We can pretty much all agree that the 800m and the marathon/ultra marathon are the hardest races. But, assuming you actually try, what's the easiest race? Even for elites who push themselves hard, I think the 100m is the easiest. It's over so fast, as you're not even going long enough to feel the pain.
What do you think is the easiest?
tough mudder
I'd actually agree with your assessment of the easiest, so maybe the thread title should be reversed. I'd say the steeplechase is the hardest. Yes, harder than the 800 and marathon.
I don't think everyone agrees that the 800m is the hardest race.
marathon
800 is the easiest non-sprint. It can be mentally tricky to know how to run it right - but if you are practiced it is very easy.
It is one of the few races where you shouldn't be in real discomfort halfway through, and one of the few ones where 'giving up' can actually sort of helpful.
If you throw in the towel in the 5k or 10k you can lose a minute+, in the 800 you often make it all up and more the last 150m and all your teammates call you a brave genius.
0-200, oh man this is a bit fast...scared
200-400, ok get in the pack, just run...
400-600, getting tired, not long now though...
600-800, relax...try to run smooth
I'm sure that worked well while you ran your 2:08's
The Champ wrote:
800 is the easiest non-sprint. It can be mentally tricky to know how to run it right - but if you are practiced it is very easy.
It is one of the few races where you shouldn't be in real discomfort halfway through, and one of the few ones where 'giving up' can actually sort of helpful.
If you throw in the towel in the 5k or 10k you can lose a minute+, in the 800 you often make it all up and more the last 150m and all your teammates call you a brave genius.
0-200, oh man this is a bit fast...scared
200-400, ok get in the pack, just run...
400-600, getting tired, not long now though...
600-800, relax...try to run smooth
Being white is the easiest race.
News flash: It isn't 1960
* wrote:
Being white is the easiest race.
Here's an example:
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/white-like-me/n9308/
Here's another example:
Honestly when trained for it the mile wasn't so bad. The first lap feels very easy, then when you get to the homestretch 300m in you start moving up. Unlike the 800, you can afford a second or two early on.
Since most other runners are idiots, they are ripe for the picking laps 2-3. It starts to really hurt but if you're passing people you feel better. Then you put in a good hard kick with 300 to go.
If you're a 5k runner coming down I can see why it feels like hell, and most "distance" runners over-compensate by starting out too fast to make matters worse. But if you have the wheels and run smart it's a good race.
Um, the hardest race ever is the World Cross Country Championships.
The 800 is the hardest race from a tactical standpoint, but it's less painful than any other distance race IMO. I second the person who said that the steeple is the hardest, that's the one race where I worry about not being able to finish. I've never raced anything longer than 5k, so I can't compare it to the marathon, but steeple pain is like nothing I've ever experienced. The 200 is the shortest race that I've run, and it was definitely the least painful. However, I think that the 400 is the most fun to race. The pain is minimal compared to any longer distance, and I've always enjoyed picking off power sprinters who die on the home stretch.
chafer1 wrote:
We can pretty much all agree that the 800m and the marathon/ultra marathon are the hardest races. But, assuming you actually try, what's the easiest race? Even for elites who push themselves hard, I think the 100m is the easiest. It's over so fast, as you're not even going long enough to feel the pain.
What do you think is the easiest?
.
It seems reasonable to argue that the 100m or 50m are the "easiest" races! The least time that the runner has to struggle the easier the race is. I tend to think the 800m is very diffcult but conditioning and situation matter in any race. I've hurt in the 800 and 5k but it seemed more about the particular day and how I felt? They all can hurt... a lot past 100m. But the shorter the race the less the potential pain experience.
It really depends where your training comes from.
800m when you run out of steam in the last 200m there is nothing you can do to make yourself run faster. Your body just physically ties up.
In the mile you can force yourself to run harder by just having more grit and toughness.
In college I was a way better 800m runner, but I threw up after almost every single 1500's/miles race I ran.
alsdkfjasdadvcasd wrote:
It really depends where your training comes from.
800m when you run out of steam in the last 200m there is nothing you can do to make yourself run faster. Your body just physically ties up.
In the mile you can force yourself to run harder by just having more grit and toughness.
In college I was a way better 800m runner, but I threw up after almost every single 1500's/miles race I ran.
You can force yourself to run faster only to a certain extent. If a 4:30 guy goes out in 2:00 there is no amount of grit and toughness in the world that will let him keep that pace.
The hardest race is the hurdles when you don't know what you're doing.
a marathon isn't difficult unless you are really racing it. you can just scale it down 10 sec/mi slower than you could probably do, and then it's not hard until 20 miles in and the last 10k isn't even too bad. you have a lot of adrenaline for the last couple miles, so for me the last 15 minutes aren't the issue.
but i've never run a marathon to my potential, i have just been conservative with a goal of a few minutes slower than it should be.
1 mile charity walk and fun run.