Can the Grandma Not Get Run Over By the Reindeer?
Writer: Kurt Knebusch knebusch.1@osu.edu 330-263-3776 Q. Dear Twig: There’s that song, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” How fast would the grandma have to run to not get run over by the reindeer? A.: If the grandma is running straight away from the reindeer, as if racing it or being chased by it, the answer is: she just can’t do it. The grandma can’t run fast enough to not get run over by the reindeer. Aiee! So tell your own grandma if she happens to be in the path of a reindeer to not run away. Just sidestep out of the way. ¡Olé! Like a matador. Scientists put a reindeer’s top speed (on the ground, not in the air) at about 32 miles per hour. Some say it’s even faster, like 50 miles per hour. The world’s fastest human, meanwhile, tops out at 27 miles per hour in a very short sprint and is not nor likely ever will be a grandma. Over long distances, fast-running runners, including grandmas, go 8-15 miles per hou. Results will vary based on snow depth, tailwind and butter cookies. Bu
