The real torture of the 400 is when you miss your pb and you have no clue whether you tried your hardest or not because that last 100 is such a mind game.
I am a distance runner and ran the 400 for fun one time. I went out fast next to the actual 400 runners and the last 100 meters it felt like I was running into a 40mph headwind and could barley move forward.
I ran 400/1600 in HS and always thought the Mile was the harder race. I guess it depends on where you start your running development at. I started long distance and then came down, when I’m sure a lot of 400M runners came up in distance from 100m sprinting. I always thought I’d much rather take one lap of pain than 4 laps of it. If you’re competing in a high caliber 1600 meter race, it feels like you’re being water boarded and slowly drowned for 5 minutes. At least in the 400m, you know your struggle will only be less than a minute, and you can physically see your finish line the whole time as well. I think people watch the 1600 on TV and think it’s just a fast jog for 3 laps and then one final kick, but if you really knew how fast those guys are doing those 3 first laps in, you’d understand how uncomfortable it is to run that hard for that long. It’s extremely hard to breath. Track is largely mental and your brain trying to tell you that you can and can’t do things, and I always just thought you’d have less demons to think about for 50 seconds compared to 4-5 minutes of intrusive thoughts. Even those marathon world champions are running like 13 MPH for 26 miles, and hitting 4:40 mile times consecutively. Try 13 MPH on treadmill and it’ll feel like a dead sprint. Now try holding that for 5 minutes let alone 2 hours. In my opinion, more NATURAL God-given talent and genetics is involved in the 400m, and a battle of who has the most twitchy and powerful muscles. Simply being a workout hero won’t help you at all in the 1600m. And I’m not just favoring all long distance events, once you get to the 3200m, 5K, 10K and Marathon, it’s just a little man’s competition where only someone built like a jockey can win. The start lines of 1600m races you have a much more vast grouping of body types, with both big and little guys having a shot to compete and win. 1600 just feels like the perfect hybrid race for sprinters and distance runners, where everyone is punching from the same weight class. At one point in our history, becoming the first human recorded to break the 4 minute mile was arguably the most challenged and coveted record in running history. The only reason I say the 1600 is “harder” than the 400m is because I think there’s a far more advanced psychological challenge from the cardiovascular torture of 4 laps, when outright brawn can win a sprint for 1 lap.
In High School, I ran Cross Country, 600m (Indoor), 400m and 800m (Outdoor). My PB in the 400m was 52.6s, and I can confirm it is the highest intensity pain of all the distances I've ran. That last ~75m is something else.. you see the finish line but everything starts to look blurry.. you hear the crowd cheering but everything sounds muffled.. your entire body feels like it's made of concrete and a tightness grips your chest and throat. I can't imagine running 400m but having to jump over hurdles all the while doing so. 400m Hurdles I suspect would be the hardest event, but I never had the guts to try
I always found the 400m hurdles to be less painful then 400m flat. For me the struggle with 400m hurdles is to muster the strength to geht over the last few hurdles but the pain from the lactate acid is not as strong as in the 400m flat.
As someone who did the 400m in junior high but was never really a runner (I used to swim), that was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. That last 100m when your heart is pounding, it hurts to breathe, your legs feel like jelly and you feel like you will fall over any second. It was horrible. Every time i ran it, when I finished I went and laid on the ground for at least 10 minutes in pure pain.
I recall an interview of Butch Reynolds. He was a sprinter when his coach talked him into running the 400 instead. Butch talked about how brutal that event was compared to sprints. I will never forget his comment, "The last 100 meters was like sprinting while carrying a gorilla on your back trying to strangle you." He was very good at fighting off the pain of that gorilla... he clocked a time of 43.29
@@OutperformOfficialhis last 100m was still his slowest. 400m hurdles is strictly harder than 400m flat, so there’s no debate. Real athletes do the hurdles.
The 400m hurdles is even more of a struggle. Getting your body to go over the last two hurdles while going through all the pain described from 300 to 400m is brutal.
@@noah_256. I did both, although far from being really good at it. I find the 'straight' 400m harder just because the first hurdle kinda prevents you from really going 100% and you settle in kindof a constant speed which is really the case for a 400m I feel
@@noah_256.The 400m hurdles uses the same pacing as the 400m. The slight deceleration that hurdling causes requires you to expend extra energy afterwards to keep your speed up. Which in turn results in the race being very demanding even through the time will be slightly slower than the 400m.
I’ve run everything from the 100 to the 10k, and I have to say, that the hardest events have to be either the 400 hurdles, 800m or 400m. It depends on the guy. For me, as a bigger dude (relative to other mid distance runners), the 800 was probably the hardest.
same, I realized that I didn't have the sprinting speed after elementary school, so I moved up to the 400 in 7th grade up to 800 and mile and also 5k and 10k. Longer races your body reaches an equilibrium and it becomes meditative... you get your "second wind", sprints are over before the pain kick in, but middle distances from 400-mile are the worst
Sameee, mind you my speed isn’t amazing (12.9 100m pr with heavy tail wind) and the first 500 m of an 800 feels the same as an all out 400 for me, meaning that all out brawl of pure mental toughness in the 100 m of a 400 is literally just the second lap of an 800 lol
I used to run this regularly when I was in secondary school, with pretty decent times, around 55s, and it was tough! But damn, when you've trained for a good 400 you are FIT!! I'll never forget the 200-300 stretch, by this point your lungs are burning and legs are starting to feel like lead, and the voice telling you you cant keep up this intensity grows louder and louder. Then you turn around that last bend, see the final straight. Your mind shifts... Dig deep, dig hard, you can do this... go Go GO!!!!! Edit 13/08/24: I was a bit younger than I had initially claimed when I ran those times, about 15. For reference, I was a fast ish sprinter, but never got sub 12s over 100m. A 55s 400m was more or less flat out for me for the full 400. I stopped running then from about 16 until my mid 20s. I started track running again a few years back when I turned 30, just for fun To all you faster mofo's out there, I'm happy for you :) Keep running
@@Smokeiziz-it3ru when I was in high school, I was proud of 55, but it’s a 400m DASH, not a run - placing was not a possibility until about 52. Winning needed close to 50, if not 48 or so. 50 is a hell of a run. World record is 43 I think? An 11 second 100m is seriously blazing, but doing four of them in a row is truly legendary.
@@Smokeiziz-it3ruI feel like 55 seconds in the 400 is pretty achievable for most people. I mean I was running like 58 seconds in gym class and I wasn't even a track guy. And I'm most certainly not a special athlete particularly when it comes to speed.
The feeling of you thinking you're giving it your all during the last 100m stretch, only to finish the race and look back 2 minutes later thinking you might not have given it everything. In the moment its inconceivable. The 4x400 is different, the baton gives you superpowers, but jumping into your blocks crowded with nerves at the start of the 400m, knowing the inevitable physical threat around the curve, and then experiencing it. God, why?
It epitomizes the sport of Track & Field. Pain and suffering that really never ends all for a few moments of glory, but those few moments….. there’s really nothing like them.
Me too. I used to run 400m and 4x400m and it was just pain. Seeing these types of videos makes my heart race and makes my hands sweat, like I’m about to run all over again 😅
If I want a shot of adrenaline, all I need to do is imagine getting the baton for the last leg of the 4x400 relay. And I haven't run a 400 all out for 25 years!
I'm 29 right now and I got into the athelics very late, at 27yo. I had decided I wanted to do middle distance running but my body was (and actually is) not fit for the 5000m or 3000m, so I tried the 400m and 800m... Well, I loved both disciplines even across the pain. They are something that make me feel alive, the pain you feel, the struggle... I don't know but that's when I really feel living my life ❤
@@Mr.Jaquaveon2k I'd say, I love to spin around in circles 😂 that's technically true, but I do also love sports that make me feel I improved myself. In a 400m or 800m race, I mainly run against my pb and I try to be quicker and quicker... Moreover when I was younger I used to play basketball and football and there have been many teammates related problems, so that I couldn't enjoy the game as much as I would have wanted to. I was a bit disillusioned by then, until I found out what I really loved to do was actually to run, then I tried the athletics and... Here I am 😁
@@Arkemist0094 I understand completely. My situation was kind of similar except it involved me not being as encouraged as I would have liked at the time to try new things. I always envisioned myself being able to do these great things in sports just never took that first step..maybe it wasn’t meant to be I think a lot. After watching the Olympics though I got that spark again..
I ran the 400m growing up and my gosh it was insanely brutal - so much so that I ended up PREFERRING the mile. The final 100m is possibly one of the most intensely painful experiences every as you can literally feel your entire body screaming to STOP - but yet.... if you want to win you have to push harder than you feel is even possible. The idea of running a 400m competitively now - as a 30 year old - no way... absolutely no way.
I remembered this video after watching Quincy Hall come back win today. He was in pain and struggling but he battled hard and won. This race is amazing to watch.
In junior high I was a competitive swimmer but wanted to try track because I was fast. My coach decided it would be best for me to do the 400m. I was making it through practice easy but I was not prepared for the actual race at all. Now I was in very good shape from swimming but that 400 was the most brutal thing I’ve ever done. My legs were numb, I had no breath in my lungs and after I finished it I went and laid on the ground for like 10 minutes in pain. Needless to say I didn’t do track again
I remember having a sick love for this race. At one point my thoughts about running were so warped that I thought running was supposed to be painful, and it was definitely due to this race. Bless the coach that pulled me to the side during 200 repeats to talk to me about my stress fractures.
I can definitely relate to this even though I’ve never run competitively. I was a swimmer for most of my athletic career and the 200m had a very similar flow. You don’t have time to slow down, but your body physically cannot make the energy you require. The final 50m was always aerobic agony, you against your own body. Respect to all the 400m runners out there!
And the adrenaline rush that you get and knowing it's your body's natural response to allow you to physically exert yourself longer. Then you know that you're gonna wanna die around the 300m mark anyway no matter how skilled you are.
