About to enter my first half ironman in November and will attempt my first marathon in aprilish next year. Was wondering what people thought was harder a marathon or a half ironman?

I have done a lot of half ironmans, and I think they are very comparable, but I think marathons may be tougher, a little physically, and a lot, mentally, in a half you get to change activity! I have only done two "true" marathons, 3:52 and 4:01. (this isn't including ultra's and Ironmans) My half times varied between 5:15 hours and 5:45 hours, over 8 half ironmans. If it is a hot day it can be tougher in a half, because you are out there longer into the middle of the day.

It's so variable that it's hard to say. I think intensity-wise one of the toughest events is the Olympic Distance Duathlon, (10 run /40 ride /5 run) but a marathon is definitely more intense than a half ironman for me. But then again it's been a few years since my last Half, and the pain fades

Training for a marathon is harder cos you hafta run lots. Tris let your legs recover from long runs with riding and swimming.

Whilst I have only done one half ironman, I think Half Ironman's are both harder to train for and harder on the day.

The last 10k's of the HIM run was harder than the last 10k's of any marathon I have ever done.

The training for a HIM is also harder in my opinion. To do at least 3 sessions for each leg, week in week out, is unrelenting - you just have to keep moving. If you have a rest day, it's nearly two sessions every day. I averaged 9-10 hours a week for the HIM, but have never done more than 6-7 hours training for a marathon.

This was the reason that I decided not to do a HIM this year - didn't have the inclination to make the time commitment.

My two bobs' worth ...

I find marathons harder both mentally and physically because I really love being on my bike.

I think they take the same out of you, physically, and my recovery time is similar for both, but the lift I get from the cycle leg always gets me through the toughest tri.

The only times I have ever contemplating dropping out of a triathlon was during the run legs.

Having said that - I love to do both!

M

Heres my 2cents worth

i have always found that marathons are harder on the body than 1/2 ironmans
and that my recovery is better (quicker) after a half ironironman. Oh and i can usually walk the next day without looking like a demented duck .
I will disclose now that i havent done a half ironman for a few years so i might have rose coloured glasses
I also never had the urge to walk in the final stagesof half ironman which i have had in marthons and occasionally given into.
Some of this i think is due to the fact that in a half ironman you get to break the even into 3 parts where as a marathong its just 42.2km running
Another factor in the recovery is that when i have done half ironmans i am only running for around 1h30 which is what does the damage whereas in a marathon im rnning and pounding the pavement for at least 3

i have one exeption to this however and that is the canberra half ironman i recon that is harder than running 50km

As Hamburglar said the training is harder for HIM due to more sports to fit in.

The races themselves I find the Marathon a lot harder on me.

I train the day after a half Ironman and will plenty of times not even taper going into one and use it as a hard training day.

A marathon is a big day and I never do these as a training day so they get my best effort and hence more recovery and lead in time is needed to complete them successfully.

Train safe

Definitely the marathon is tougher to me

I find that i can hardly walk after a marathon & yet after a HIM feel ok to ride/swim the following morning to help with recovery.

Hope my coach doesn't read this cause he might think i'm being slack during a HIM

AK

I'm woth treason, B+ and Auntie K.

A hard marathon seems to knock my body around a bit more than a half Ironman.

However, a thorough preparation for the half Ironman is a lot more time consuming. That's why I'm a runner. At least I am for 9 or 10 months of the year, then I train like a pseudo triathlete.

Since I tend to swim and ride each week anyway, I find it's pretty easy to prepare for a half ironman and my body actually handles it reasonably well. A marathon prep tends to take me 12 weeks, and I always seem to balance injury versus miles about the last 6 weeks.

Race wise, the HIM is easier on my body since the swim and ride don't cause the my usual complaint with marathons - DOMS.

I think the variety of responses above shows that there is no right answer to this question. It depends on how you approach the training and the race and what your athletic strengths and weaknesses are.

I have only done 1 marathon but for me it was 'easier' than the couple of half-ironman I have done. I walk funny the day after both.

I’m sorry but I think it's a stupid question.

In the early 90s I remember doing 3 long course tris (sri chinmoy, penrith & frankston), 1 sprint distance (I think its was sandringham) & 1 olympic distance (moomba) tri in 5 weeks. (Aunty K I think you will find your coach did 2 of those races)

The energy usage is probably about the same BUT... as you normally run HARD for 42.2 k the pounding your body takes isnt something you can recover from in a small amount of time.


Yes, if you did them both at an easy pace they would be about the same (as then the shock on the body would be negliable)


Preparation is another story. You can get a lot fitter training for a HIM (but you will need to spend more time training) as are able to share the load/stress between disciplines

I think the answer depends on what you mean by hard.

Both events are very different from each other. I have completed 4 straight marathons, 16 half ironmans, 5 full ironmans.

My take is training for half ironman is more time consuming than the marathon, but the load can be spread out over the different sports so you can feel generally fresher. ie. It is easier to handle more hours of training.

Training for the marathon really requires some decent long runs that can leave you wrecked for half a week. I believe for most people there a greater risk of chronic style injuries from marathon training compared to triathlon due to a focus on a single mode of training. You must incorporate other strength and conditioning to protect against this.

As far as competining goes, each race type is different, but then again so is each race anyway. All present their unique and personal challenges. The difference I have found is the slow down in the marathon be so much more dramatic than experienced in the latter stanges of the half ironman.

Recovery wise I pull up better from the HIM, and have been able to back up three event in a four week period. Definitely not possible following a marathon from which I would require 6-10 weeks recovery if run to my best level.