We sort of debated this a few months ago, but not this specific question.
I have two of my friends who do half Ironmans and one has done an Ironman, they say, that a marathon was harder on them, and harder for them to do, than a Half Ironman.
My uncle from Indianapolis who does quite a few tri’s. He’s done Canada and Vineman, and a bunch of Halfs. He thinks Half Ironman are harder than marathons because you are out there longer. However, when he asks his training friends this same question, the majority of them say that a marathon is harder for them.
If you ask those who say a marathon is harder, and point out they are out in the HiM longer, they can’t answer why the marathon feels harder.
Depends on if your goal is to finish or to race as fast as you can. The latter has always been my goal and in my opinion the marathon is much harder. Running fast for 26.2 miles just plain hurts. The training is much harder as well.
I can do a HIM in around 5:00 and a full marathon in around 3:00. Of the HIM time, approx 1:30 is spent running. The swim, although almost always exhausting (it take me approx 45 minutes), is low/no impact and the bike is also low impact. The run is a constant pounding.
Also, I find it’s easier to keep hydrated during an HIM than during a marathon. If I don’t hydrate properly, my leg muscles will start complaining and only add to the stress of the marathon.
Marathon is definitely harder than a half. For most people, more than 50% of their time in a half ironman will be sitting on a bike. No matter how hard you ride, it still doesn’t smash your legs the way running does. When you run the half marathon in a triathlon sure it hurts and lasts for between 80/150 mins in most cases - but it is still not that long.
Essentially I think running a marathon is way more than twice as hard as doing a half marathon. A marathon is such a long day on your legs.
It's not even an arguable point. The marathon beats most people more than a full IM never mind a Half. Most IM'ers walk a good part of their marathon. Marathon runners run 26 miles, not too many Im'ers do.
Yeah, you spend more time out there, but these days you can even stop for a massage in your IM. I don’t think that is possible in a marathon. It’s not about how much time you spend out there, it’s how much running.
It’s all about running. Swimming is important and great for your body. Bicycles are fun and you can really put in the hours. But running is what it comes down to. Running is the toughest thing we do. Most triathlons regardless of length will go to the best runner.
Just one more thing. For most of us, the marathon is still a race. I don’t think IM is.
Agreed. I finished my half with a smile on my face and even had a negative-split run (1:50 half compared with my 3:55 marathon time). I was able to walk like a normal person that evening and all. I enjoy half ironmans…so far (havent tried a full yet), they are by far my favorite competitive race. There’s a great sense of accomplishment, but it doesn’t take as much out of your a#$ for the next week as a marathon does!
Marathon much harder than a half Ironman. Just like a 50 mile run is harder than an Ironman. Even if the total race time is less there is just a lot more pounding on the body.
a marathon is definitely harder than a half IM. i’ve done several half and i feel absolutely fine the next day. no soreness… nothing.
i’ve done one marathon and i was hurting for a week.
IN FACT… (now, this may be a stretch) I’d say that the marathon that I ran was harder than the IM that i did! after IMF i hurt for maybe a day or two and i was back running after 4 days. the marathon i needed 6 days of recovery.
It looks like I’m the only one but I had a much harder day doing my first half ironman than I did running my first marathon. It was nearly 100 degrees for my first half but I think it would have been worse regardless. If the bike is your weakest discipline and the run your strongest I don’t think the half is any easier. Wasn’t for me at least.
I had no choice but to walk some during the half and was able to run the whole marathon. I thought I was in way better shape coming into the half as well. I was so fried after the bike every step of the half marathon was miserable. The marathon only really hurt for about 6-7miles.
I don’t really know if “harder” is the right adjective. I would say a marathon is (a lot) more painful than a 1/2 IM but a 1/2 IM takes a lot more training time (and WAY more resources).
I would say that the marathon will take a little longer to recover from than a half im. As for “harder”, it is all relative. If you actually race a half IM going full on for the entire distance then it is pretty hard … same with a marathon. If you “race” a half and can get up the next day without any soreness then you didn’t race the half … you completed the half. I did the half in Peterborough last summer as part of my training for Kona. I got up the next morning after camping at the race venue and did a 94k ride home. I felt a little sluggish and was pretty slow on the bike but still able to go out and ride for 3 hours which told me that my half was done within my training zone and that I finished with something left in the tank. I’ve done half IM races in the past where I was useless for a few days after. I could go out this evening and run a 3:10 - 3:15 marathon and get up tomorrow morning and do speedwork on the track so a marathon at that pace wouldn’t hurt too much. Now if I went out and ran it in 2:35 then I’d be hobbling around for a little while
A marathon is a bit harder on the body (especially if you don’t “race” the 1/2 IM). But, training for a marathon is relatively easy vs. training for a 1/2 IM.
I feel like my overall recovery times are about the same for each (in the end), although the initial and maybe first 3 days, the marathon seems much harder to get over.
For me…a GOOD marathon (for me) is harder than a GOOD 1/2 performance.
But, in general…a 1/2 is harder. I think since this a “tri forum” we all forget about the minimum reqirements we’ve gone through to become triathletes (actually swim, bike efficiently, and run in pain). However, in general…triathletes are better bikers than runners. Perhaps that might we’re not runners… ;o)
So…if you were to take (2) “Average Joes”, the marathoner would perform better overall than the triathlete simply due to the learning curve.
But, for me, a good marathon is tough and so many things can go wrong. I’ll always bounce back in a tri, but there’s no room for error in a marathon.
Yep I think racing the marathon is harder and beats the hell outta the legs much more than the Half IM. And running 13.1 for the Half IM even fast isn’t as hard on the legs as racing the 26.2 miles.
No doubt a stand alone Marathon is the toughest for me.
It doesn’t matter whether I’ve run it as hard as I could,or, paced it conservative…it just beats up my knees and legs period.
When you do a 1/2IM…the swim and the bike get you nice and limber before the run…so you get thru it w/ less pain.
I promised myself I will do only 1 marathon a season from now on just to save my 41 yr old legs for future IM’s.
Don’t get me wrong…the accomplishment is still fulfilling…BUT…nothing close to how one feels when Mike tells you""
YOU"RE AN IRONMAN!!!..those words are golden!
