Middle distance runners
Middle distance runners
Distance runners. Not even close.
Your poll results will probably be biased though as this is primarily a distance oriented website.
Triathletes.
Try training 25 hour weeks.
I am not biased.
I was a 400/800 runner and over the course of high school and college had trained or approached my event from both a distance and sprint perspective equally (ran cross country twice in high school, twice in college, trained primarily with sprinters in the fall/winter in other years).
I found the sprints and training for the sprints more challenging, but also more fun which probably offset the challenge from a mental perspective. From a training Perspective, I found stretches of cumulative CNS fatigue id get from trying to keep up with the 100/200 guys in fall training was way more challenging over the course of a season than say upping my mileage for cross country. Way more challenging from a cumulative physical standpoint trying to improve my deadlift, improve on starts, perfect technique etc over the course of months etc etc vs 8k/10k training (for me at least). I found days i did jump i for runs with the distance team as nice breaks from the sprint training. On top of cns fatigue, even though sprint training has WAY more resting time, total training time was usually more, which is much more of a grind day in and out mentally. Mentally id find an hour distance run with teammates someplace scenic plus drills and SOME gym work go by quickly compared to 90-120 minutes at a track for sprint training (long warm-ups, long workouts almost daily, even if the total reps i can count on one hand plus an hour at the gym more challenging to go back and do the next day). Starting practice at the same time as distance runners, most often id just be getting ready to head to weights when they are finishing their showers and headed home. So I found the sprint training definitely more challenging overall, but was part of the reason I enjoyed it, plus the complexity (probably why I got married too!)
As an 800m runner, I naturally found the 800m "easy" cause its what I was good at, the 5k and 10k awful physically, but its only 5-10 min of real pain. I ran a half once and still have nightmares of it. I ran a steeple once as well, and that was by far the worst physically, not even close. Though those events hurt more and longer than a sprint, but come on, its pain from running, it's not pain you get in football, combat sports, etc. I also found them way way easier mentally. 800s and above are wildly easier to get the right pace to start a race than say the 400m. Id have no anxiety at the start of anything a 15 and above because I knew it was so easy to make sure I wouldnt blow it by running too fast or too slow from the start. Tactically i might be outdueled, but from a mental standpoint id always have a more fight response than flight response freeling. Never Scared, never worried, almost always just pumped to take the race on, even with knowing it would be painful at some point. Pain was nothing ever to be scared of, its not bad and only temporary. Blown pacing or bad start in a sprint, i WOULD be scared of.. There is SOME margin for pacing error in the 800, lots in the 15 and above, but NONE in the 400. Start bad, run slightly too fast, slightly too slow in the first 150, and the whole race/weekend was wasted. Your brain and nervous system has to be perfectly tuned in for a sprint. Not so relatively for a distance race. As i was under-trained from a technical form perspective, it was also a huge mental challenge for me to just run with the best form through the early stages of a 200/400 race, which should have probably come more instinctual had i been more trained. The 200m and 400m you defitely feel physical pain, but pain id take in a heartbeat compared to steeple/10k, but the sprints were way more challening mentally for me before the race and during compared to distances where I knew it would hurt, but never really nervous that I'd screw it up, id be on the start line pretty much anxiety free just knowing id either have it or not that day.
So in summary, sprinting training more physically and mentally gruelling over the course of a season. I enjoyed the challenge though (not all sprinters do)
Disrance racing had way more physical pain, but mentally, race weekend felt like a weekend relaxing vacation compared to the mental stress I had leading up and prepping for a sprint race.