Humpbacks in a Hurry

Though yet to break through to the Kentucky Derby or Belmont Stakes, camel racing is a popular spectator sport in many nations outside the United States, particularly desert nations where riding a camel might be a more common occurrence. Despite what Hollywood would have you believe, with slow moving scenes of camel-led travelers traversing sandy hills at mere meters per hour, a full-sprint camel is among the faster beasts in the animal kingdom. At top speed, the average camel runs at close to 40 miles per hour. By comparison, this is not too far off the pace of much smaller racing animals, generally sporting a more sleek, aerodynamic frame than their camel counterparts. Greyhounds, common racers at American dog tracks, reach a top speed of 43 miles per hour, while the average quarter horse bests the camel by 7 and a half miles per hour. Like horse and dog racing, gamblers in many foreign countries find themselves betting on a particular humpbacked speedster to win, place or show. As a sport, however, it compares much closer to the horse than dog variety, with mounted jockeys atop each animal. Almost unheard of in the Western world, Australia is a notable exception, where camel racing can be quite the lucrative endeavor. Take for example the “Sheikh Zayed international Camel Endurance Race,” which boasts a winning purse of 50,000 Australian dollars.Not only can camels move quickly for shorter sprint distances, but as a species renowned for their endurance, it’s no surprise to find camels can maintain a speed of 25 miles per hour for a full hour’s worth of running. Consider that were a camel so motivated to run a marathon, it could be estimated the furry, four-legged competitor would complete the course in just over an 1 hour and 3 minutes, shaving a full hour off the world record time of 2 hours 3 minutes and 59 seconds, set by Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie.