The NFL is home to some of the fastest and most agile athletes on the planet, but how do those players match up with one of the fastest animals in the world? Seeking an answer to that question, National Geographic brought Devin Hester and Chris Johnson together with some cheetahs for a race.

Cheetahs can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just three seconds, so there’s no chance of a human beating the big cat in a straight sprint. To even the odds, contestants ran multiple lengths of a straight-line course. Hester and Johnson have a decided advantage in the turns — rampaging cheetahs can’t exactly stop on a dime.

Johnson ran two lengths of a 30-yard course but ultimately gave up his lead in the final stretch.

Hester, meanwhile, ran four lengths of the course, and just barely beat out the cheetah.

(GIFs via @corkgaines)