@@laptv2144 Nah its definitely a different type of psychological pain. I did track and xc and the nerves of a 400 or 800 were definitely on a different level. the longer distance runs you know you have tme to aclimate and build up speed. the shorter ones are go go gooooooo from start to finish.
Great graphics help explain the torture a runner goes through for this distance. However, I am of the mindset that thinks the 800m is tougher because not only do you go through these phases over a longer distance but you have to be totally aware of your opponents strategy who are jostling for position inches apart.
That is a great point, totally agree, also in the 400m you can't be tripped up by a competitor. 800m is no joke, you could make a great case for it being the hardest event.
800 you literally get bumped off the line and probably will get bumped at least three other times throughout the race. In other words, you are going to get knocked out of the zone and you need to have the mental strength to quickly recover. Not to mention, you have to find a path. The fastest way to run the 800 is to run on the rail, but the rail is also the easiest way to get boxed in. Running in lane 2 for a long time costs you valuable time and valuable energy too. The 800 is not merely about ability. It's a tango, and you have to be better than your opponent on the dance floor.
I don't know why but I have ran both 400m and 800m, and 800m was easier for me. Maybe because I was tactically sound and relied more on endurance(Which I had been told quite often by my coach/fellow runners)? Not entirely sure though.
High school state competition level the 400M is crazy. But man, I had to run out the 800M at just a regular meet. And I actually thought I was going to die. You really start to respect those med to long distance runners!
So glad I found this video. I wasnt even on my track team in 7th grade, but I was the fastest in my PE class and so my teacher asked me to fill in for the 400. After running two of them against another with no preparation (1st then 2nd place with my teammate passing me) I zombie shuffled to my water bottle, said my brain and ears felt like they just got microwaved, and then spewed my lunch all over the grass. I'm not an athlete and can hands down say that was the most insufferable exercise experience of my life 😂
Judging by the athletes's physiques, 800m feels more like a marathon, full of marathon runners-like physiques, while 400m runners are still bulky, built like sprinters, so less focus on stamina and more on power/explosiveness. They're still expected to be rapid I guess. Ofc they're all tough as hell, but I can see why this video is talking about the 400m and not 800m.
@@raul5081 as an 800 runner you have to be good at the 400, if you're a 400 runner you don't have to be good in the 800. For the 800, you need both good sprint speed and endurance.
I would say that their point about why the 400 is so hard, too fast to pace and too long to just end, applies to the 400, 400 hurdles and the 800. They sit in what I like to call the uncanny valley of pain. I'm a 200/400 runner but I had to do the 8 for the 2-2-4-8 relay one season and I would concur that a properly run 800 is nearly as intensely painful as the home stretch of the 400 for the last 250 to 300 meters. I've never tried the 400 hurdles because I'm a coward, but I know just from looking there's no way I could jump over anything in that last stretch.
This video gave me chills like I was running the 400 meter again in Highschool. I came from the 100 and 200 Meyer and they told me to just run it as fast as I can. By the time I hit the last corner it felt like my body weighed 1,000 lbs and I'm shouting at myself to lift my knees up and they aren't cooperating. It is the very essence of what hell must be like.
The 400 meters is one of my events and it is always at the the end of the meet, which I am very thankful for. So, it is quite a demanding race and always one I do not usually look forward to but I power through. Through time and effort, I was able to run the 400 at a cool 52 seconds
During High School track and field, I remember doing a 400m relay race where we would have to pass a baton to a teammate (I think it was teams of 4). Running 400m was already killing every person I saw there but to have to pass a baton over and make sure you do it correctly so it actually reaches their hands and you don't fumble it/slow them down was insanity. I still remember what happened in 95% of the 400m races I did because it was just that hard.
In the 400, the first 200 feels fine but just after the 250 your brain tells you things will get worse and sure enough just past the 300 it does! The brain must go into a hypnotic state to hold on to the finish.
This video killed it, but I think there’s one more aspect to the 400 that went unsaid. In other sports, there’s always an uncertainty about whether being better at defense or offense is more valuable, or which team played better, or if the refs were unbiased, whatever. When running, that’s scaled back a bit, but the principle remains. In XC, the race is more of a mental battle, and sometimes it’s hard to really compare runners because one will be better at running hills, another’s heart is better, and maybe one guy’s finish is just killer. More than that, small differences like a night of bad sleep or an unusual amount of food will make an exaggerated difference. Then there’s something like the 100, where a bad start might lose you the race, or superior steroids will win you it, or one guy has an advantage if he can go to the gym. Even in the infamous 800, which has an argument for being the physically harder race, there’s strategy after that first lap that may determine the winner. But in the 400, it’s simply pure. The only measure is speed, and those who really know how to run will know that. It’s a single lap, in a single lane, with the wind and against the wind, and it’s impossible to race with 100% sprinting speed so guts and determination are still a necessity. That’s why I love the 400, and why for me, at least, it’s the hardest event.
I really like how you actually gave a point for distance instead of just saying “there’s time to recover” ignoring that after a mile you’re gonna be hurting the rest of the race.
Nah 800m is absolutely more physically grueling + there is definitively strategizing in the 400m. There are way way way way more 400m athletes scared of the 800m or 400m Hurdles than there are either of those athletes scared of the 400m. Run an a lot 400m and then do it again without stopping and tell me how much easier it is than just doing the 400m.
I’m a sprinter by nature. My events are the 100MD, 200MD, 4x100MR, and Long Jump. However, during high school, specifically my senior year, I was a part of the 4x400MR because the team needed one more guy. I never really trained for the 400, so I had to teach myself. I usually got the slowest time due to the simple fact that I don’t/didn’t consistently train for the event. My best time was a decent 56-57 seconds (it’s somewhere between there I don’t remember the exact number). Now that I’m in college though, I’m definitely NOT doing the 4x400 again💀💀
@@kaluwa5946Those are probably shin splints and they come from a weakness of the muscles in your shin. The stress goes onto the bone and it causes quite a bit of pain. You can look em up
The 400 looks easy from my perspective(an outsider who hasn’t even tried it yet) but I know it has to be one of the most taxing things ever done to the human body.
Thanks for this. I used to run 400m for my school. Not because I was good at it (my time was laughably slow), but because none of the better runners wanted to do it. I don't think I ever ran a 400m where I didn't end up vomiting after the race.
I run de 400 and i can confirm that it is very very painful, but i would say that the trainings for it are even harder. This is because in order to train for de 400 you have to feel the lactic acid, you have to push over it while training and look forward to experiencing it to be able to tolerate it better during the race
And when I run 400s I mean it's brutal running the last 100 meters u basically push through the painful oxygen debt that ur Body goes through like it's excruciating bro a week ago after practice I was doing 400s and when I finished for like 10 mins I couldn't even move my legs and I was jus Laying there💀
I used to run for my high school track and field team. The last 150m was basically fight of the strongest will. Your mind is telling you to stop running and you can feel every muscle of your body aching and your heart pumping fast and strong but you see other runners trying to overtake you so you had to pushed with whatever energy you have left just to finish the race and hopefully win it. Great video btw
As a former 400 runner, it is by far the most painful event, everyone on my track team shared the opinion that its a distance event where you have to sprint the whole time. Everyone hated it lol
I just graduated college as a Kinese major and we learned so much on energy capacity and many different systems in my exercise physiology class (one of the hardest classes I had to take). Holy crap watching this vid explanation made me proud that I took that class cuz I understood everything and knew certain specifics 😂😂😂 After the 400 race your body has fully depleted 2 of the 3 energy systems. Your body is basically telling you you’re dying. Phosphagen system lasts 0-15 seconds (sprint runners), anaerobic system lasts 2min ish (800m runners), and aerobic system can last for hours (marathon runners) and more as long as you have enough glucose in your glycogen stores within the muscles which comes from the breakdown of carbohydrates in the body. lol that’s why “carb loading” before those certain races are imperative otherwise you’ll plop like a dead fish out of water. 😅
That is great to hear! I graduated with an exercise science degree a while ago and remember my exercise physiology class being very difficult as well, nice to hear that things haven't changed. Thanks for sharing and best of luck on the track and in the field of Kinesiology!
This was my event at a D1 level. I was decent, not great. This event scared me to death, but I learned I could stand pain, so I did it. The training is crazy and will bring you to your knees.
First time I ever ran the 400m was brutal. Never trained for it. Just got cocky and wanted to see if I could do it. My coach just smiled and said OK😊. I was in the lead until the final corner where I lost all my wind. It was like I was running in slow motion while the other runners passed me. I ended up in dead last and even fell trying to cross the finish line 😂😅. Definitely not something you can run on a whim and expect to actually compete.
Yeeeeeees, this happened with me too! In the last 100m, I just down, my legs started to wobble and I was staggering in the floor in front of 200 people 😪
Always thought the 800 was the hardest event, but I suppose that’s because I never ran the 400 at a high level. Considering how much I dread the 2nd lap of the 800, I can see why those last 100m are such a struggle. Especially with kinds of speeds you have to maintain to get good times at an elite level.
I loved running in the 1600m relay. That was always my favorite race. It was the hardest but finishing was always more fulfilling than the other events.
Being 31 and now getting back into running this year, I can easily do 5ks, 10ks, and even managed my first half marathon this year. I ran the 400 and 4x4 relay back in junior high and always respected it ever since. It’s definitely something else and I can’t even imagine running my old personal best of :56 like I did back then. That last stretch your body is so exhausted that it gets into a state where it feels like your legs and arms are out of rhythm and that’s where people usually pull a muscle or fall. You’re not in sync with body anymore and you’re just trying to finish through it.
I run long distance in track, 3200m, 1600m, 800m, that type of thing. The first time I did an 800 it was absolutely hell, It felt like I was sprinting the whole time. Then one time I had to sub my friends 400m in the medley, I will say it did not feel good, but I did better than their old PRs and it felt no where near as bad as my 800m.
