Most difficult running event...

[Half Miler]

Re: Most difficult running event...

Having never actually completed a marathon, I can't argue with you.

Fo me, the oxygen debt brought on by too-fast opening quarters was nothing I've experienced in any other event up to 13 miles.

[26mi235]

Re: Most difficult running event...

The marathon is not that hard for the first 15+ miles and the 800 opens with a 400 that is well within a comfort zone. It is the last quarter of each event where things get dicey.

[Conor Dary]

Re: Most difficult running event...

The hardest event I was ever involved in was one of those 10 man 24 hour relays, running alternate miles, back in the 70's. Try coming out of a sound sleep at 2 in the morning and 20 seconds later running a 5:20 mile!

Also another tough event from that time was the 2 man 10 mile relay running alternate quarters. A tough workout.

[TN1965]

Re: Most difficult running event...

The marathon is not that hard for the first 15+ miles and the 800 opens with a 400 that is well within a comfort zone. It is the last quarter of each event where things get dicey.

The difference is that the last 200m of an 800m race would take me 40-45 seconds. The last 10km of a marathon would take me 50 minutes. And I even experienced oxygen debt in the last 2-3km of marathon. (I'd never imagined running at 5min/km would force me to breathe that hard.)

Another difference is the time required for recovery. After my first marathon, I could not walk normally for a few days. It took me a week before I could run at 5min/km pace.

[nbonaddio]

Re: Most difficult running event...

Actually, the hardest event I was ever involved with was a beer mile. But of course, that's not a IAAF-sanctioned event..

[26mi235]

Re: Most difficult running event...

The hardest event I was ever involved in was one of those 10 man 24 hour relays, running alternate miles, back in the 70's. Try coming out of a sound sleep at 2 in the morning and 20 seconds later running a 5:20 mile!

Also another tough event from that time was the 2 man 10 mile relay running alternate quarters. A tough workout.

I used to do 20x440 with a 220 jog -- this is just about the same. I also did that 27xmile thing; 7am was the worst time, because we did it on the shortest day of the year, so we had a much longer nighttime period.

[SQUACKEE]

Re: Most difficult running event...

I went out in 58 for the first lap of a 880 in a distance medley, finished in 2:03, that's pain! Went out in 61 in a 4:33 mile. layed down afterwards for a 1/2 hour and then threw up.

[doug091463]

Re: Most difficult running event...

the most difficult running event is the one a person is least good at, usain bolt could finish a marathon, but he is almost certain to be non competitive in that event, martin lel could run the 100 meters, but he would lose the race probably at the starting blocks, not to mention he has trained his muscles to run pretty good for 1-2 hours at a time, but not extremely fast for 9-44 seconds.

people who are overweight life time couch potatoes have finished marathons in slow times, but it would be easier to run 100 meters in an extremely slow time.

so if there is no time standard than the longer the race would be the most difficult.

if there is a time standard to meet it would depend on ones genetics, diet, lifestyle, how they have been trained etc.

[lovetorun]

Re: Most difficult running event...

I went out in 58 for the first lap of a 880 in a distance medley, finished in 2:03, that's pain! Went out in 61 in a 4:33 mile. layed down afterwards for a 1/2 hour and then threw up.

Gee, why couldn't you sustain that Bayi like pace!?

[tlb747]

Re: Most difficult running event...

As a participant, the 800 meter run is the most difficult running event.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18640&p=261403&hilit=tlb747#p2 61403

As a spectator, the 3000 meter steeplechase is the most difficult running event with the 400 meter hurdles at a distant second.

[Marlow]

Re: Most difficult running event...

the most difficult running event is the one a person is least good at

Then why did the event that I was the best at, the 440H, hurt the most, when I competed in virtually EVERY other event at some level?

[ATK]

Re: Most difficult running event...

the most difficult running event is the one a person is least good at

I would say the most difficult event is the event an athlete trains for and still feels the most pain in like Marlow stated above. I pretty sure a 400h or 3000SC runner has a much tougher time in their event than they would in a 100m dash...