Interesting thread. My question is more like, "are some people just not capable of decent speed at anything?"--I have done swimming, running and cycling and been rather slow at all three (10-11 min/mile running, never got below about 32 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, do well to average 12 mph on the bike). I also seem to get my heart rate really high more easily than most people in decent shape, especially with running. The only thing I seem to be faster than average at is walking, including hiking, but that is something that generally doesn't involve being anywhere near maximum effort. What are the factors (besides being out of shape, which isn't the case here) that affect general speed when it comes to sports?