Yes for me there is definitely a battle between the 400m and the 800m but I found that the 800m burned the legs extremely while the 400m is the whole body saying stop. For me, vomiting after a 400m is common but I have never vomited after an 800m
Ran cross country and switched to the 800 and 600 for track. The switch from mile to 800 is hard. The pace of an 800 sits in an uncomfortable spot. It’s very difficult to maintain. It’s a distance race sped up. The 400 is an entirely different animal. You’re supposed to go all out through the whole thing, because you can’t really control your pace at that speed. It’s a sprint elongated. 2 different races, which is why I think many people disagree on which is more difficult.
I am going to be a freshman next year and i am trying out for the soccer team. our pre- try out conditioning is to run eight 400m races split up by class. (sophomore etc.) after i reach that third curve my legs start burning and i feel like i am going to trip if my legs quit on me. it most definitely is one of the most strenuous races. respect to all 400m athletes
Speaking truth!! Was running it when it was the 440 . Called it the Man's race. Though hated longer distances enjoyed the 800 because I could "coast" in the beginning and still have power for sprint last 100
The running part is tough, but nothing close to the pain after the race imo. Burning legs for 20 minutes, unable to catch the breath, feeling sick until throwing up.. knowing all that and still running your butt off requires a very interesting state of mind 😅
I've never done the 400. Tried the 500 once and by the end I was scratching my legs wondering where my legs had gone. Was a solid 1600 runner but the 500 was terrifying. Would never do again
I was a 5000m specialist for about 3 years when I started I was a 26:13 5Ker I eventually got that time down to 16:18 in a little under 1 1/2 - 2 years. I used to really lean into it with 1200m to go then an all out sprint the final 400m. To this day it was the hardest I ever pushed my body to it’s limits.
I ran anchor of the 4 x 400m at Penn Relays. I finished with a bloody nose from swinging my arms on the final 50m with the baton...the roar of the crowd while my legs and lungs were on fire is all that fueled me!
Man, what a time Penn Relays were. I ran there also for the 4x400m. That crowd is something other worldly and so many people around. I popped off also, we got first in our heat and it was worth it.
@@jrelldun When my track coach was in HS the entire stadium was cheering his name as he broke the 800m record as an undersized sophomore. Still gives me goose bumps thinking about how cool that must have been for him!
Every event at the highest level offers its own form of torture... both in competing and training... If I had to pick one event which sits at the top- I'd say milers... They have to train speed and endurance- covering just about all energy systems... Indeed, many milers can run a high 40 something 400m- and at the same time run a mean 10k !! Many move up to the marathon such is their talent... which calls in another skill- mental fortitude...
Fantastic comment and great points! This is what makes track and field such an amazing sport (also why we didn't say definitively that the 400m is the hardest). You're spot on about the training and abilities of 1500m runners. VO2 max training is brutal and their 400 ability is crazy considering the amount of endurance work they do. The mental component of the marathon and the type of training required at the elite level is truly remarkable, easily could be the most difficult.
My view is they grow or expand. They get skinny or they bulk up. They get lazy or courageous. Comparing two forms of torture as to which inflicts the most suffering is kind of kinky. Having gotten that off my chest, I would say the 800 is the hardest, as far as I can gauge from what I see, it is getting to be two 400 reps, which is the definition of cruelty.
I think the 400m is the absolute perfect (semi) sprint race in all of T&F. I only ran in high school, but I was built for the 400m (440yd in my day). The faster sprinters were afraid because it was too long, and the distance runners didn't like starting off that fast. I was definitely in my element with the 440.
In my best 400 I ever ran, I exhausted my energy reserves in the last 50m. The sinking feeling of my competitors having more kick than me and there’s nothing I can do will haunt me for the rest of my life. I love the 400m more than anything and although my racing days were short-lived, my children will experience this pain at least once in their lives.
Awesome video. got me hyped up during off season. one important thing: its even harder for slower runners (women, youth or master athletes) with times way above 50 seconds. because the hard part does not start at the 300m line but after 30 to 35 seconds.
Slower runners have to be more like 800m runners. David Rudisha (800m WR holder) has run the 500m in 57.69, which should be physiologically equivalent to sub-elite sprinters running 400m.
Really appreciate it. As someone who transitioned to road cycling after being a track athlete in college I absolutely agree! Would love to make that video (even though it wouldn't get many views on this channel 🙂) The mental challenge of a TT at any distance is unreal, difficult to describe to someone that hasn't done it.
I once applied for interuniversity running competition as 400m runner without ever running 400m competitively. They had a gap there as no one was willing to run it. And like, my 100m and 200m are decent but when I reached 200-250m I just felt something shut down and my pace very much halfed. And there I'm running the rest feeling like I have a bag of cement on my back seeing 4 runners just pass by. Including the other guy from my team (there were running two runners for each of three teams).
sprints, athletes can win, and keep on jogging straight into their victory lap. Same with 10k and even marathon. 400 is pretty much the only even where even the best trained athletes cross the line and end up on their back needing a good couple minutes before they can even celebrate
@@crosh3301 speaking for myself (an above average but far from elite athlete), the 400, 800, and mile that I used to compete in were truly more painful than 5k's and 10k's. In distance races your body reaches an equilibrium and you get your "second wind" and a meditative runners high. Middle distances all you get is a trip through lactic acid hell, lol. My longest training runs were about half marathon distance, so I won't speak on the marathon
In high school I ran the 400m my sophomore and junior year on the 4x400 relay and senior in the open 400 year. I did not hate it but it was brutal. What’s worse is putting hurdles in the mix. That’s what I hated. In addition I hated the 800 even more due to the extended pacing knowing I had another lap to go. We had a term “riggy” if someone died in the last 100m. I did it terribly one time. I just listened to my body thereafter.
I'm a distance runner and I never really experienced pain that was any worse than after an 800. Maybe I just didn't run the 400 right but it never really got me dying on the ground like the 1600 and the 800 or even the 5k.
You bring up an interesting point, most athletes are unable to truly push themselves to that limit. The ability the best 400m runners have to go that deep is very rare.
@@R.W.P. Yes and no. At the end of a competitive 100m, you see people celebrating. At the end of a 1500m, they may need a moment, but they'll quickly be fine. But a typical 400m ends with most athletes just collapsing into the ground as soon as they cross the finish line (and sometimes before).
I ran D1 400m 45s outdoor and 47s indoor and I was mentally afraid of the races especially finals bc I knew the pain I would be submitting myself to. 100+ m of sprinting minimum are completely anaerobic. I essentially was unconscious at finish of some these especially after multiple races in a day - couldnt see anything but black.
As an 800 and 400 runner, I gotta say that the 800m is just way harder. I think a big part of the reason that people think the 400m is harder is becasue most 400m runners are sprinters who never even seriously attempted any further distances.
Yep. There is categorically no way that anyone who has actually run and trained at track thinks the 400m is harder than the 800. For me, the 800 is by far the most brutal. Hitting your anaerobic wall at about 650 metres and trying not to vomit/shit yourself on the home straight. Hideous race. Also, the 1500 can be an absolute monster if you go out too hard.
800 is substantially harder than the 400. When you finish that first lap and you are exhausted already and you realize you’re supposed to do another entire “sprint lap” again, it’s a race you gotta have some freaking guts for
the 800 allows for a bit more strategy and pacing across the board it's almost unspoken coz you know everyone you're competing against has to have it too. not in the 400. its purely a game of how big a bet you're willing to make, you're just there to decide how much you're ready to fcuk yourself up
Whenever I had to run 400m,I used to get many thoughts, and you get a stranger feeling in core which slowly rises up-to head,its totally true that last 100m is all mindset whether you go all out or sometimes you may also stop
03:15 is so true at start the few hundred meters you feel good but almost reaching the end, id say about 50-100m you don't feel all out at all even it's a short distance
The thing that makes the 400m so hard for me, and probably everyone else, but the way to run it as fast as possible, you HAVE to gas yourself in the first 250-300m. You can't save any energy for the last straight because you will have already lost too much time to make up. You have to run the first 300m almost as fast as you can and then pull whatever you have left in the last 100m.
not true. F=ma the best most efficient way to run the race is to accelerate and decelerate as little as possible. Your velocity should remain the same the entire race.
@@tann_man that's actually what I mean. You run harder in the last 150m, but you don't actually accelerate. You just keep yourself from decelerating as much as possible
I've run collegiate races from the 60m up to the 4x800 at D1 level in the big east winning an indoor 200m title/ runner up 400m final and can confirm, the 400m is the hardest race in track from my POV. Even distance runners agree when they drop down for a DMR or a B-team relay. 400mH is close next to the 800m as well but in mens quarter hurdles although they are significantly taller than women's, it breaks up your race mentally and you have a stride rhythm. Even in the 800, you have a bell lap split. mentally that makes a world of difference. you can vividly compartmentalize negative split potential etc. 400m you have no reference point. there's really no "True" gameplan except curve running and 1st straight away phases. outside that it's be under 23 or bust for your half split. which you get no actually confirmed feedback for midrace anyway. being "Fast" in the 400m requires an extreme exhaustion of certain muscle groups vs 800 and 200m and the 400mH has the ability to make up tremendous time to forgive slower pace via jump technique. not all 400mH who go under 48 can do the same in the open without hurdles which is just funny to me lol but explains a lot.
In high school I did cross country in the fall, wrestling in the winters, crew in the summers, then wrestling again in the summers. I think wrestling overall is one of the hardest and most rewarding sports out there, but even as someone who loved a good fight and was a fan of endurance sports (while I didn't run marathons I would run the 20 mile walk for hunger in Boston for "fun" in those days), one event that was easy to hate was the 400m the couple of times I tried track and field.
400m is the hardest event ! I ran 19 marathons, competed in several heptathlons and finished a 20-120-10 POWERMAN Duathlon, but i never felt so exhausted at the finish line. Sure, as i broke the 3h barrier i was totally done, but my wish to vo... was much stronger after running a sub 59s 400m.
The 400 is like the 1,000 in cycling or speed skating. Pure brutality. You hit a wall of pain at the 800, your legs swell and become super tight, the pain is blistering and desperation seeps in as you imagine your legs aren’t turning. You make it to the line gnashing your teeth and not until you cross and relax do you suddenly realize your legs spinning fast. Passing out is not uncommon.
