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No Such Thing As A Fish
No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As A Second-Placed Helmet

April 16, 2026 • 58m

Summary

⏱️ 11 min read

Overview

In this episode of No Such Thing As A Fish, the hosts are joined by comedian Zoe Lyons to discuss fascinating facts about endurance running, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain's meteorite knife, shark reproduction, and Olympic ski jumper Eddie the Eagle. The conversation covers evolutionary biology, culinary history, marine biology, and Olympic sports, with plenty of humor and surprising tangents along the way.

Human Evolution and Endurance Running

Zoe introduces the fascinating theory that humans evolved to run long distances through persistence hunting. Early humans would chase prey in the heat until the animals collapsed from exhaustion. Unlike most animals that beat us over short distances, humans excel at ultra-long distances thanks to unique anatomical advantages like efficient sweating, upright posture, strong buttocks, and the ability to breathe independently of stride.

  • Humans may have evolved endurance running abilities from persistence hunting, exhausting prey over long distances in heat
  • Over one mile, almost every mammal beats humans, but over days-long distances, humans eventually win
  • Key human advantages include superior sweating ability, long legs, strong buttocks, and ability to separate breathing from stride
  • Upright posture allows humans to breathe independently of stride, unlike quadrupeds whose breathing is tied to their gait
" We've got cracking buttocks. We've got really good buttocks. "
" One, two, three, one, two, three. Really? Psychopath. "

The Physical Toll of Ultra-Running

The discussion shifts to the extreme physical consequences of ultra-marathon running. Dan ran 100 kilometers from London to Brighton with his brother, experiencing severe digestive issues from not training while eating. The conversation reveals shocking facts about how ultra-marathons can make runners temporarily shorter, shrink their brains, and produce alarming changes in bodily functions.

  • During long runs, the spine compresses so much that runners can lose half an inch in height temporarily
  • Ultra-marathon runners' brains can shrink up to 6% as the body consumes myelin, a fatty substance coating nerve cells, taking six months to recover
  • Post-race urine samples from ultramarathons can be brown with pulp, described as looking like 'Coca-Cola, tomato soup, or urine'
  • Dan experienced catastrophic digestive issues during his London to Brighton run because he hadn't trained running while eating
" I finished the race but not in the shorts I started in. "

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