My first ultra was way harder than my first marathon. If you plan to run most of the ultra, you can probably expect it to be equally difficult or more difficult than a road marathon. If you walk a great portion of the ultra, you might find it easier than a road marathon.
My first ultra was way harder than my first marathon. If you plan to run most of the ultra, you can probably expect it to be equally difficult or more difficult than a road marathon. If you walk a great portion of the ultra, you might find it easier than a road marathon.
My first ultra was way easier than my typical marathon. Reason? I used to “race” the marathons. I simply did the ultra. That doesn’t mean you have to walk. It is simply a matter of staying well within your capabilities.
Having done both, I found the 50K harder because it was mostly trails and the conditions were terrible. I also spent a lot of time alone, with no one around me, and very little aid aside from what I carried myself. I don’t necessarily mind those things, but they certainly did make a difference.
FWIW, I am prouder of that 50K than any other marathon I have completed.
I found it to be the opposite. I raced a marathon and the hurt is more intense, but its shorter. The 50-miler I did was a more managed event, but the legs were beat down for a while after, and I’d say all your systems (endocrine, digestion, etc.) are knocked sideways after an ultra. And of course, like an Ironman, there are ebbs and flows in the day that you don’t necessarily get when doing a marathon, which tends to be more of a constant workload through the finish (or to mile 20).
I would say the training for a marathon was not more difficult, but involved. With the ultra, it was just about piling on miles, and doing a bit of pace pickup. Marathon involves fartleks, long runs, track, etc. I’d say the training is a wash, but racing, the ultra was harder.
The real disappointment was that at the finish of the ultra, I wanted a steak sooooo bad from a classic western steakhouse, and couldn’t eat it because my stomach was on lockdown, not taking up anything. That made it difficult, that I couldn’t enjoy the one thing I was all fired up about. So I picked at a chicken breast.
Definitely a different sort of beast. I did a 50 miler w/ 8,000 ft of climbing last Oct. If you run the entire distance, it’s quite painful and all your weaknesses will be revealed (more than just training weakness as well). As for which is more difficult, it just depends on what you consider difficult. Is being in zone 3/4 for 3 hours surrounded by thousands of people better than 10 hours of zone 2 getting the crap beat out of you all by yourself?
Marathon to 50 miler is a difficult comparison as you are looking at two different energy systems. An all out Marathon, run to one’s potential is a very difficult affair. Similarly, a 50 miler run competetitively can be a real bear, but is at much lower intensity, so becomes an issue around fueling and sub maximal endurance performance.
Worse yet is 100 miles, this becomes a real mental challenge. Marathon to 50km (assuming same course conditions) is not at all disimilar. 50km is 5 miles beyond the Marathon split, So, it should be treated as a very conservatively paced Marathon.
Depends on how fast you run, you can do a fifty miler in 11 hours and be bored out of your mind wouldn’t be too bad with all the walking, you could also go sub three in a marathon granted shorter but a hell of a lot more pain. I have done 50k, 50 milers as well as the marathon. I didn’t enjoy the fifty mile distance but that is more relative to the course. 50K love that distance fast and long but not too long. Marathons pure pain if you are pushing a hard pace the whole time. The concrete and the speed to me make it very hard on the body. 50K you get so engrossed in the beauty of nature by them time you realize you whats happening you are near down. 50 miler and beyond shit, you got time to realize everything that is wrong.
I ran the Tahoe Rim Trail 50K as my first ultra. Though it is just five miles longer than a marathon, I think many people can expect to take twice as long to finish that race as it would take them to run a standard road marathon. It sure did for me.
If you are really racing, pushing your very limits, then they are all just as hard. Really racing a 5k is hard, but different than really racing a marathon. If you are just finishing the races, then the 50 mile is hardest. Especially if it is on the trails in the mountains. Training is the same. Take how a pro will train for an olympic distance versus how the MOP Ironman participant will train. Certainly the pros training is much harder, but if you compare olympic pro to Ironman pro they are equally hard.