Absolutely! I don't think many people know about the kilo in track cycling (bummer its not in the olympics anymore).A good friend of mine that was an elite cyclist said that it would take him more time to recover after that ~1-minute race than after a 2-week stage race. He also passed out and crashed after finishing on 2 separate occasions. I imagine it could be similar for speed skating.
@@OutperformOfficial exactly. Eric Heiden talked a lot about the kilo and the 1500 in speed skating. I was a 13 time national champion for Trinidad and Tobago and suffered my share of killer kilos.
Runner and a freshman. I tried to take it easy at the start and by the time I got to about 200 yards, I was getting SMOKED so I tried to pick up the pace and in the final 100 yards, I had nothing. No legs, no wind, and I was literally delusional. After throwing up my snack and water, they asked me if I liked to run the race on a regular basis. I can't tell you what I said because I would be banned. But, you catch my drift. It was the running joke the rest of my time on next three seasons of track. The 440/400 meters takes a special person and mindset. Hats off to all of you who enjoy running that event.
It epitomizes the sport of Track & Field. Pain and suffering that really never ends all for a few moments of glory, but those few moments….. there’s really nothing like them.
400m sprint AND the 300m Hurdles were the most antagonizing pain I've ever done in my entire life of running. As a 110m hurdler, 100m sprinter, and 4x100 relay runner as the 3rd leg, I never ever ever ever EVER want to do 400m or 300m hurdles ever again. We literally had to do them for our "Hell Weeks" during our training. Although I was actually pretty good at them and ran really well, I'm ONLY a short sprinter lmao
I've ran for four years, 16:22 in the Cross Country 5k and a 52 in the 400, but nothing hurts more than the 800. I ran 2:00.3 and legitimately couldn't see or walk for over half an hour after finishing. When trained right you just run through your vision going out at about 200 to go and pray you make it to the line before collapse. I will say, passing out before the line sucks, all the efforts for nothing
if the 400m is the hardest, then the 400m hurdles is the hardest...but the actual hardest is the 800m - there is no time for pacing, you have less than a minute to prepare for the final lap which is pretty close to a flat out 400m sprint. Current world record had 2 lap times of 49 and 51 seconds
@@UziiTube Also your never ‘chilling’ during a mile. It’s a prolonged effort. You go as fast as your body can withstand for the distance. And even that is not comfortable. Also the mile has much higher chance for an error in the first place plus you can only beat someone if you’ve messed up if you had a bodily advantage over them in the first place. And varying on your style you can start hard.
Simple answer to the question: Yes. I was the fastest in my area in multiple events and was used a a multitool. 400m was my main event. I was always anchor for the 4x100, ran the 200m (and of course 4x400), at at some meets I'd be put into the 800m too. I ran 300m and 600m indoors. The 600m is a close second to most grueling. But nothing compares to the final 100 of a 400m. In shorter events you either have the god given talent or you don't. In longer events there is strategy you can use spread out over the race. The 400m is in between. If you're running against guys near your time you have to decide beforehand whether you'll take the 100-200m balls to the wall or just slightly slower to have more for the final 100. Regardless the final 100 of a 400m is brutal.
I used to do T&F competitively and what makes the pure 400m harder than the 400m hurdles imo is that there is no way of pacing at all. In Hurdles you have a rhythm that you fall back on. The sheer chaos of not knowing if the pace is good or if the runner next to you is going to fast or to slow and second guessing every section on the track is insane. Ofc last 80m feel like you’re going to die before you cross that finish line. Would do it again tho!!
As a former 400m pro youth runner, now I knew why I hate running at all. When I was young, during the run, I always thought that this time I'm gonna die for sure. And the recovery phase was also too painful. It was 20 years ago, but I still remember how much even my ears had pain after the final 100m.. But, at least it gave my the ability to resist internal pressures during endurance related activities
I wouldn't call it pain in my case, the legs simply switch off in the home straight - it's impossible to get the leg lift required to drive the legs. The harder I've gone, the worse it is.
I'm a lifter and a former state-level swimmer. While I quit swimming to get huge, I've discovered that I'm also pretty good at sprinting and so I'm just starting to get into that. In swimming, the 200-yard swim (Short Course) seems like the equivalent of a 400-meter dash. On the cusp of sprint and distance, with pacing very difficult to get right. I was always good at the sprints in swimming too😂
It's more akin to 100yrd free. Top swimmers go low 40s and top runners go low 40s. The 200m is like the 800. I was really good at 50s and 100s in swim and 200s and 400s in track. I went to TX state championship for 100 fly, 100 free and 100 back and 50 back then switched sports and picked up running my senior year (a month behind the other runners) and almost made it to state in the 400m, the biggest differentiating factor between myself and my teammates was the ridiculous amount of conditioning you get from swimming, it translated very well into the 400m (I even competed some 800m but it more just to make the 400m feel shorter by comparison)
I used to run 400 seriously in high school. COVID ruined my chances of taking it seriously beyond that, but I still remember the feeling of running it. People used to think I was mad because I loved that final 100m stretch. Yes, it was the most excruciating pain, but it was also satisfying to know I was pushing my body to its limits. I had left it all in the track. Most people don't even have the guts to feel that kind of pain, but us 400m runners lived for it. You really have to be a little insane to run it. But it's also one of the greatest feelings in the world
This video was pure poetry- goosepumps!!!!
🙏
Nah i have selections tmr, ia m dead scared now....
@@Monstr_Banana you should hahahaah
@@dTristras Ok ita raining, I may not have it
I have always heard the 800 meter was the hardest.
The real torture of the 400 is when you miss your pb and you have no clue whether you tried your hardest or not because that last 100 is such a mind game.
Real
This is actually so true, only 400m runners would know
ikr.
@@patrickschott265I mean I don’t run 400 and I get it, the last 100 slows down and you don’t know if you gave in or your body simply can’t take it
I heared 300 are worse
I am a distance runner and ran the 400 for fun one time. I went out fast next to the actual 400 runners and the last 100 meters it felt like I was running into a 40mph headwind and could barley move forward.
But you became a resl man after that race 😂
It’s such a perfectly difficult distance
Sounds like you ran it right.
thank you for this comment. i found it illustrative.
I ran 400/1600 in HS and always thought the Mile was the harder race. I guess it depends on where you start your running development at. I started long distance and then came down, when I’m sure a lot of 400M runners came up in distance from 100m sprinting. I always thought I’d much rather take one lap of pain than 4 laps of it. If you’re competing in a high caliber 1600 meter race, it feels like you’re being water boarded and slowly drowned for 5 minutes. At least in the 400m, you know your struggle will only be less than a minute, and you can physically see your finish line the whole time as well.
I think people watch the 1600 on TV and think it’s just a fast jog for 3 laps and then one final kick, but if you really knew how fast those guys are doing those 3 first laps in, you’d understand how uncomfortable it is to run that hard for that long. It’s extremely hard to breath. Track is largely mental and your brain trying to tell you that you can and can’t do things, and I always just thought you’d have less demons to think about for 50 seconds compared to 4-5 minutes of intrusive thoughts.
Even those marathon world champions are running like 13 MPH for 26 miles, and hitting 4:40 mile times consecutively. Try 13 MPH on treadmill and it’ll feel like a dead sprint. Now try holding that for 5 minutes let alone 2 hours. In my opinion, more NATURAL God-given talent and genetics is involved in the 400m, and a battle of who has the most twitchy and powerful muscles. Simply being a workout hero won’t help you at all in the 1600m. And I’m not just favoring all long distance events, once you get to the 3200m, 5K, 10K and Marathon, it’s just a little man’s competition where only someone built like a jockey can win. The start lines of 1600m races you have a much more vast grouping of body types, with both big and little guys having a shot to compete and win. 1600 just feels like the perfect hybrid race for sprinters and distance runners, where everyone is punching from the same weight class.
At one point in our history, becoming the first human recorded to break the 4 minute mile was arguably the most challenged and coveted record in running history.
The only reason I say the 1600 is “harder” than the 400m is because I think there’s a far more advanced psychological challenge from the cardiovascular torture of 4 laps, when outright brawn can win a sprint for 1 lap.
In High School, I ran Cross Country, 600m (Indoor), 400m and 800m (Outdoor). My PB in the 400m was 52.6s, and I can confirm it is the highest intensity pain of all the distances I've ran. That last ~75m is something else.. you see the finish line but everything starts to look blurry.. you hear the crowd cheering but everything sounds muffled.. your entire body feels like it's made of concrete and a tightness grips your chest and throat. I can't imagine running 400m but having to jump over hurdles all the while doing so. 400m Hurdles I suspect would be the hardest event, but I never had the guts to try
I always found the 400m hurdles to be less painful then 400m flat. For me the struggle with 400m hurdles is to muster the strength to geht over the last few hurdles but the pain from the lactate acid is not as strong as in the 400m flat.
As someone who did the 400m in junior high but was never really a runner (I used to swim), that was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. That last 100m when your heart is pounding, it hurts to breathe, your legs feel like jelly and you feel like you will fall over any second. It was horrible. Every time i ran it, when I finished I went and laid on the ground for at least 10 minutes in pure pain.
Imagine running 5k all out. Then you have this „different“ feeling for the whole last k. This sucks
@@tommardus1439 I think you would die if you did that. Probably in the first kilometer.
100% agree
I recall an interview of Butch Reynolds. He was a sprinter when his coach talked him into running the 400 instead. Butch talked about how brutal that event was compared to sprints. I will never forget his comment, "The last 100 meters was like sprinting while carrying a gorilla on your back trying to strangle you." He was very good at fighting off the pain of that gorilla... he clocked a time of 43.29
The pain lasts 5-8 seconds. Not that bad bro
@@epicon6shut up
He is still the Sprint assistant coach at OSU. Can attest to this statement. He was the first person to explain " thinking and training for the 400."
