When caught in pouring rain without an umbrella, most people pick up their pace. But an old tale advises that a person who runs in the rain gets wetter than one who walks.   

It sounds reasonable that when someone runs up and down, the body is exposed to more drops of water.  

But several studies have put this saying to the test and found it not to be true. One such test was carried out in 1987 and was published in European Journal of Physics magazine. The Italian physicist who did the experiment said that if the distance is short enough, running gets a person less wet than walking. But running only keeps you about 10 percent drier. That is to say, running isn't worth the effort.  

Another study, published in 1995 by a British researcher, found that it made no difference whether a person walked or ran. 

Perhaps the final word came from two American scientists at the National Climatic Data Centre in North Carolina recently. They thought that earlier studies overestimated the average walking pace. So, they did a much more careful experiment than any of the previous ones.

They noticed that the direction of the wind really matters to the results of the experiment. They also found that runners like to lean forward, hiding the front of their bodies from rain, but exposing the back.   　

The researchers used themselves as guinea pigs（豚鼠，试验品） in the test. Over a distance of 100 metres, they found that running in heavy rain kept them drier by as much as 40 percent.  

The bottom line is running in the rain probably keeps you drier than walking. But do remember to take an umbrella with you! For long distances, without an umbrella, the results are the same, no matter you run or walk.