It is often said if you ask a foolish question, you should expect a foolish answer. So a group of researchers should have known better than to ask thousands of men if they thought themselves capable of outrunning an animal. Predictably, a fair chunk of those quizzed – one in 50 – actually believe they could outpace a horse over a 100metre sprint. Many men also think they would outrun a stampede of elephants and escape the teeth of a crocodile, a study reveals. The research, commissioned by Free Bets ahead of the Grand National tomorrow, showed few paid attention to scientific fact. The fastest horse ever recorded managed a speed of more than 40mph – 13mph faster than Usain Bolt’s top speed – a spokesman for the betting website said. While many of these claims might sound fanciful, it has been done – or at least attempted. South African rugby player Bryan Habana famously competed against a cheetah in a 100m race to raise awareness of the endangered species in 2007, although he lost. And American sprinter Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, beat a number of racehorses in the 100m sprint. He later admitted he chose highly strung thoroughbreds that would be spooked by the starting pistol, giving him a head start. Of the 2,000 adults polled, 220 thought they could run the Grand National course – four miles and 514 yards – in less than ten minutes. The record as it stands was set at eight minutes and 47 seconds in 1990 by winning horse Mr Frisk. The spokesman added: ‘We tend to overestimate our own abilities and underestimate the sheer power, speed, and endurance of nature’s finest athletes.’ Male competitiveness has even seen just shy of one in three men look at an animal in the street and conclude – wrongly – ‘I could outrun that.’