@@epicon6 I wanne see you tryhard do it
Coming back here after watching Quincy Hall win gold in the 400. You could tell that he was absolutely FIGHTING for every. single. step.
Quincy Hall - instant legend after that race.
@@OutperformOfficialhis last 100m was still his slowest. 400m hurdles is strictly harder than 400m flat, so there’s no debate. Real athletes do the hurdles.
@@Skjeggspir thanks for your input man coz everyone cares about that here 👍
…cried@@texaaaa after reading the facts.
Sorry you started crying like a baby, fragile girl😘
@@texaaaa so sad you started crying after reading the facts, baby girl😘
The 400m hurdles is even more of a struggle. Getting your body to go over the last two hurdles while going through all the pain described from 300 to 400m is brutal.
Sydney Mclaughlin is an inspiration to young girls. And Karsten Warholm of Norway goes Beserker mode whenever he runs that brutal event
That’s true but you also don’t have to sprint as fast so I think this might be harder
@@noah_256. I did both, although far from being really good at it. I find the 'straight' 400m harder just because the first hurdle kinda prevents you from really going 100% and you settle in kindof a constant speed which is really the case for a 400m I feel
This 👆. Want to make it even worse? Add ten hurdles you have to jump over plus all that other stuff they talk about
@@noah_256.The 400m hurdles uses the same pacing as the 400m. The slight deceleration that hurdling causes requires you to expend extra energy afterwards to keep your speed up. Which in turn results in the race being very demanding even through the time will be slightly slower than the 400m.
I’ve run everything from the 100 to the 10k, and I have to say, that the hardest events have to be either the 400 hurdles, 800m or 400m. It depends on the guy. For me, as a bigger dude (relative to other mid distance runners), the 800 was probably the hardest.
same, I realized that I didn't have the sprinting speed after elementary school, so I moved up to the 400 in 7th grade up to 800 and mile and also 5k and 10k. Longer races your body reaches an equilibrium and it becomes meditative... you get your "second wind", sprints are over before the pain kick in, but middle distances from 400-mile are the worst
running olympic times in 800 definitely taking some years off your life😂😂
Sameee, mind you my speed isn’t amazing (12.9 100m pr with heavy tail wind) and the first 500 m of an 800 feels the same as an all out 400 for me, meaning that all out brawl of pure mental toughness in the 100 m of a 400 is literally just the second lap of an 800 lol
Bro never tried the steeple
@@cooperneeble2712 that event is actually way up on my bucket list lol, should be doing it this spring if my coaches promises hold true
I used to run this regularly when I was in secondary school, with pretty decent times, around 55s, and it was tough! But damn, when you've trained for a good 400 you are FIT!! I'll never forget the 200-300 stretch, by this point your lungs are burning and legs are starting to feel like lead, and the voice telling you you cant keep up this intensity grows louder and louder. Then you turn around that last bend, see the final straight. Your mind shifts... Dig deep, dig hard, you can do this... go Go GO!!!!!
Edit 13/08/24: I was a bit younger than I had initially claimed when I ran those times, about 15. For reference, I was a fast ish sprinter, but never got sub 12s over 100m. A 55s 400m was more or less flat out for me for the full 400. I stopped running then from about 16 until my mid 20s. I started track running again a few years back when I turned 30, just for fun
To all you faster mofo's out there, I'm happy for you :) Keep running
That's literally sub 4 minute mile pace. Tf you mean "decent"
@@Smokeiziz-it3ruhonestly i feel like higher up people in track have pretty high standards for themselves, ive noticed this alot in my team too
@@Smokeiziz-it3ru when I was in high school, I was proud of 55, but it’s a 400m DASH, not a run - placing was not a possibility until about 52. Winning needed close to 50, if not 48 or so. 50 is a hell of a run. World record is 43 I think?
An 11 second 100m is seriously blazing, but doing four of them in a row is truly legendary.
ur slow asf sorry
@@Smokeiziz-it3ruI feel like 55 seconds in the 400 is pretty achievable for most people. I mean I was running like 58 seconds in gym class and I wasn't even a track guy. And I'm most certainly not a special athlete particularly when it comes to speed.
The feeling of you thinking you're giving it your all during the last 100m stretch, only to finish the race and look back 2 minutes later thinking you might not have given it everything. In the moment its inconceivable. The 4x400 is different, the baton gives you superpowers, but jumping into your blocks crowded with nerves at the start of the 400m, knowing the inevitable physical threat around the curve, and then experiencing it. God, why?
It epitomizes the sport of Track & Field. Pain and suffering that really never ends all for a few moments of glory, but those few moments….. there’s really nothing like them.
Well said!
Any innovations that we can do to make the sport more interesting?
@@jmgonzales7701
none
running on two legs is the greatest thing that's happened to humanity
its why we're here
also sweating i guess
Very well said
@@lileymixed Nah, thumbs are actually more important
I’m a 400 meter runner and just watching this video makes me shake like I’m abt to run it
🙂
my hands started sweating watching this and i havent ran the 400m dash since high school which was 13 years ago 😅
@@MCilo2I swear 😂😂
Me too. I used to run 400m and 4x400m and it was just pain. Seeing these types of videos makes my heart race and makes my hands sweat, like I’m about to run all over again 😅
If I want a shot of adrenaline, all I need to do is imagine getting the baton for the last leg of the 4x400 relay. And I haven't run a 400 all out for 25 years!
I'm 29 right now and I got into the athelics very late, at 27yo. I had decided I wanted to do middle distance running but my body was (and actually is) not fit for the 5000m or 3000m, so I tried the 400m and 800m... Well, I loved both disciplines even across the pain. They are something that make me feel alive, the pain you feel, the struggle... I don't know but that's when I really feel living my life ❤
I plan to get into as well and I’m 23. What made you decide to start so late?
@@Mr.Jaquaveon2k I'd say, I love to spin around in circles 😂 that's technically true, but I do also love sports that make me feel I improved myself. In a 400m or 800m race, I mainly run against my pb and I try to be quicker and quicker... Moreover when I was younger I used to play basketball and football and there have been many teammates related problems, so that I couldn't enjoy the game as much as I would have wanted to. I was a bit disillusioned by then, until I found out what I really loved to do was actually to run, then I tried the athletics and... Here I am 😁
@@Arkemist0094 I understand completely. My situation was kind of similar except it involved me not being as encouraged as I would have liked at the time to try new things. I always envisioned myself being able to do these great things in sports just never took that first step..maybe it wasn’t meant to be I think a lot. After watching the Olympics though I got that spark again..
I ran the 400m growing up and my gosh it was insanely brutal - so much so that I ended up PREFERRING the mile. The final 100m is possibly one of the most intensely painful experiences every as you can literally feel your entire body screaming to STOP - but yet.... if you want to win you have to push harder than you feel is even possible.
The idea of running a 400m competitively now - as a 30 year old - no way... absolutely no way.
Same for me, i prefer the 5000m than the 400m
I remembered this video after watching Quincy Hall come back win today. He was in pain and struggling but he battled hard and won. This race is amazing to watch.
Absolutely, the best 400m I've ever seen! Incredible.
In junior high I was a competitive swimmer but wanted to try track because I was fast. My coach decided it would be best for me to do the 400m. I was making it through practice easy but I was not prepared for the actual race at all. Now I was in very good shape from swimming but that 400 was the most brutal thing I’ve ever done. My legs were numb, I had no breath in my lungs and after I finished it I went and laid on the ground for like 10 minutes in pain. Needless to say I didn’t do track again
haha, great story
@@OutperformOfficialbro clearly probably never swam the 200m Butterfly
@@realalbertanwhat are you on about
Always train harder than the event itself.
@@hipfire1920 depends on what event your doing if your training harder than youd race a 400 or 800 thats just not even optimal
I remember having a sick love for this race. At one point my thoughts about running were so warped that I thought running was supposed to be painful, and it was definitely due to this race.
Bless the coach that pulled me to the side during 200 repeats to talk to me about my stress fractures.
The worst thing to hear from your coach at the end of a meet: “hey we need you to run in the 4x400” 😮😭
haha
When word got out that they were looking for a last leg to run it, EVERYBODY on our team hid..
Lolol
Well said, lol!
hahah you know how it is 🤣🤣🤣@@Guappenheimer
I can definitely relate to this even though I’ve never run competitively. I was a swimmer for most of my athletic career and the 200m had a very similar flow. You don’t have time to slow down, but your body physically cannot make the energy you require. The final 50m was always aerobic agony, you against your own body. Respect to all the 400m runners out there!
Duel between drive to succeed and the overwhelming desire to ease the pain… that is hella poetic sentence
The 400 is absolutely brutal. But one of the worst parts is just the intimidation that you feel before the race.
And the adrenaline rush that you get and knowing it's your body's natural response to allow you to physically exert yourself longer. Then you know that you're gonna wanna die around the 300m mark anyway no matter how skilled you are.
Ufff yes!!! That feeling in the your stomach. The body knows that he is going to feel the pain!!
👌 Absolute horror. Beyond sick to your stomach.🤣🤣🤣💪
Try running a 10k and facing down that intimidation. You know for a fact that you will be in pain for over 25 minutes
@@laptv2144 Nah its definitely a different type of psychological pain. I did track and xc and the nerves of a 400 or 800 were definitely on a different level. the longer distance runs you know you have tme to aclimate and build up speed. the shorter ones are go go gooooooo from start to finish.
Great graphics help explain the torture a runner goes through for this distance. However, I am of the mindset that thinks the 800m is tougher because not only do you go through these phases over a longer distance but you have to be totally aware of your opponents strategy who are jostling for position inches apart.
That is a great point, totally agree, also in the 400m you can't be tripped up by a competitor. 800m is no joke, you could make a great case for it being the hardest event.
800 you literally get bumped off the line and probably will get bumped at least three other times throughout the race. In other words, you are going to get knocked out of the zone and you need to have the mental strength to quickly recover. Not to mention, you have to find a path. The fastest way to run the 800 is to run on the rail, but the rail is also the easiest way to get boxed in. Running in lane 2 for a long time costs you valuable time and valuable energy too. The 800 is not merely about ability. It's a tango, and you have to be better than your opponent on the dance floor.