I would say the 1/2IM is a joke compared to the other distances. Of the 5 marathons I have run, I know a 50K could easily been finished. I would think a 50 miler or Comrades Marathon (South Africa) are a good challenge. I would also think you could look at any distance two ways, I just want to finish, or I want to race the distance. I would agree that trying to go sub 3hr(sub 3hr and a 3:01) for a marathon is hard and technical and I would look at a my first 50 miler as I just want to finish. I think if you do not respect any race of any distance, than it will be hard and challenging
I have done 6 marathons as of now. (I did five of them last year though)
I am taking on Ironman next year, that is quite an undertaking considering I had back surgery in March this year. I am very fascinated, by doing ultras, and if I am lucky enough to continue training smart and injury free I will look to doing an Ultra in 2010.
Be careful. Just like triathlon, ultramarathons are extremely addictive! This is my first year focusing just on running and I ran a marathon, three 50ks, two 50-milers, a 100k, and a 100-miler. And I’ve got another 100-miler coming up in a few weeks. VERY addictive! You won’t meet a nicer group of people than ultra runners…outstanding people. They are so down-to-earth.
50K was much easier than my first mary. I had better clothing(no chaffing) and the temperatures were much cooler. Pacing was much better in the mary as I ran consistent miles vs. running the first 10 1/3 mile loop at a quick pace and then progressively slowing down on laps 2 and 3.
50 mile was harder and could have been worse had I stumbled running in the dark with a headlamp. The first hour running in pitchblack conditions could be disastrous and make one rue the day they took on a 50–miler. Being 1 hour between aid stations was hard and not seeing anyone for that period was also tough. I again paced poorly so my last 10-15 miles seemed to take forever
Speaking only for myself, the ranking of difficulty from hardest to easiest would be 50 miler, Marathon, 50k. The marathon is more difficult than the longer 50k because you can run and will run the whole time, plus I think muscles fatigue is greater due to exhaustion of the same muscles repeatedly. Finishing a 50 miler, 100k, or (and I haven’t done one yet) a 100 miler is a head game. The head games are always the toughest for me.
Funny, I did IMLou 2 weeks ago and am now thinking, “Hmmm, what next? 50K sounds interesting…”
I am very interested in all the thoughts and replies on this topic so keep them coming!
A few questions:
-Are most 50K/50 milers trail runs? I’m sure the hills and terrain make it challenging (but more interesting)- how much harder than a flat/paved course?
-Would ideal training take place mostly on trails? What is the percentage of time you spent training on trails?
-Long runs- what sort of long runs have worked best for 50K distance? Would a few 20 milers and maybe a marathon-distance run or race be adequate?
-Pacing- how much do you slow the pace compared to normal marathon race pace? What is the pacing strategy?
-Nutrition- are many of the races self supported? Do you carry most of your hydration/nutrition along?
yes, most are on surfaces other than roads, but the difficulty of the “trails” varies greatly - some are through crazy woods, some are on dirt paths, some are on fireroads, some have long portions on roads, many are a combination of all of the above. I found that once I did some trail training and got used to different surfaces and varying hills, I liked running off-road more. It can be more challenging, but it’s also more interesting.
During training for the JFK50 (mile) in 2007, I did nearly all of my long runs (most Saturdays) on trails. My other runs during the week were mostly on roads. I would have run on trails a little more often (probably 2-3x per week), but there aren’t trails close enough to home to make week-day runs on trails practical. I did all my tempo runs and speed work on roads.
I think that sounds about right. Depending on your goals, I don’t think you need to do any 50K or over-distance training runs.
I trained hard to slow myself down a lot for the 50 miler. At least 2 minutes/per mile slower than my marathon pace.
I carried some gels and a handheld water bottle. I re-fill the water bottle and grab a gel or two at aid stations. Most ultras are well supported, but the aid stations are spaced out further than in a marathon - probably every 3-6 miles, or further in longer or more deep trails. And since your pace will be slower, 6 miles between aid stations can be a long time.
I think my experience is similar to most on here. 50k is honestly trivially different than a marathon, and possibly easier on the body depending on the course. That’s not to say it won’t also hurt like hell just like a marathon, but it’s not a dramatic difference. In training for the Croom Fool’s Run 50 miler this spring I ran several 28-35 milers on irregular sugarsand trails…typically it took 1-2 days to recover from them. Even “just finishing” a 50 miler is a serious challenge, and I say this after racing 6 IMs, 12 or so HIMs, etc. After coming in just sub-10 at Croom my reaction was that it was absolutely the toughest race I’ve ever done. Period. Don’t let that discourage you from it though, I came back the next year and will be back again this year!
