Which one is more painful for you after the race?
Count me as a vote for the marathon
By far my most painful recovery was after my first open marathon. And that was after 3 IM marathons in the proceeding three years (one per year).
Pain-Marathon- definitely. Long term fatigue-ironman
Not even close the marathon. More tired from Ironman the day or two after but soreness marathon
Pain-Marathon- definitely. Long term fatigue-ironman
+1
Marathon - tightness in my legs was unbearable. After sitting at work for a while I would stand up and hardly be able to move, would just start to stretch a bit by the time I made it to the coffee machine. IM was more general fatigue but marathon takes the cake for flat out pain and muscle soreness.
The only marathons I’ve ever done have been in Ironmans. I can’t imagine the pain being worse in an open marathon. After my first Ironman, my HAIR hurt.
Open Marathon hurt a bit more for sure.
Marathons are harder on your body
In a marathon, you are fresh at the run start, so you are harder on your body
In an IM, you are fatigued at the run start, so you are unable to be so hard on your body
Swimming & cycling cause fatigue, but don’t damage the body as running does due to impact
IM is more challenging, though, due to complexity of prep, and management of pace & nutrition over greater duration.