How fast is 12 miles per hour?
It's about four-fifths as fast as a Bull
The speed of a Bull is about 15 miles per hour.
(for animals involved in the Running of the Bulls, a.k.a. Encierro, San Fermin, Pamplona, Spain) (herd average speed)
The herd of the annual Encierro in Pamplona, Spain runs at an average speed of 15 miles per hour. The Encierro is run annually from July 7th through July 14th and involves 42 bulls, 77 oxen, and an estimated 17,000 runners over the course of the event.
It's about seven-tenths as fast as Noah Ngeny
The speed of Noah Ngeny is about 16.950 miles per hour.
(in Rieti, Italy; 1999) (sprinter; 1978-)
Setting a world record at the Rieti Grand Prix in 1999, Noah Ngeny ran 1,000 m in 2:11.96 for an average speed of 16.950 miles per hour. According to some reports, Ngeny did not begin running competitively until just three years before setting the record.
It's about three-fifths as fast as Flo-Jo
The speed of Flo-Jo is about 20.960 miles per hour.
(at the Seoul Olympics, 1998) (a.k.a. Florence Griffith-Joyner, a.k.a. Florence Delorez Griffith) (swimmer; 1959-1998)
Setting a world record in 1988, Flo-Jo ran a 200 m in 0:21.34 for an average speed of 20.970 miles per hour. Known as a 200 m runner, Joyner also set a record time in a 100 m race at in 1987.
It's about half as fast as Usain Bolt
The speed of Usain Bolt is about 23 miles per hour.
(at the Beijing Olympics, 2008) (a.k.a. Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D.) (sprinter; 1986-)
Setting a world record, Usain Bolt ran a 100 m in 0:09.69 for an average speed of 23.10 miles per hour at the 2008 Olympics. Furthermore, Bolt's margin of record breaking — 0.03 s — is the largest margin of victory in the history of digital measurements.
It's about half as fast as Michael Johnson
The speed of Michael Johnson is about 23.150 miles per hour.
(a.k.a. Michael Duane Johnson) (sprinter; 1967-) (at the Atlanta Olympics, 1996)
Setting a record that stood for 12 years, Michael Johnson ran a 200 m in 0:19.32 for an average speed of 23.160 miles per hour at the 1996 Olympics. Johnson was nicknamed "the Man with the Golden shoes" in recognition of the custom footwear worn during these races — a pair of Nikes with a left size of 10.5 and a right size of 11.
It's about two times as fast as a Crocodile
The speed of a Crocodile is about 6 miles per hour.
(American Crocodile, Crocodylus acutus) (swimming speed)
An American crocodile can reach speeds in the water of up to 6.20 miles per hour. On land, larger crocodiles can "gallop" when fleeing danger at speeds of up to 12 miles per hour.
It's about three times as fast as Michael Phelps
The speed of Michael Phelps is about 4.34520 miles per hour.
(at the Beijing Olympics, 2008; 200 m freestyle) (a.k.a. Michael Fred Phelps) (swimmer; 1985-)
Setting a world record, Michael Phelps swam the 200 m freestyle in 1:42.96 for an average speed of 4.34520 miles per hour. Phelps would go on to win nine gold medals individually in the 2008 Olympics - more than all but eight of the competing nations.
It's about one-third as fast as Secretariat
The speed of Secretariat is about 37.60 miles per hour.
(at Belmont Stakes, 1973)
Setting a record finish, Secretariat ran the Belmont Stakes — a 12 furlong race length — in 2:24, for an average speed of 37.50 miles per hour in 1973. His margin of victory in the race, also a record-setter, was 31 lengths.
It's about three-tenths as fast as a Gazelle
The speed of a Gazelle is about 40 miles per hour.
(for Thomson's Gazelle, a.k.a. Eudorcas thomsoni, a.k.a. "Tommie", a.k.a. "Tommy")
A Thomson's gazelle can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. The gazelle's speed doesn't match that of its chief predator, the cheetah, but a gazelle's endurance usually ensures an escape in distances greater than 500 m (0.3 mi).
It's about three-tenths as fast as a Hare
The speed of a Hare is about 40 miles per hour.
(for European Brown Hare, a.k.a. Brown Hare, a.k.a. Lepus europaeus, a.k.a. Brown Hare)
The European Hare can run at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. While speed is a factor in their escapes, hares evade their chief predators — wolves, foxes, and golden eagles — by fleeing in a zigzag pattern.
It's about one-fourth as fast as a Greyhound
The speed of a Greyhound is about 45 miles per hour.
(a.k.a. English greyhound) (approximate maximum speed)
Greyhounds reach average race speeds of 45 miles per hour. Despite their racing prowess, greyhounds are not considered energetic dogs — the typical greyhound race requires the dogs to run for less than 35 seconds.
It's about four times as fast as Walking Pedestrians (in Manhattan)
The speed of Walking Pedestrians (in Manhattan) is about 2.90 miles per hour.
(Manhattan; average speed; 8,978 person-sample)
A 2006 Study by the New York City Department of City Planning found that pedestrians in that city walk at an average rate of 2.90 miles per hour. Pedestrians wearing headphones, the study went on to find, walk at a slightly faster 3.20 miles per hour
It's about one-fifth as fast as a Knuckleball (baseball)
The speed of a Knuckleball (baseball) is about 67 miles per hour.
(a.k.a. knuckler, a.k.a. floater, a.k.a. dancer, a.k.a. butterfly ball) (major league average)
The average speed of major league knuckleball pitch is 68 miles per hour. Eddie Cicotte, who was later implicated in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, is credited with developing the pitch ca. 1906.
It's about one-fifth as fast as a Cheetah
The speed of a Cheetah is about 68.650 miles per hour.
(Acinonyx jubatus)
The cheetah can reach speeds of up to 68.660 miles per hour in short bursts. From a crouching position, the cheetah can attain these speeds in just 2.25 seconds.
It's about one-fifth as fast as a Hurricane
The speed of a Hurricane is about 74 miles per hour.
(formally: Topical cyclone; a.k.a. typhoon)
A hurricane is defined by the US National Hurricane Center as a Northern Hemisphere tropical storm having one-minute average wind-speeds of at least 73.90 miles per hour. Typhoons Tip (October, 1979) and Keith (October, 1997) and Hurricanes Camille (August, 1969) and Allen (August, 1980) jointly hold the record for highest tropical storm wind speeds at 193 miles per hour.