I played basically every sport through jr high and high school (never did cross country which is pretty relevant here) and I never ran 3 miles. But I was in good enough shape to start for different teams and letter and all that. Could I have done it? Maybe but I am not so sure. I can tell you I hated any running beyond a sprint. And for most sports outside of cross country/long distance track events the ability to run continuously without stopping isn't much use.

It's great for keeping off weight as we get older and gives us a chance to be active. But I think there's a reason that most marathoners and endurance participants are 30 and above. Chasing a ball around was much more fun than pounding the pavement.