This New York Times profile of endurance athlete Jure Robic describes his amazing athletic feats and his (and his supporters) claim that his "madness" during races help him continue and often win. Mr. Robic was also featured on a recent episode of Radio Lab about "Limits", and both the article and the podcast do a great job explaining the "central governor theory": the idea that our brain holds some energy/resources in reserve for emergencies, and some athletes may trick the brain into releasing these resources. The Radio Lab podcast includes interviews with Mr. Robic and other endurance athletes. Athletes in your class may be very interested to hear about how these people push and break their own "limits."
(The other stories on this same podcast about the "Limits of the Mind" and the "Limits of Science" are also fascinating - listen to the researchers talk about their "Erequa machine" and prepare to have your mind blown . . .)
Posted by Rob McEntarffer
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