Sha’Carri Richardson is the fastest woman in the world, and now scientists (sort of) say she’d be able to run on water, at least according to a delightfully nerdy physics thought experiment.

In an article published in Physics World to celebrate the forthcoming Paris Olympics, fluid dynamics expert Nicole Sharp went long on the question of whether it would be physically possible for a human athlete to run on water. The answer is… yes, but not really. Per Physics World, there are a number of animals that can walk on water, perhaps most notably the basilisk lizard, also known as the “Jesus Christ lizard,” named after the other guy who could famously walk on water (allegedly).

Scientists have studied the basilisk lizard and other water-traversing creatures, like the Western grebe, for decades, as Sharp outlines in her article. Basically, those scientists came to the conclusion that in order for these animals to be able to run on water, they have to counteract their own weight by slapping the shit out of the water with their feet (and yes, slap is actually the word they use). One scientist found that grebes take up to 20 steps per second, whereas the average Olympic sprinter takes about five steps per second.

In a study published in the 1990s, Harvard researchers calculated that theoretically, a 176-pound human “with an average foot size and a world-class sprinter’s stride rate” would need to slap the water at a speed of 30 meters per second in order to support their own weight, which is physically impossible — at least on Earth. So in 2012, a group of researchers at the University of Milan set out to determine whether reduced gravity conditions could hypothetically enable humans to run on water. The study won the 2013 Ig Nobel, a satiric prize that rewards nerds who are so committed to the bit that they seek to answer questions with next to no practical application. (And the footage of said experiment, as Physics World puts it, is “spectacular.”)

Anyway, all of this is to say that decades of research have culminated in an answer to a question that no one has previously dared to ask: Could Sha’Carri Richardson run on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon? Because of Titan’s lighter gravity and Richardson’s speed, the answer is yes. Sharp theorized that the runner would have to “slap the surface” of Titan’s ethane lakes at 8.7 meters per second, and she’s already far outpaced that with her world-championship time of 9.3 meters per second.

And listen, if we have the funding to bring the military-industrial complex to outer space, someone out there has to have the cash to make Richardson the first woman to walk — er, slap — on the surface of a body of liquid. If there’s a chaotic good version of Elon Musk out there, please hear our plea.

A research by Physics World has claimed that the fastest woman in 2024 Sha’Carri Richardson can mimic Basilisk lizards to run on water.

Research by Physics World claims the world’s fastest woman in 2024 Sha’Carri Richardson can run on water like the Basilisk lizards.

The lizards are nicknamed “Jesus Christ lizards” for their ability to run on water. The lizards weigh about 100 grams and the researchers believe Richardson has the ability to emulate the lizards.

They argue that when the basilisk runs, its foot slaps the water’s surface, just like a human sprinter on a track. Newton’s third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the same applying for the lizard. The larger the lizard’s foot and the faster it hits the water, the more upward force the slap generates.

When the lizard’s foot dips into the water, the basilisk extends its leg like a swimmer’s arm, but it moves so fast that in the milliseconds before the water rushes in.

Richardson, currently weighing 45kg is petite but strikingly fast with her shoes providing a good foot area. Her shoes have been valuable, propelling her to victory at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, clocking 10.65 to cross the finish line.

The researchers assumed that on ethane, Richardson would sink about 8 centimetres and to stay on top, the American sprint queen would be forced to slap the surface at about 9.0 m/s.

That slap would require running at about 8.7 metres per second and during the World Championships, Richardson’s time was significantly faster at 9.3 metres per second. The researchers concluded that racing over water is theoretically possible, at least for Richardson.