What is more difficult - sub 5 mile or 35:xx 10K?

That's a close one, it really comes down to the strengths of the runner. If they are more endurance they'll likely go 35:xx first, if they are more speed they will get the sub 5 first. In my case, I got sub 35 before going sub 5

A sub 5 mile is easier for male runners under 30 years old.

If you are over 30 and don't have a track background then it's probably a push.

5 minute mile is easier, more people might be able to get 35 with training.

For males under age 15 with sub-57.5 440 speed, not much training will be required to race sub-5 one mile.

I am sure middle school teenage Alberto Salazar and middle school teenage Bill Rodgers had to train harder to race sub-35 10K than middle school teenage Steve Ovett and middle school teenage Steve Cram had to train to race sub-5 one mile.

This is a good take. The 35xx can be done by old folks with good steady aerobic development, even after the speed is gone

I came from soccer and ran about 4:52 in the mile (4:29 in the 1500m) when I was 52.

My best distance was 800m where I ran 2:07.5 the same year. I still ran sub 5 in the mile when i was 55.

I never came close to 35 in the 10K.

Sub 5 is way easier and it's not even close lol

Sub 5 mile I’d say. As others have alluded to, young athletic people can run good mile times with minimal endurance training. In HS, I played hockey in the winter and could run ~4:50 ant the beginning of outdoor track season having not run at all for 4 months. I didn’t run under 36 in the 10k until college when I was running full-time.

Sub 5 is easier*

They're roughly worth the same. Sub-5 easier for undertrained athletes. Would expect a 35:xx 10k runner to be able to run 5-flat.

Mile is easier, it’s not close.

I’ve coached over 50 sub-5:00 milers, men and women. It lines up pretty closely with an 18:00 5k, which is equivalent to a 37:00 10k

if you're a teenager/ very young adult, probably sub-5 because as the distance goes on, you just slowly collapse if you are under-developed.

I am atypical ...Male, 30M, 32:40 10km road and best mile is 4:50...strength above speed. No running in highschool and college. Dream is to break 32-min = )

perfect post. though honestly the majority of high school kids running an 18:00 5k aren't running 37:00. some maybe not even 40!

If you ran a mile in 4:52 @ age 52 off a soccer background you were wasting your time in soccer unless you were playing in the Premier League.

(Alternatively, if you did the 4:52 while on TRT you're just a w@nker.)

Even when I’ve been in really good aerobic shape I’d rather run 3 sub 5:00 mile repeats than a 35:xx 10k tempo. I’m pretty speed oriented though, anything where my finish time will be in the double digits isn’t super fun for me.

I think if you grabbed most highschoolers who are running 4:50-5:00 most wouldn’t break 36 in a 10k, many probably wouldn’t even break 18:00 in a 5k with the average being around 17:30-17:45.