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I appreciate the thorough analysis. In your second paragraph, you have aptly described the 4man I was too lazy to detail. I was glossing over the description because the 4man was being used by me for illustrative purposes. Because the point I was attempting to make was that tool use had to proceed bipedal locomotion in a savanna type environ as opposed to an aquatic environ.

For our purposes consider our 4man a camel from the waste down. It was my belief, though I do not know it to be fact, that in an endurance contest a camel easily out performs a human. I would attach approximately 90 plus percent confidence to the accuracy of this belief. As indirect evidence of this fact I would refer to the ability of camels to travel great distances on little water. This would seem to correlate directly to the efficiency of their locomotion as rates of water use likely correlate highly with energy use.

I agree completely with your analysis of the physics and physiology of locomotion. Funny thing, is that the other day I learned that penguins, of all creatures, perhaps move with the greatest of efficient. They pivot/turn (waddle) themselves across terrain. In any event, I'm curious now about 2man v. camel. Again I think camel.

I know, the camel 4man comparison is not well made or necessarily a good fit here, but my ultimate point is. And I'll make the point, oddly, in a way which I find ironic. You don't find camels residing in savanna type environs. But put them on two camel legs and make them tool users and you have sandman :) a perfect fit for the savanna, actually, make them meat eaters also, or do they eat meat too - doubt it. I wonder how genetically related we are to the camel, lol. I have now officially advanced a new and novel theory henceforth to be referred to as the Sandman Theory.

My first inquiry: Wandering Bedouin. Why wandering? Certainly they are going somewhere. Or, do they in fact wander this being some vestigal instinct to migrate like camel?

I'm sure a camel would outperform a human if the race were to occur in the camel's neighborhood. But I stated that the race would occur in ideal conditions.

Camels chew their cud like a cow or sheep. Therefore it is highly unlikely that they can "stomach" meat. A big reason for a camels endurance is the hump, which is merely fat reserves. Humans have fat reserves all over their body.

Most efficient does not necessarily mean greatest endurance. If it did, a mouse would win since it burns fewest calories per mile walked. There are two more requirements besides efficiency. Energy reserves, and muscle. I would be very surprised if a penguin's leg muscles were up to the task of carrying a penguin as far a a man's legs could. Especially since penguins are primarily designed for swimming. Of course, in a penguins neighborhood, the human's performance would suffer drastically.

I believe that hopping creatures have the most efficient locomotion. Kangaroos and such. But this is just a variation of bipedal locomotion in my opinion. I don't have any references on this. But I seem to remember a study done with treadmills where the oxygen use was measured per mile hopped.

So, your 4 man creature has 6 limbs then? 4legs and two arms?