Is Long-Distance Running or Sprinting Harder?
Cale Anthony running in the 4x100 at Iowa's state track meet
Trevor Pulse (right) during a cross country meet
Considered the best in their events. Long distance runner Eliud Kipchoge (left) and Usain Bolt (right)
Visual of how fatigued a person gets with different speeds
An argument that is common among track and field teams is which is harder, long-distance or short-distance running. As both of these require two completely different types of endurance, both parties think theirs is harder.
I interviewed two people. One has been through sprinters' workouts and the other through cross-country and long-distance workouts.
Both claimed that their workouts were harder. Trevor Pulse, a long-distance runner, stated why his workouts were harder.
“They typically get done with their practices an average of 35 minutes earlier than the distance runners. However, this being said enforces the saying, ‘if you can run the distance around the track, you can run the distance in life itself.’”
Pulse has done both sprinters’ workouts and long-distance workouts and firmly believes distance runners have it much harder.
On the other hand, Cale Anthony, a sprinter, claims that being a sprinter is much more challenging than running long distances.
“It’s really hard to train the nervous system to accomplish high speeds. Also technique plays a much bigger role than it does in distance runners. Sprinters' races can come down to the thousandths of a second, so there is no room for error whereas distance has more wiggle room.”
Anthony believes it is harder to be a sprinter because not everyone is quick, but distance running can be trained.
Both long-distance and sprinting have their benefits. When doing a sprinters workout, it is best for increasing muscle mass and strength. When doing a long distance, it is best for endurance.
Mattie Schuler, author of “Running coaches explain how to become faster, leaner, and stronger with sprints and long-distance running” stated neither is better than the other.
“Unless you're training for something specific, it's beneficial to include sprinting and long-distance running into your workout routine.”
Lauren Lucy and MK Myers conducted a similar interview as I did but they were the participants. Lucy runs sprints while Myers focuses on distance.
Both acknowledged that sprinting a distance are completely different type of endurance, but both think their races are more difficult.
“Sprints and distance, two very different events, require difficult workouts and different skills. However, the two groups are both crucial to the success of the Collegiate Track & Field team.”
As you can see, there is no clear answer to this question. Both sprinting and long-distance have their benefits in their own unique ways. This argument may never be settled.
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Mattie Schuler's article- Click Here
Lauren Lucy and MK Myers article- Click Here
Sprinter/Long Distance Runners Video- Click Here