I've also run a ton of 400s too. I'm not biased because I run 800s. They are both hard
I don't know why but I have ran both 400m and 800m, and 800m was easier for me. Maybe because I was tactically sound and relied more on endurance(Which I had been told quite often by my coach/fellow runners)? Not entirely sure though.
@@Himekocchi I bet your 800m time was nothing to be proud about
High school state competition level the 400M is crazy. But man, I had to run out the 800M at just a regular meet. And I actually thought I was going to die. You really start to respect those med to long distance runners!
Where are the adult competitions ?
So glad I found this video. I wasnt even on my track team in 7th grade, but I was the fastest in my PE class and so my teacher asked me to fill in for the 400. After running two of them against another with no preparation (1st then 2nd place with my teammate passing me) I zombie shuffled to my water bottle, said my brain and ears felt like they just got microwaved, and then spewed my lunch all over the grass. I'm not an athlete and can hands down say that was the most insufferable exercise experience of my life 😂
🤣 Great story!
running both the 400 and 800, I can confirm that the 800 feels like a normal 400 but twice in a row
facts
Judging by the athletes's physiques, 800m feels more like a marathon, full of marathon runners-like physiques, while 400m runners are still bulky, built like sprinters, so less focus on stamina and more on power/explosiveness. They're still expected to be rapid I guess.
Ofc they're all tough as hell, but I can see why this video is talking about the 400m and not 800m.
@@raul5081 as an 800 runner you have to be good at the 400, if you're a 400 runner you don't have to be good in the 800. For the 800, you need both good sprint speed and endurance.
I would say that their point about why the 400 is so hard, too fast to pace and too long to just end, applies to the 400, 400 hurdles and the 800. They sit in what I like to call the uncanny valley of pain. I'm a 200/400 runner but I had to do the 8 for the 2-2-4-8 relay one season and I would concur that a properly run 800 is nearly as intensely painful as the home stretch of the 400 for the last 250 to 300 meters. I've never tried the 400 hurdles because I'm a coward, but I know just from looking there's no way I could jump over anything in that last stretch.
ATP at the top level almost lasts the entire 400m, 800m is harder, this dude is wrong
This video gave me chills like I was running the 400 meter again in Highschool. I came from the 100 and 200 Meyer and they told me to just run it as fast as I can. By the time I hit the last corner it felt like my body weighed 1,000 lbs and I'm shouting at myself to lift my knees up and they aren't cooperating. It is the very essence of what hell must be like.
Yeah , now do it again with the 800m guys😂😂😂😂😂😂
@tesmith47 800 isn't bad compared to the 400. Even me mostly being a 200-400 runner when I did the 800 it was nowhere near stressful
nightmare
The 400 meters is one of my events and it is always at the the end of the meet, which I am very thankful for. So, it is quite a demanding race and always one I do not usually look forward to but I power through. Through time and effort, I was able to run the 400 at a cool 52 seconds
During High School track and field, I remember doing a 400m relay race where we would have to pass a baton to a teammate (I think it was teams of 4). Running 400m was already killing every person I saw there but to have to pass a baton over and make sure you do it correctly so it actually reaches their hands and you don't fumble it/slow them down was insanity.
I still remember what happened in 95% of the 400m races I did because it was just that hard.
This is a great video. When I ran the 400 m in my teenage years, it was hard. Now I make video games about Athletics, but don't run like I used to
In the 400, the first 200 feels fine but just after the 250 your brain tells you things will get worse and sure enough just past the 300 it does! The brain must go into a hypnotic state to hold on to the finish.
This video killed it, but I think there’s one more aspect to the 400 that went unsaid. In other sports, there’s always an uncertainty about whether being better at defense or offense is more valuable, or which team played better, or if the refs were unbiased, whatever. When running, that’s scaled back a bit, but the principle remains. In XC, the race is more of a mental battle, and sometimes it’s hard to really compare runners because one will be better at running hills, another’s heart is better, and maybe one guy’s finish is just killer. More than that, small differences like a night of bad sleep or an unusual amount of food will make an exaggerated difference. Then there’s something like the 100, where a bad start might lose you the race, or superior steroids will win you it, or one guy has an advantage if he can go to the gym. Even in the infamous 800, which has an argument for being the physically harder race, there’s strategy after that first lap that may determine the winner. But in the 400, it’s simply pure. The only measure is speed, and those who really know how to run will know that. It’s a single lap, in a single lane, with the wind and against the wind, and it’s impossible to race with 100% sprinting speed so guts and determination are still a necessity. That’s why I love the 400, and why for me, at least, it’s the hardest event.
Well said! That is a fantastic point.
I really like how you actually gave a point for distance instead of just saying “there’s time to recover” ignoring that after a mile you’re gonna be hurting the rest of the race.
@@R.W.P. yup. If you’re recovering you’re probably not racing it right lol
Couldn't of said it better myself. That final 100 is the most grueling thing ever xD
Nah 800m is absolutely more physically grueling + there is definitively strategizing in the 400m. There are way way way way more 400m athletes scared of the 800m or 400m Hurdles than there are either of those athletes scared of the 400m. Run an a lot 400m and then do it again without stopping and tell me how much easier it is than just doing the 400m.
I’m a sprinter by nature. My events are the 100MD, 200MD, 4x100MR, and Long Jump. However, during high school, specifically my senior year, I was a part of the 4x400MR because the team needed one more guy. I never really trained for the 400, so I had to teach myself. I usually got the slowest time due to the simple fact that I don’t/didn’t consistently train for the event. My best time was a decent 56-57 seconds (it’s somewhere between there I don’t remember the exact number). Now that I’m in college though, I’m definitely NOT doing the 4x400 again💀💀
Bro how to deal with shin pain just above ankle after doing long jump pls help
@@kaluwa5946Those are probably shin splints and they come from a weakness of the muscles in your shin. The stress goes onto the bone and it causes quite a bit of pain. You can look em up
@@kaluwa5946nothing you can really do but rest.
Only exercise that kind of help is calf stretching.
@@kaluwa5946that’s just from not stretching/not being In shape lol. OR it could be the soles in your shoes.
@@kaluwa5946 workout your tibs and calves
The 400 looks easy from my perspective(an outsider who hasn’t even tried it yet) but I know it has to be one of the most taxing things ever done to the human body.
I definitely recommend you to full out sprint a lap of the track. 😄👍
Thanks for this. I used to run 400m for my school. Not because I was good at it (my time was laughably slow), but because none of the better runners wanted to do it. I don't think I ever ran a 400m where I didn't end up vomiting after the race.
I run de 400 and i can confirm that it is very very painful, but i would say that the trainings for it are even harder. This is because in order to train for de 400 you have to feel the lactic acid, you have to push over it while training and look forward to experiencing it to be able to tolerate it better during the race
And when I run 400s I mean it's brutal running the last 100 meters u basically push through the painful oxygen debt that ur Body goes through like it's excruciating bro a week ago after practice I was doing 400s and when I finished for like 10 mins I couldn't even move my legs and I was jus Laying there💀
I used to run for my high school track and field team. The last 150m was basically fight of the strongest will. Your mind is telling you to stop running and you can feel every muscle of your body aching and your heart pumping fast and strong but you see other runners trying to overtake you so you had to pushed with whatever energy you have left just to finish the race and hopefully win it. Great video btw
Thank you!
As a former 400 runner, it is by far the most painful event, everyone on my track team shared the opinion that its a distance event where you have to sprint the whole time. Everyone hated it lol
" everyone on my track team shared the opinion that its a distance event where you have to sprint the whole time."
Nah, that's a 800m race
@@davidcmpeterson You hardly have to sprint on a 800m.
100 - Speed & technique
400 - Speed, technique & Endurance
800- Technique & Endurance
I just graduated college as a Kinese major and we learned so much on energy capacity and many different systems in my exercise physiology class (one of the hardest classes I had to take). Holy crap watching this vid explanation made me proud that I took that class cuz I understood everything and knew certain specifics 😂😂😂 After the 400 race your body has fully depleted 2 of the 3 energy systems. Your body is basically telling you you’re dying. Phosphagen system lasts 0-15 seconds (sprint runners), anaerobic system lasts 2min ish (800m runners), and aerobic system can last for hours (marathon runners) and more as long as you have enough glucose in your glycogen stores within the muscles which comes from the breakdown of carbohydrates in the body. lol that’s why “carb loading” before those certain races are imperative otherwise you’ll plop like a dead fish out of water. 😅
That is great to hear! I graduated with an exercise science degree a while ago and remember my exercise physiology class being very difficult as well, nice to hear that things haven't changed. Thanks for sharing and best of luck on the track and in the field of Kinesiology!
This was my event at a D1 level. I was decent, not great. This event scared me to death, but I learned I could stand pain, so I did it. The training is crazy and will bring you to your knees.
First time I ever ran the 400m was brutal. Never trained for it. Just got cocky and wanted to see if I could do it. My coach just smiled and said OK😊.
I was in the lead until the final corner where I lost all my wind. It was like I was running in slow motion while the other runners passed me. I ended up in dead last and even fell trying to cross the finish line 😂😅.
Definitely not something you can run on a whim and expect to actually compete.
Exact thing happened to me, I even fell at the finish😭
this just happened to me 😭
Yeeeeeees, this happened with me too! In the last 100m, I just down, my legs started to wobble and I was staggering in the floor in front of 200 people 😪
Always thought the 800 was the hardest event, but I suppose that’s because I never ran the 400 at a high level. Considering how much I dread the 2nd lap of the 800, I can see why those last 100m are such a struggle. Especially with kinds of speeds you have to maintain to get good times at an elite level.
Nah the 800m is still the hardest
@@nicholasquintin5676 Wrong. A 400 is a flat-out sprint; an 800 isn't. I saw a guy vomit after running a 400.
