Petty Officer Kelly-087 – The Fastest Spartan
Fans of the Halo franchise often debate the capabilities of its iconic supersoldiers. When it comes to raw speed though, one Spartan stands alone – Petty Officer First Class Kelly-087. Clocking top speeds exceeding 60 km/h (38 mph) even without armor, Kelly is renowned as the fastest Spartan bar none. Her exploits highlight unmatched pace combined with precision and reflexes that no other Spartan can rival.
But how did Kelly become the fastest? What sets her apart quantitatively? And what are her most jaw-dropping speed feats? As a diehard Halo fan, I‘ve analyzed all the lore and stats around Kelly‘s capabilities to showcase exactly why she secures the speed crown.
The Making of the Fastest Spartan
Even among the legendary SPARTAN-II program recruits, Kelly‘s athletic talents stood out from a young age. By age 8, she could already run nearly 40 kph (25 mph) – blazing speed for a child. By 14, that had accelerated to bursts over 55 kph (34 mph).
But the best was yet to come. After receiving the dangerous but highly effective Spartan bodily augmentations at age 14, Kelly‘s speed ascended to another level entirely.
Post-augmentation, she clocked an astonishing 62 kph (38.5 mph) at only 14 years old. To put that into perspective, the fastest Olympic sprinter in history, Usain Bolt, only reached a top speed of 44.72 kph (27.8 mph). At 38.5 mph, Kelly can literally outrun world-class sprinters while wearing a half-ton suit of armor.
These enhancements augmented Kelly‘s natural speed gifts – and allowed her pace to scale to superhuman levels.
Kelly‘s Speed Quantified
Let‘s analyze Kelly‘s speed capabilities versus other iconic Spartans to truly quantify her advantages:
Spartan Top Speed Comparison
| Spartan | Top Speed (mph) | Top Speed (kph) |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly-087 | 38.5 | 62 |
| John-117 | 34-37 | 55-60 |
| Fred-104 | 32 | 51 |
| Linda-058 | 31 | 50 |
Speeds based on max sprinting bursts announced across canon Halo media
As highlighted in the table, Kelly‘s top speed stands clearly apart from even fellow legendary Spartans:
- Over 15% faster than Master Chief
- Over 20% faster than Fred-104
- 25% faster than Linda-058
These differences are even greater in short bursts – for example Kelly can accelerate from 0 to top speed nearly 50% quicker than her peers.
Her stats showcase clearly why Kelly stands in a tier of her own as the fastest Spartan of all.
Kelly‘s Most Jaw-Dropping Speed Feats
While stats tell one story, Kelly‘s battle exploits highlight how her speed translates into reality. Her pace has been instrumental across dozens of campaigns – here are some standout moments:
The Battle of New Constantinople (2531)
Defending fleeing civilians from a Covenant assault, Kelly utilized her unrivaled speed to lead diversionary flanking maneuvers. She raced across the battlefield faster than elite Zealots could respond, buying essential time for evacuation. Without her pace dominating the flanks, the casualties could have been far higher.
Operation: FIRST STRIKE (2552)
Detonating a Covenant bomb to destroy the Unyielding Hierophant ship, Kelly‘s breakneck speed racing from the blast managed to save herself along with squadmates Fred, Will and Linda from certain death. Her rapid pace proved the difference yet again between life and death.
The Battle of Installation 00 (2552)
During the final desperate fight against the flooding installation, Kelly‘s speed while jetpacking allowed her to perform daring aquatic assaults against Covenant defenders. She cleared entire platforms solo before the enemies could even react to her presence.
These moments – along with dozens more exploits – prove Kelly‘s speed is unmatched on the real battlefield. Halo lore contains no records of any hostile force able to overwhelm Kelly‘s pace.
Ranking the Speed of Other Notable Spartans
Of course, while Kelly takes the top speed prize without question – many other great Spartans display outlier running pace as well. Here are speed rankings for some other icons of the franchise:
- Kelly-087 – 38.5 mph
- Jerome-092 – 34 mph
- Joshua-029 – 33 mph
- John-117 – 32 mph
- Carter-259 – 30 mph
Jerome as leader of the legendary Red Team places 2nd, while the legendary Master Chief himself clocks only 4th (!). This showcases while Chief may have the most famous exploits, in raw speed he still falls behind a select group of his peers.
Conclusion – Kelly Reigns Supreme
Whether in stats, actual feats, or lore records – Kelly stands unchallenged as the fastest Spartan by significant margins. Her natural gifts further amplified by dangerous augmentations allow Kelly to reach speeds exceeding the most elite Olympic athletes despite wearing 500 lbs of armor.
During the Human-Covenant war, Kelly‘s pace contributed more rapid flanking maneuvers, diversions, and desperate last stands than any other soldier. Her speciality in rapid trajectory shifts uniquely boosted the UNSC‘s battle capabilities time and time again thanks to her unmatched speed capabilities.
So while debates around prowess and strength may carry on – the case is settled around the fastest Spartan. Petty Officer First Class Kelly-087 dominates the speed category without question, setting records that no other Spartan can touch!
