Worst of the worst: ultra, color run, race walking, half marathon, or 26.2 relay?

1. Nothing is worse than race walking.

2. Color runs.

3. Ultra.

4. 26.2 relay.

5. Half marathon.

I've done two of these (relay and half m.), ultra is on my to do list, and I'd actually consider doing a color run- why not, I'm a hobby jogger anyway. The only one I'd never do is race walking.

Marathon is great precisely because the glycogen stores will last for about 3/4 of the distance. That's exactly the same as with the 100m sprint where the ATP-PC system can only carry you for about 7 seconds.

Idiots can't even spot brilliancy when it's right in front of them.

Two important things to consider:1. Can someone let us know what mandy gilbert thinks?

not flagpole wrote:

1. Nothing is worse than race walking.

2. Color runs.

3. Ultra.

4. 26.2 relay.

5. Half marathon.

I've done two of these (relay and half m.), ultra is on my to do list, and I'd actually consider doing a color run- why not, I'm a hobby jogger anyway. The only one I'd never do is race walking.

2. not flagpole is spot on

I don't like ultras and I'm not impressed by someone running a slow marathon. But I'd NEVER EVER do race walking

There's nothing wrong with a race of any distance - no matter how arbitrary. A 5K is equally as arbitrary as a marathon, a half marathon, the 6.5 miles of a marathon relay leg, etc.

I don't understand how racewalking got to be so prominent. I also don't know what kind of person would be interested in it. However, as long as you play by the rules, knock yourself out.

My real issue is with color runs. Literally the worst. Don't even call it a run. They're typically untimed, so what's the point of running? You'd probably have more fun just throwing paint at one another in a holi-style fashion.

Rockgip wrote:

A 5K is equally as arbitrary as a marathon, a half marathon, the 6.5 miles of a marathon relay leg, etc.

You don't know what arbitrary means.

The correct answer is racewalking. It literally would take a world-class racewalker to beat the field in your average color run.

ShannonHays wrote:

I know they each have their disdain and weaknesses but which is rock bottom? Each does attract a large number of weak minded and ample bodies.

Ok, race walking doesn't deserve to be in this list as it isn't running. It would be the same as if we put "auto theft" in this list.

Of the "running" ones, the color run is by far the worst. I really can't believe it is a thing. If, before they started doing them, you told me that there would be a race where people would throw geckos at you while you ran, I would have said there would be as much a chance of that as this stupid color run thing.

Even outside of running, a color run is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard of.

So any race not in the Olympics isn't a real race? So 4x8, 4xmiles, DMR, SMR, and any cross country distance aren't real races?

Your logic is flawed

The half marathon, 26.2 relay, and Color Run come from mass consumerism. The Ultra is the elephant graveyard for marathoners. I think we can all agree that ultra types are pathetic runners and lack social skills.

Bad Wigins wrote:

It is because of marathoning and road racing that nobody watches track, and since nobody watches track, there's no room for anyone but top elites. For track to live again, the marathon must DIE.

Oh, please . . . "nobody watches track" because track is so dreadful to watch.

If there were nothing else to watch, nobody would watch track. I don't understand why you people can't understand that. You're living in an almost microscopic world of your own.

Has to be the Color Run.

Personally, I'd love to see a half marathon in the Olympics...I'd love to see a lot more distance for that matter - bring back cross country (team and individual), have an ultra perhaps.

I love the half because it affords a challenge similar to a marathon, yet is far less punishing to the body. Not to mention, it is a wonderful alternative for runners such as myself who just don't have the time to train for a competitive marathon.

I will say up front I've finished about 20 ultras, so I am biased (I am coming around to the speed side of things, however!)

Color Run - Unquestionably the worst

26.2 relays - Awful, especially the ones where there are like 5-6 people on each team running 4 miles apiece, and each person on the team is paying $50 to do it

Half marathon - It seems like there are more aggressive fuel belts at half marathons than at ultras, why? Nothing really against them, but more questions than answers.

Ultras - I am biased, but I am totally fine with them. Yes, they attract weirdos. Yes, the participants are usually slow when compared to elite marathoners. But, some of these folks can do pretty amazing things that push the mind and the body to its limits. They can also do things that we can't (similar to elite marathoners). I have to admit I do like the struggle of running 50-100 miles, it has taught me a lot about myself (especially the part about me being a slow runner). Anyway, I'm getting away from it. I might be weird but I'm not that weird.

Race walking - This is an Olympic sport, right? Unless you are talking about people who register for a 10 miler then walk the entire thing. If so, then it's second worst.

Color Run will always be the worst.

Excellent points, brianruns10. The half marathon is about as ideal as a distance race can be.

My vote for worst would be color runs. At least the race walkers are timed.

Camazotz wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

It is because of marathoning and road racing that nobody watches track, and since nobody watches track, there's no room for anyone but top elites. For track to live again, the marathon must DIE.

Oh, please . . . "nobody watches track" because track is so dreadful to watch

In the 19th century, tens of thousands of people crowded in standing room only to see match races involving Walter George.

The olympics began the ruin of track by robbing it of money and turning it into a quadrennial event. But road racing completed its ruin by robbing it of fans, turning running into an exercise party rather than an athletic contest. Color runs are the culmination of this attitude and road racers have nobody to blame but themselves for their existence.

But the real irony is that all the Jim-Fixx hype about marathoning being healthy is increasingly being proven false.

Sooo…Mike Morton is a nobody?

10. The 1500

Seriously?!! 3 and 3/4 laps? Here's a novel concept - MAKE IT AN EVEN 4 LAPS!!!!

9. The high school 300 meter hurdles

As if a typical high school kid couldn't run that extra 100 meters to make it a true one lap race.

8. The Steeplechase

If we wanted to run a cross country race ......... well, you know the rest.

7. The 10,000 meters on the track

If we wanted to run a road race ........ ditto

6. The 15k road race

Logically, the next longest distance after a 10k should be a 20k, right?

5. Any out-and-back road race

Because everyone loves to have to slow down and turn tight around some cones in the road. At least make the turn wider so we don't have to break stride ... amirite or amirite?

4. The 26.2 relay

A dumb "tweener" idea - Relays should be some significant point-to-point road course, aka Hood to Coast et al ..... or they need to be equally or accumulatively divided, aka 4 x 400 or 400/800/1200/1600. The only split distance that makes sense for a marathon relay is a two-man relay @ 2 x 13.1, but it's still dumb.

3. Road races where they hand out timing chips to walkers who start half an hour earlier - yeah, that's not going to screw up the results when the early start walkers cross the finish line ... (belated sarcasm alert!)

2. Racewalking

How about a race on all fours? How about a skipping race? a moonwaking race?

..... and the Number One Worst of the Worst type of race or running event is ......

... envelope please ....

1. The color run

Race walking is the worst.

Color run is a close second.

Ultras are not my cup of tea but I'm glad they exist because it keeps a lot of the real weirdo runners away from normal distance races.

26.2 relays are not bad in and of themselves but often race organizers screw up the logistics because the whole thing is something they tack onto a marathon in order to make more money. But if you get two or three good, competitive teams duking it out, it can be thrilling to be a part of.

Half marathon is fine though I would be happier it they were all replaced by 20Ks. Wouldn't hurt to see a few 25K and 30K races as well.

Racewalking is entirely about cheating. People get DQed when officials finally decide "okay, you're not even pretending"