@@nicholasquintin5676nah bruh as someone who ran both the 800m and 400m. That last 100m is more painful than an 800m finish.
@@profd65you think an 800 isn’t?
@@Ennn117yes 800 is NOT a flat-out sprint.
I loved running in the 1600m relay. That was always my favorite race. It was the hardest but finishing was always more fulfilling than the other events.
what a narration .. this is pure emotional treat :)
Thank you, really appreciate that 🙏
I love this video. It’s exactly what the runners of 400m experiment during that race.
Being 31 and now getting back into running this year, I can easily do 5ks, 10ks, and even managed my first half marathon this year. I ran the 400 and 4x4 relay back in junior high and always respected it ever since. It’s definitely something else and I can’t even imagine running my old personal best of :56 like I did back then. That last stretch your body is so exhausted that it gets into a state where it feels like your legs and arms are out of rhythm and that’s where people usually pull a muscle or fall. You’re not in sync with body anymore and you’re just trying to finish through it.
indeed，400m was most painful distance i ever run.i even felt fear about it
I run long distance in track, 3200m, 1600m, 800m, that type of thing. The first time I did an 800 it was absolutely hell,
It felt like I was sprinting the whole time.
Then one time I had to sub my friends 400m in the medley, I will say it did not feel good, but I did better than their old PRs and it felt no where near as bad as my 800m.
Yes for me there is definitely a battle between the 400m and the 800m but I found that the 800m burned the legs extremely while the 400m is the whole body saying stop. For me, vomiting after a 400m is common but I have never vomited after an 800m
As a former collegiate runner who competed in the 400 and 800, I was also relieved to run the 400 because as you said...the 800 is HELL!!!
Ran cross country and switched to the 800 and 600 for track.
The switch from mile to 800 is hard. The pace of an 800 sits in an uncomfortable spot. It’s very difficult to maintain. It’s a distance race sped up.
The 400 is an entirely different animal. You’re supposed to go all out through the whole thing, because you can’t really control your pace at that speed. It’s a sprint elongated.
2 different races, which is why I think many people disagree on which is more difficult.
I still have nightmares from the 400m from high school. It felt like my heart wanted to leave my body 😫😭
I am going to be a freshman next year and i am trying out for the soccer team. our pre- try out conditioning is to run eight 400m races split up by class. (sophomore etc.) after i reach that third curve my legs start burning and i feel like i am going to trip if my legs quit on me. it most definitely is one of the most strenuous races. respect to all 400m athletes
Speaking truth!! Was running it when it was the 440 . Called it the Man's race. Though hated longer distances enjoyed the 800 because I could "coast" in the beginning and still have power for sprint last 100
The running part is tough, but nothing close to the pain after the race imo. Burning legs for 20 minutes, unable to catch the breath, feeling sick until throwing up.. knowing all that and still running your butt off requires a very interesting state of mind 😅
I've never done the 400. Tried the 500 once and by the end I was scratching my legs wondering where my legs had gone. Was a solid 1600 runner but the 500 was terrifying. Would never do again
haha! That's great
Well done, this video is a piece of art
Thank you so much! 🙏
I was a 5000m specialist for about 3 years when I started I was a 26:13 5Ker I eventually got that time down to 16:18 in a little under 1 1/2 - 2 years. I used to really lean into it with 1200m to go then an all out sprint the final 400m. To this day it was the hardest I ever pushed my body to it’s limits.
4:02 the music makes it sound like a countdown clock for a 400m runner's life! 🤣
when knowledge, narration, and editing all did their best to create a masterpiece 🔥
Really appreciate it 🙏
I ran anchor of the 4 x 400m at Penn Relays. I finished with a bloody nose from swinging my arms on the final 50m with the baton...the roar of the crowd while my legs and lungs were on fire is all that fueled me!
Man, what a time Penn Relays were. I ran there also for the 4x400m. That crowd is something other worldly and so many people around. I popped off also, we got first in our heat and it was worth it.
@@jrelldun When my track coach was in HS the entire stadium was cheering his name as he broke the 800m record as an undersized sophomore. Still gives me goose bumps thinking about how cool that must have been for him!
@@joecowan3719 I can imagine man, every HS track athlete should experience it.
Every event at the highest level offers its own form of torture... both in competing and training...
If I had to pick one event which sits at the top- I'd say milers...
They have to train speed and endurance- covering just about all energy systems...
Indeed, many milers can run a high 40 something 400m- and at the same time run a mean 10k !!
Many move up to the marathon such is their talent... which calls in another skill- mental fortitude...
Fantastic comment and great points! This is what makes track and field such an amazing sport (also why we didn't say definitively that the 400m is the hardest). You're spot on about the training and abilities of 1500m runners. VO2 max training is brutal and their 400 ability is crazy considering the amount of endurance work they do.
The mental component of the marathon and the type of training required at the elite level is truly remarkable, easily could be the most difficult.
My view is they grow or expand. They get skinny or they bulk up. They get lazy or courageous. Comparing two forms of torture as to which inflicts the most suffering is kind of kinky. Having gotten that off my chest, I would say the 800 is the hardest, as far as I can gauge from what I see, it is getting to be two 400 reps, which is the definition of cruelty.
Mile is definitely up there, the olympic standard for a mile is 4 minutes or so. That’s 4, 60 second 400’s back to back. Insane.
You can pull into a pace in the mile. You can't do that in the 800. The 800 is far worse.
I think the 400m is the absolute perfect (semi) sprint race in all of T&F.
I only ran in high school, but I was built for the 400m (440yd in my day). The faster sprinters were afraid because it was too long, and the distance runners didn't like starting off that fast. I was definitely in my element with the 440.
In my best 400 I ever ran, I exhausted my energy reserves in the last 50m. The sinking feeling of my competitors having more kick than me and there’s nothing I can do will haunt me for the rest of my life. I love the 400m more than anything and although my racing days were short-lived, my children will experience this pain at least once in their lives.
Awesome video. got me hyped up during off season.
one important thing: its even harder for slower runners (women, youth or master athletes) with times way above 50 seconds.
because the hard part does not start at the 300m line but after 30 to 35 seconds.
Thanks, great to hear!
Slower runners have to be more like 800m runners.
David Rudisha (800m WR holder) has run the 500m in 57.69, which should be physiologically equivalent to sub-elite sprinters running 400m.
And then you do that with hurdles... last 100m even my arms were cramping 😂 lots of memories thanks for this video!
The best video explaining the 400m up to date
Yep
Thanks, really appreciate it.
This video is amazing, please we need a cycling video like this, it's a purely mental sport and it takes every ounce of energy out of you
Really appreciate it. As someone who transitioned to road cycling after being a track athlete in college I absolutely agree! Would love to make that video (even though it wouldn't get many views on this channel 🙂) The mental challenge of a TT at any distance is unreal, difficult to describe to someone that hasn't done it.
I once applied for interuniversity running competition as 400m runner without ever running 400m competitively. They had a gap there as no one was willing to run it. And like, my 100m and 200m are decent but when I reached 200-250m I just felt something shut down and my pace very much halfed. And there I'm running the rest feeling like I have a bag of cement on my back seeing 4 runners just pass by. Including the other guy from my team (there were running two runners for each of three teams).
sprints, athletes can win, and keep on jogging straight into their victory lap. Same with 10k and even marathon. 400 is pretty much the only even where even the best trained athletes cross the line and end up on their back needing a good couple minutes before they can even celebrate
That's an extremely good point I've never thought about. But for the average athlete there's no way a 400m is more painful than a marathon.
@@crosh3301 speaking for myself (an above average but far from elite athlete), the 400, 800, and mile that I used to compete in were truly more painful than 5k's and 10k's. In distance races your body reaches an equilibrium and you get your "second wind" and a meditative runners high. Middle distances all you get is a trip through lactic acid hell, lol.
My longest training runs were about half marathon distance, so I won't speak on the marathon
In high school I ran the 400m my sophomore and junior year on the 4x400 relay and senior in the open 400 year. I did not hate it but it was brutal. What’s worse is putting hurdles in the mix. That’s what I hated. In addition I hated the 800 even more due to the extended pacing knowing I had another lap to go. We had a term “riggy” if someone died in the last 100m. I did it terribly one time. I just listened to my body thereafter.
I'm a distance runner and I never really experienced pain that was any worse than after an 800. Maybe I just didn't run the 400 right but it never really got me dying on the ground like the 1600 and the 800 or even the 5k.
You bring up an interesting point, most athletes are unable to truly push themselves to that limit. The ability the best 400m runners have to go that deep is very rare.
@@OutperformOfficialI personally feel like any race can be the ‘hardest’ if you go your 100%
@@R.W.P. What a blanket statement
@@R.W.P. Yes and no. At the end of a competitive 100m, you see people celebrating. At the end of a 1500m, they may need a moment, but they'll quickly be fine. But a typical 400m ends with most athletes just collapsing into the ground as soon as they cross the finish line (and sometimes before).
@@unaccompaniedseal4035 that’s the point
My favorite track event. I particularly like when you round the third turn and everyones set even
I have read a meta data analysis on the physiology of different track races and the 400 is that blend of anaerobic and aerobic that is just pure hell.
I ran D1 400m 45s outdoor and 47s indoor and I was mentally afraid of the races especially finals bc I knew the pain I would be submitting myself to. 100+ m of sprinting minimum are completely anaerobic. I essentially was unconscious at finish of some these especially after multiple races in a day - couldnt see anything but black.
That is hardcore!
Watching this after Quincy Halls winning Paris 2024 with the look of pure agony after the first 100m.
As an 800 and 400 runner, I gotta say that the 800m is just way harder. I think a big part of the reason that people think the 400m is harder is becasue most 400m runners are sprinters who never even seriously attempted any further distances.
Yep. There is categorically no way that anyone who has actually run and trained at track thinks the 400m is harder than the 800. For me, the 800 is by far the most brutal. Hitting your anaerobic wall at about 650 metres and trying not to vomit/shit yourself on the home straight. Hideous race. Also, the 1500 can be an absolute monster if you go out too hard.
