that they too have the ability to easily show you a clean pair of heels. As such, I have been plagued for some time but the poser: who would win in a race between a cheetah and a gazelle?
In extensive research I myself have carried out via the encyclopedic wonder that is Wikipedia, the race would depend on a number of factors. Initially, with the ability to accelerate to speeds in excess of 70 mph in little over three seconds, the cheetah has a clear advantage over the gazelle. Indeed, the top speed of gazelle reaches approximately 50 mph - a significant difference.
But I am not interested in short races; the race I am concerned with is a marathon, not a sprint (not technically a marathon in the sense of 26 miles, but more a metaphorical marathon). The question I propose concerns the running of a race over a distance of, say, a mile.
This is where it gets interesting. To determine the winner we would need to consider a number of factors. For example, the surface on which they are running. Unlike professional athletes, the running track at the Beijing Olympic Stadium would rubbish. Not only would the competitors not take too kindly to the heavily-polluted atmosphere, but if you've ever tried to make an animal run within a lane little wider than one metre, it is impossible. Plus, trying to get their feet into the starting blocks would be tricky. Let's not forget that they are animals. I cannot emphasise this enough.
Accordingly, I would simply suggest letting them run across the plains of Africa. The cheetah's used to it, the gazelle's used to it - everyone's happy. Think 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', and you get the idea. Plus, to combat any potential headwind, it wouldn't be too tricky to simply ask them to run in whichever direction is comfortable. After all, we don't want to ruin their chances at a world record.
Then we have to consider the possibility of drug use. Personally, if you show me a cheetah or gazelle that can self-administed performance-enhancing steroids, I say let them have all they want.
So, once everything is arranged, we can let the race begin. Initially, the cheetah would race out to a clear lead, but the gazelle has stamina to perform at a high level for a greater period on its side. Once again, Wikipedia provides an invaluable insight into the performance of the cheetah. Sure he can run at 70 mph, but some 400 metres into the race he would be knackered and ready to lie down. This is where the gazelle would come into his own - racing past but the prostrate cheetah and continuing on to the finish line.
So there we have it. In a theoretical, one-mile race between a cheetah and a gazelle, my money would be on a gazelle. What say you, Attenborough? Probably something like the race would be over much quicker, since the cheetah would mount the gazelle, rip out it's innards and devour it as prey. What does he know? In sport, winning is everything... even to a gazelle.
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