Like biathlon – but with less snow and more ‘Bully’s special prize’
The internet has been here before – every few years we all get hooked on some ridiculous hypothetical scenario and debate it passionately as if any of us really know the real outcome.
Last year, it was the 100 men vs one gorilla scenario which led to many arguments, falling outs and maybe even the odd ruined marriage – seriously people REALLY cared.
While, there were solid arguments on both sides of that primate problem, ultimately no one was willing to be tribute and get in the enclosure with an actual silverback gorilla, leaving us with no definitive answer.
Well, fear not, because the global hive mind has moved on, and we’ve got a new hyperfixation – and it’s a lot more grounded in the realms of reality.
The internet is now asking, who would win in a race between legendary long distance runner Mo Farah and kid prodigy turned unstoppable darts sensation Luke Littler.
Of course, there are caveats to this ‘race’, which would be over the distance of a half marathon and would see each participant check out 501 (double to finish) at each mile.
This means 13.1 miles of running, 13 legs of 501 and a 160m sprint to the finish line.
The all-important numbers
Look, it’s obvious both participants have their own strengths going into this one, as per Farah’s website, his fastest half marathon time is 59:22, which is, for those not versed in running, pretty fast.
Meanwhile, Littler is the best darts player in the world, as per the official rankings, and, as is the case for most professional darts players, could check out 501 in as fast as anything between one and five minutes.
Of course, this is information we know, the real conundrum revolves around what we don’t know and that is how fast Luke Littler runs a half marathon and how good Mo Farah is at darts – the most we can do is safely assume neither is particularly fantastic.
A modern biathlon of sorts
There is a number of satisfying parallels between the Winter Olympic sport of biathlon, and this thrilling thought experiment.
While the biathlon combines endurance skiing with multiple rounds of shooting at set intervals, this challenge combines endurance running with multiple rounds of darts at set intervals also.
It is effectively the same thing just with less snow and more ‘Bully’s special prize’.
Biathlon is famous for the cardiac strain it puts on its athletes, seeing huge spikes in heart rate while skiing, with this number plummeting at the shooting station in order to achieve steady aim.
Furthermore, it is a known technique that biathletes will shoot between heartbeats for the best stability.
With this in mind, it must be considered how each Farah and Littler will control their breathing at the oche.
While Littler will have mastered his breathing as a pro darts player, he may struggle with bringing his heart rate down and is also likely to experience extreme fatigue as the run continues into its latter stages.
Meanwhile, as a professional runner, Farah will have a very low and settled heart rate, helping him get a steady shot off at the darts board, and will be less likely to tire by the 13th round of 501.
So, what does AI say?
It wouldn’t be 2026 without asking the all-knowing, super computer that is artificial intelligence about this hugely important cultural debate.
Well, we laid the challenge bare and asked a selection of popular AI programmes about who they think would come out victorious, and they came back divided.
ChatGPT
Everyone’s go-to personal assistant, ChatGPT threw its hat into the ring on the side of Mo Farah “comfortably”.
It cited the “running deficit” for Littler as “just too big to overcome, even with a significant advantage at the oche,” suggesting the race favoured running over darts.
Grok
Somewhat in character, Grok chose Littler as its champion, saying that the 19-year-old “cruises to victory.”
It said: “Mo might set a new ‘most miles run while screaming at double 1’ world record, but he won’t cross the finish line first. This is peak pub-argument sport crossover—10/10 concept.”
Grok also somewhat creepily suggested that it would be “watching the whole thing” live as if it isn’t just a bunch of ones and zeros plotting the demise of humanity.
Gemini
Gemini was a little more hesitant to give a conclusive winner but did say that Luke Littler would win but only “by a nose”.
Google’s AI programme said that while “Mo Farah is an athletic specimen” the “volatility of darts for an amateur is much higher than the volatility of walking for a non-athlete.”
I don’t know either why these AIs speak like they’re being interviewed on Diary of a CEO.
Gemini calculated that Farah would run a mile nine minutes faster than Littler, but that the darts player could probably finish each leg “10+ minutes” faster than Farah.
Across 13 legs, it concluded that this would lead to a Littler win.
Claude
Considered as the more sophisticated AI, Claude unsurprisingly came back with a well-measured answer and was the first to suggest Littler might not even finish the challenge – bit harsh that to be honest.
The AI said that Farah “cruises to victory” and that “Littler might not finish.”
Claude seemed to be the first AI to really take into account just how hard a half marathon is for a non-runner (just wait till you see what Meta said).
It said: “Even if Farah is terrible at darts and Littler is a robot at the oche, the running gap is just too massive.
“The 80–90+ minute running deficit Littler carries is insurmountable—his darts advantage might save him 30–60 minutes at most.”
Meta AI
Who even uses Meta AI? I don’t know, but we needed a decider, so we’ve wheeled out this super sub from the robot changing rooms.
Meta AI gave it to Littler by “10-15 minutes”, however, did make the slightly bold claim that Littler would finish the challenge in two hours, implying a potential 1 hour 50 minute half marathon.
Look, who knows, maybe the guy is rapid over 13 miles, but that time would be considered very good and significantly above the average.
The JOE verdict
While the AI brotherhood has decided that Littler would be the ultimate champion, at JOE we think that Farah would be the ultimate winner.
Farah is just ridiculously fast on his feet and in a scenario where you can just keep throwing darts at a board without waiting for the opponents turn, you’ll luck out sooner than later.
Factor in the cumulative fatigue Littler will be facing as well as the ‘biathlon effect’ on heart rate and breathing and Farah cleans up without a problem – just another medal in the already packed trophy cabinet of the running icon.
#win #race #Farah #Luke #Littler
