What's the hardest running event?

I'll agree Wintermix. The 800 is a biotch.

After reading more posts in this thread, I will amend my statement...

I would say the 800 is the toughest race I have run (except for maybe that 50 miler...), but I can imagine that a fast steeple might be tougher than an 800, I've just never run one so I don't know for sure.

I will disagree with all you 400 people though - I've run those too, and they are simply not long enough to have intense pain. If you have intense pain after running a 400, then you weren't properly trained

trainer wrote:

8:36 and 1:48, I'm a 1500m runner.

Again the steeple sux. It is very hard!

The 800 is mild my friend.

I guess you will now want my name!

Ha.

I guess I was wrong. You could wipe the floor with me. I wont ask for your name cause why would anybody lie about their times online.

I have run quite a few steeples in my day along with a bunch of 800's. I can appreciate the toughness of the steeple. I've even whiped out in the last 1000m of a steeple because I didn't get my trail leg up and "whack", no running for the next few days while nursing a swollen knee. But, i've never hurt so much as after an 800. Like I said, burning sensation all over, no fun, makes you question why the hell you do this to yourself.

1. 400mh (never run it, but i don't think you can get away with anything)

2. 3000m sc

3. 10000m

4. 800

honourable mention: 1000m - in my opinion, it's not run often enough to make the list, but it does suck. basic idea: run an 800m, then kick

The problem with many quarter runners is that many of them are hpyrocratical. They will tell you that the 400 or the hurdles is the hardest event, but will run for the bleachers if you need another person for the 4X8. I've seen more half guys run 400's with less complaining than 400 guys wanting to do 800's. I have read about a couple of runners. I think Mark Everett was one where the coach pretty much twisted his arm to run the 800. Maybe not that extreme, but at least toyed with him with his scholarship. I also read that about someone else, but forgot his name. The quarter is a bitch, but you would think everything else is easy if you can do the hardest event. It just seems that all the quarter guys run when the half is mentioned. Hell when I trained for the half, it made me get use to the quarter. But the marathon is the worse. You know an event is shitty when it feels better to keep running than it does to stop. If any of you know about the A-town marathon, you'll know it's no walk at Piedmont park. Mile 20 is where heartbreak hill is and where the real suffering begins. It might not be the toughest 26mi 385yds in the world, but you won't see the Oly or WC trials there anytime soon.

The 800 and the 1000 are probably the hardest flat races because the body can't decide if it wants to use the aerobic system or the anaerobic system and you suffer from having to use both equally. But, because of the barriers, the 400h and the 3k steeplechase are probably equally as difficult. I'd say that the 3k stp is harder because it is more of a distance race. By this I mean that, because it is a distance race, it should have distance tactics, right? But, in fact, it is extremely difficult to surge or have a kick in this race because of the barriers throwing everything off.

Yeah, the 400 is hard, but it is over so quickly.

It's definately steeple. I got in a fight with my boyfriend about this, he's an 800 runner and I'm a steepler. I had my steeplechasing high school coach validate that 3k steeple is the hardest event on the track.

In college, after XC season, everyone would go to Mt Sac and run a 800 (end of December). The milers, St Chasers, 5k and 10k to a man would say that the 800 is the most pain they would feel that upcoming season and just wanted to get it out of the way. You would see these sub 30 10k and sub 14:30 5k guys puking after trying to break that magical 2:00 minute barrier. A great bonding moment for sure. Sidenote: I have run the 800 forever (1:48 pr), and have used every strategy there is, and the pain is really quite intense that last 150. I just try not to fall down!!!

marathon, the physical tolls it takes on your body are un believeable specially if you run it to your maximum capablity. i have never run one im in high school but i have run the 400-15000 and it just gets harder as it goes up. and mentally it is no real problem to run somthing short like the 400 sure you feel like shit that last 120 and feel like your not moving, but what distance runner cant tough out that last 16-18 seconds

Flagpole Willy wrote:

I will disagree with all you 400 people though - I've run those too, and they are simply not long enough to have intense pain. If you have intense pain after running a 400, then you weren't properly trained

Disagree. If you didn't have intense pain, you didn't run it hard enough.

I think for shear unadulterated pain... the 800 is most painful. For races like the SC, 3K, 5K and 10K, for which I have the utmost respect, you can settle into a pace, which is something that is hard to do in an 800, 1. because it is so short and 2. you must constantly be awear and ready to adjust to what everyone else is doing.

If someone throwsdown with 300m to go, then by god the whole field starts throwing down with 300 to go (Borzokovsky excluded, he goes when he wants).

Now I do believe the longer races get you more FATIGUED than an 800, but for good ol' fashion lactic pain, the 800 is the king. As close to a full sprint for as long as you can hold it... then kick to the finish!!!

Think of it this way: say you are going to double in a meet and your first race is a 400. Quite often I've run the open 4 only to come back and run the same time or faster on a relay. Sure there is a running start and all, but if I've run an 800 I won't come close to running a quick leg on the 4x4. And distance is not really a consideration because I've been real fast after running the 1500 earlier. The 800 takes the most out of you, and while I regard it as the hardest race, I will give the runner-up nod to the steeple. The thing with the steeple is; if you are conditioned and have good form you will make it over the barriers no matter how fast you went out, but with the half there is no way to prevent locking up if you (or the field) decides to start too quick. You don't pace an 800, its a pure race.

Um.. Try the steeple. The body goes through a lot of lockup.. Getting over those barriers becomes your life. It gets friggin tough.

Toughest event has to be the WesternStates 100 miles. 100miles on dirt and very rocky trails. I ran about 8 miles on the course years back, and it was awful. Took about 90 minutes to go 8 friggin' miles!!

Jason

Obviously different body types and physiological make-ups dictate what is hard for each of us. I never had an 800 that was hard and had a decent pr, however, in a steeple there is no rhythm at all, at least for me, and with 35 surges throughout, it was rough. With :47 split speed, and strength to run decent XC and hurdling from the steeple, I thought a sub :50 400 hurdles was reasonable. No one told me that you had to carry a freakin refrigerator the final 3 hurdles. Tough, tough event!

I think this is an interesting thread. I've never run the steeple (which I'm sure hurts), my honest opinion is that the 800m. is the toughest. I have to respectfully disagree with those that cite the 400m. as toughest. If you've done fast 400m. repeats for sharpening, the end of the last one is pretty close to an 800m. I'd also say that althought the last 150-200 of an 800 is the tough part, the last 50-70m. is the REALLY tough part! Respect to you distance guys though, a 10 km. XC race is one of the toughest races I've ever run (NCAA's, Iowa State 2000). 1:49/4:05

I've run the steeple before (twice), albeit with way too little form training, although I was in pretty good shape for it. I'm not knocking the steeple at all, as I said I think its the second hardest event, and a close second at that.

My case for the 800 centers around the way its raced and why it takes so much out of you. You have to be flying from the gun because there is no time to catch up. Everyone in the 800 has a big time kick so you can't wait on anybody. The steeple gives you some time to catch up from 5 secs down. 5 secs, or 2 secs, in the 800 is an eternity. The 800 is just the most intense race from start to finish, and it has some distance to it.