Take a run at this question: Which event is the hardest?

Most of this weekend’s state meet athletes dislike the 400, 800 and 300 hurdles.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

It didn’t take long for Warren JFK senior Daniel Hull to answer the question. And it didn’t take long for him to change his mind.

When asked to name the hardest event in track and field, Hull first argued for the 800 meters, then for the 4x400 relay. Then Hull gave it more thought and came up with (we think) his answer.

“The 400 is the hardest,” said Hull, who just happens to be one of the best 400 runners in the state. “It’s maximum sustained energy output.”

Or, to quote Mooney senior Nick Pederzolli, “It’s killer.”

It’s an interesting argument. And the answer you get often depends on who you ask, so maybe it’s best to first define the term “hardest.”

Checklist

If you’re talking about the most technically difficult, most people would agree that pole vaulting gets the nod.

If you’re talking about the toughest to win, i.e., the smallest margin of error, you’d have to go with the 100 or the 110 hurdles.

If you’re talking about the event that requires the most amount of time training, you’d have to go with the 3200.

But if you’re talking about the event that is most likely to leave you feeling like you fell out of the punch-in-the-gut tree and hit every branch coming down, well, you really only have three possibilities.

How did we get there? Easy.

First, eliminate all field events. Pole vault is the most technically difficult (and has the highest risk of injury), but it can also be fun — even if you lose — and the hardest event shouldn’t be fun unless you win. The other four field events (high jump, long jump, discus and shot put) have the same problem. Although they can be difficult to master, they can also be fun.

So scratch them.

Not enough pain

Second, eliminate the 100, 200 and 110 (or 100) hurdles. They’re too short, which eliminates the pain element. And winning the event often comes down to genetics. If you’re born fast, they’re easy. If you’re not, they’re hard.

Third, eliminate the 1600 and 3200, partly because you can pace yourself but mainly because distance runners actually enjoy running that far. Distance runners are weird that way.

So that leaves three events: the 400, the 300 hurdles and the 800. If you’ve done one, you’ve usually at least tried the other two.

“I ran the 300 hurdles as a sophomore, but I wasn’t good at it,” said Hull, who also runs in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays. “The 800 is a speed race, but there’s a little bit of endurance, too.”

Lowellville senior Rachel Mariotti runs the 300 hurdles and the 4x400 relay. (Side note: College athletes run the 400 hurdles, which everyone agrees is torture.)

“I think it’s a tie between the 300 hurdles and the 4x400,” she said. “With the 300 hurdles, girls come out of nowhere. It’s the most mentally challenging [event], let alone physically.”

Potpourri

Mineral Ridge senior Nicole Honsaker runs the 100, 200 and 400. She first ran the 400 in eighth grade and has run those three events ever since. Although she started running cross country to improve her endurance, she still feels pain after one lap around the track.

“The 400 is the hardest,” she said. “It’s pretty much a straight sprint.”

Warren JFK junior Audrey Maheu, who also runs cross country, argues for the 800. She’s one of the best 800 runners in the state, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she likes to run it.

“I’d say the 800 is the hardest,” said Maheu, who also runs the 4x400 relay. “The 400 is really tough, too. You don’t have as much room for error. But the 800 is all out for two laps.”

Then again, for Maheu, the hurdles pose a different challenge.

“I can’t hurdle,” she said. “I can’t handle running with stuff in my way.”

Hull doesn’t like to run the 800, but he doesn’t dread it, either.

“When I’m running the 400, the night before the race I realize how much it’s going to hurt,” he said. “But when you’re done, you feel better than anything.”

The answer

In some ways, the answer comes down to personal preference. (Or lack of preference.) Perhaps the biggest difference between the 400 and the 800 is the final 100 meters. Runners often get outkicked in the 800 by athletes who have saved something for the end. This rarely happens in the 400, where runners are generally too exhausted to make a move.

And that includes the best ones.

“The 400 is all guts,” said Pederzolli, who is aiming to win a state title in the 400 in Division II at this weekend’s state meet. “It hurts the whole time, but you’ve just got to suck it up and take it.”

scalzo@vindy.com