XC skiers look worse than distance runners at the finish line. Is their sport harder?

The practice of flopping over is generally frowned upon by the race management community. I tend not to do this but the level of cardiovascular and muscular exhaustion at the end of an XC ski race tends to be more than when running a race. Just bent over and hanging on knees or ski polls for a couple minutes until you get your breath back, let alone ability to speak or feel.

yes, it's a full body workout and the ultimate endurance sport. Uses virtually every major muscle in your body.

I was a DI skier and runner. For equivalent distances running is harder because you don't get rest periods (gliding and downhills) like you do in skiing. Sprinting on skis is ridiculously hard and there is no running effort equivalent. Also ski races are typically longer than cross country running races and the hills significantly steeper.

did both wrote:

I was a DI skier and runner. For equivalent distances running is harder because you don't get rest periods (gliding and downhills) like you do in skiing. Sprinting on skis is ridiculously hard and there is no running effort equivalent. Also ski races are typically longer than cross country running races and the hills significantly steeper.

First off, everyone is different, YMMV etc, so respect your opinion on this as it is your experience. But as a competitive runner (sub 9:00 2 mile, 14:12 5K) back in the day, and now currently Wave 1 birkie level (close to elite wave) at 58, its been my experience ski racing is an order of magnitude harder at least. Really depends on the course; there are some trails where you get decent glide/rest but others where the downhills are steep and icy enough that you are really not resting at all and merely staying upright while cornering can be a huge effort. Throw in the hugely technical aspect of skiing, complete full body work, it's a tough game. Pure pain sport for sure.

did both wrote:

I was a DI skier and runner. For equivalent distances running is harder because you don't get rest periods (gliding and downhills) like you do in skiing. Sprinting on skis is ridiculously hard and there is no running effort equivalent. Also ski races are typically longer than cross country running races and the hills significantly steeper.

X-C skiing (the skate technique) is way harder on the quads/thighs.

You get a full body fatigue that you don´t get from running.

Yes, skiing i harder. On top of it being more taxing on the body it is also much harder to maintain good form when you get tired.

Yes...

Blasting yourself and giving everything hurts in every endurance sport. I’ve been a competitive Nordic skier, rower and runner. The felling after a 2k rowing race is the worst followed be skiing.

Cross Country skiing is much harder than just running.

Listen to all the crying on LRC about a hill or 2 in a marathon.

Now imaging that you would slide back down the hill if you eased up a little.

Proper Nordic skiing form requires a greater degree of balance than proper running form. As most people well know, balance is one of the first things to go when you are tired. So it's the same full-body breakdown you see in running, but it shows up more in Nordic skiing.

ROWING IS (SCIENTIFICALLY) HARDER THAN BOTH THESE SPORTS CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION.

BIGLYKNEES wrote:

ROWING IS (SCIENTIFICALLY) HARDER THAN BOTH THESE SPORTS CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION.

Nothing strikes fear in me like a 2k year on the erg.

What's the measured VO2 max for rowers, xc skiers, Tour bike riders and runners? Not being snarky. Just curious

Yeppppers wrote:

BIGLYKNEES wrote:

ROWING IS (SCIENTIFICALLY) HARDER THAN BOTH THESE SPORTS CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION.

Nothing strikes fear in me like a 2k year on the erg.

Absolutely agree.

Off the top of my head, I may have read that rowing is more severe with regards to lactate production than other sports.

The Olympic skiathlon 30k race was brutal -- did you watch it? They had the trifecta of pain in that race: hilly course with very steep hills to get over multiple times; extremely cold and windy conditions; and a "slow" course due to thick, sandy snow. I can't imagine racing 30k on that. These are the best people in the world who grew up in this sport and they were dropping after crossing the finish line. Running is easy compared to this.

its like cycling, because you dont have to balance yourself in the same way you can f+ck yourself harder for longer

After pulling a 2k on an indoor erg race, I realized rowing is harder than running. XC skiing I would also imagine is harder than running.

I ran cross country and did crew in high school. The pain you get from crew was much worse than cross country. I almost blacked out from pushing hard in a race, that never would happen in cross country.