B-i-n-g-o.
800 and 3200 r the worst for me while the 1600 and 400 r the easiest i find
800 is substantially harder than the 400. When you finish that first lap and you are exhausted already and you realize you’re supposed to do another entire “sprint lap” again, it’s a race you gotta have some freaking guts for
the 800 allows for a bit more strategy and pacing across the board it's almost unspoken coz you know everyone you're competing against has to have it too. not in the 400. its purely a game of how big a bet you're willing to make, you're just there to decide how much you're ready to fcuk yourself up
Whenever I had to run 400m,I used to get many thoughts, and you get a stranger feeling in core which slowly rises up-to head,its totally true that last 100m is all mindset whether you go all out or sometimes you may also stop
03:15 is so true at start the few hundred meters you feel good but almost reaching the end, id say about 50-100m you don't feel all out at all even it's a short distance
‘Theatre of pain’… very accurate description
This is a pretty cool video, not gonna lie - well done
Appreciate it!
Thank you for not lying
The thing that makes the 400m so hard for me, and probably everyone else, but the way to run it as fast as possible, you HAVE to gas yourself in the first 250-300m. You can't save any energy for the last straight because you will have already lost too much time to make up. You have to run the first 300m almost as fast as you can and then pull whatever you have left in the last 100m.
not true. F=ma the best most efficient way to run the race is to accelerate and decelerate as little as possible. Your velocity should remain the same the entire race.
@@tann_man that's actually what I mean. You run harder in the last 150m, but you don't actually accelerate. You just keep yourself from decelerating as much as possible
I've run collegiate races from the 60m up to the 4x800 at D1 level in the big east winning an indoor 200m title/ runner up 400m final and can confirm, the 400m is the hardest race in track from my POV. Even distance runners agree when they drop down for a DMR or a B-team relay. 400mH is close next to the 800m as well but in mens quarter hurdles although they are significantly taller than women's, it breaks up your race mentally and you have a stride rhythm. Even in the 800, you have a bell lap split. mentally that makes a world of difference. you can vividly compartmentalize negative split potential etc. 400m you have no reference point. there's really no "True" gameplan except curve running and 1st straight away phases. outside that it's be under 23 or bust for your half split. which you get no actually confirmed feedback for midrace anyway. being "Fast" in the 400m requires an extreme exhaustion of certain muscle groups vs 800 and 200m and the 400mH has the ability to make up tremendous time to forgive slower pace via jump technique. not all 400mH who go under 48 can do the same in the open without hurdles which is just funny to me lol but explains a lot.
Fantastic breakdown!
In high school I did cross country in the fall, wrestling in the winters, crew in the summers, then wrestling again in the summers. I think wrestling overall is one of the hardest and most rewarding sports out there, but even as someone who loved a good fight and was a fan of endurance sports (while I didn't run marathons I would run the 20 mile walk for hunger in Boston for "fun" in those days), one event that was easy to hate was the 400m the couple of times I tried track and field.
400m is the hardest event ! I ran 19 marathons, competed in several heptathlons and finished a 20-120-10 POWERMAN Duathlon, but i never felt so exhausted at the finish line.
Sure, as i broke the 3h barrier i was totally done, but my wish to vo... was much stronger after running a sub 59s 400m.
The 400 is like the 1,000 in cycling or speed skating. Pure brutality. You hit a wall of pain at the 800, your legs swell and become super tight, the pain is blistering and desperation seeps in as you imagine your legs aren’t turning. You make it to the line gnashing your teeth and not until you cross and relax do you suddenly realize your legs spinning fast. Passing out is not uncommon.
Absolutely! I don't think many people know about the kilo in track cycling (bummer its not in the olympics anymore).A good friend of mine that was an elite cyclist said that it would take him more time to recover after that ~1-minute race than after a 2-week stage race.
He also passed out and crashed after finishing on 2 separate occasions. I imagine it could be similar for speed skating.
@@OutperformOfficial exactly. Eric Heiden talked a lot about the kilo and the 1500 in speed skating. I was a 13 time national champion for Trinidad and Tobago and suffered my share of killer kilos.
That pain in your glutes and thighs after a 400m, it's unique 🥴
bet you never ran a competitive 800m
Runner and a freshman. I tried to take it easy at the start and by the time I got to about 200 yards, I was getting SMOKED so I tried to pick up the pace and in the final 100 yards, I had nothing. No legs, no wind, and I was literally delusional. After throwing up my snack and water, they asked me if I liked to run the race on a regular basis. I can't tell you what I said because I would be banned. But, you catch my drift. It was the running joke the rest of my time on next three seasons of track. The 440/400 meters takes a special person and mindset. Hats off to all of you who enjoy running that event.
Great write up!
Amazing. This is one of the best videos I have seen
Thank you!
I had to run the 400 in high school track. It actually felt more brutal than the mile.
You ran it right!
the 400 was the only time i threw up at meets - just brutal! great video
It epitomizes the sport of Track & Field. Pain and suffering that really never ends all for a few moments of glory, but those few moments….. there’s really nothing like them.
Well said!
400m sprint AND the 300m Hurdles were the most antagonizing pain I've ever done in my entire life of running. As a 110m hurdler, 100m sprinter, and 4x100 relay runner as the 3rd leg, I never ever ever ever EVER want to do 400m or 300m hurdles ever again.
We literally had to do them for our "Hell Weeks" during our training. Although I was actually pretty good at them and ran really well, I'm ONLY a short sprinter lmao
ive watched this video twice in its entirety, its just so well put together
Thank you!
I've ran for four years, 16:22 in the Cross Country 5k and a 52 in the 400, but nothing hurts more than the 800. I ran 2:00.3 and legitimately couldn't see or walk for over half an hour after finishing. When trained right you just run through your vision going out at about 200 to go and pray you make it to the line before collapse. I will say, passing out before the line sucks, all the efforts for nothing
if the 400m is the hardest, then the 400m hurdles is the hardest...but the actual hardest is the 800m - there is no time for pacing, you have less than a minute to prepare for the final lap which is pretty close to a flat out 400m sprint. Current world record had 2 lap times of 49 and 51 seconds
The only thing harder than running 1 400... Is 2 400s. Totally agree, 800 is a beast.
@@TheBswanwhy do you think 400 is harder than Mile+?
Mile gives you room for error. If you mess up you can chill for a bit and come back and you don't start hard with the mile. @@R.W.P.
@@UziiTubeWe’re taking about how hard it is to run. Not how penalized you get for tripping.
@@UziiTube Also your never ‘chilling’ during a mile. It’s a prolonged effort. You go as fast as your body can withstand for the distance. And even that is not comfortable.
Also the mile has much higher chance for an error in the first place plus you can only beat someone if you’ve messed up if you had a bodily advantage over them in the first place. And varying on your style you can start hard.
Simple answer to the question: Yes. I was the fastest in my area in multiple events and was used a a multitool. 400m was my main event. I was always anchor for the 4x100, ran the 200m (and of course 4x400), at at some meets I'd be put into the 800m too. I ran 300m and 600m indoors. The 600m is a close second to most grueling. But nothing compares to the final 100 of a 400m. In shorter events you either have the god given talent or you don't. In longer events there is strategy you can use spread out over the race. The 400m is in between. If you're running against guys near your time you have to decide beforehand whether you'll take the 100-200m balls to the wall or just slightly slower to have more for the final 100. Regardless the final 100 of a 400m is brutal.
I used to do T&F competitively and what makes the pure 400m harder than the 400m hurdles imo is that there is no way of pacing at all. In Hurdles you have a rhythm that you fall back on. The sheer chaos of not knowing if the pace is good or if the runner next to you is going to fast or to slow and second guessing every section on the track is insane. Ofc last 80m feel like you’re going to die before you cross that finish line. Would do it again tho!!
Great point!
As a former 400m pro youth runner, now I knew why I hate running at all. When I was young, during the run, I always thought that this time I'm gonna die for sure. And the recovery phase was also too painful. It was 20 years ago, but I still remember how much even my ears had pain after the final 100m.. But, at least it gave my the ability to resist internal pressures during endurance related activities
400m is hard but i really like it because it cause me to push myself to the limit.
I wouldn't call it pain in my case, the legs simply switch off in the home straight - it's impossible to get the leg lift required to drive the legs. The harder I've gone, the worse it is.
Thats why so many 400 runners train for longer distances on interval days. Endurance besides speed is everything.
@@donnybrooklads Golden words it is
Respect to these guys!
I ran ultra distance for a sponsor when I was 20. I could never break 1 minute in 400m!
I'm a lifter and a former state-level swimmer. While I quit swimming to get huge, I've discovered that I'm also pretty good at sprinting and so I'm just starting to get into that.
In swimming, the 200-yard swim (Short Course) seems like the equivalent of a 400-meter dash. On the cusp of sprint and distance, with pacing very difficult to get right. I was always good at the sprints in swimming too😂
It's more akin to 100yrd free. Top swimmers go low 40s and top runners go low 40s. The 200m is like the 800. I was really good at 50s and 100s in swim and 200s and 400s in track. I went to TX state championship for 100 fly, 100 free and 100 back and 50 back then switched sports and picked up running my senior year (a month behind the other runners) and almost made it to state in the 400m, the biggest differentiating factor between myself and my teammates was the ridiculous amount of conditioning you get from swimming, it translated very well into the 400m (I even competed some 800m but it more just to make the 400m feel shorter by comparison)
I used to run 400 seriously in high school. COVID ruined my chances of taking it seriously beyond that, but I still remember the feeling of running it. People used to think I was mad because I loved that final 100m stretch. Yes, it was the most excruciating pain, but it was also satisfying to know I was pushing my body to its limits. I had left it all in the track. Most people don't even have the guts to feel that kind of pain, but us 400m runners lived for it. You really have to be a little insane to run it. But it's also one of the greatest feelings in the world
"You really have to be a little insane to run it" - well said 👍
800... Not a sprint, not long distance. Pure pain.
All the lactic acid danger