With track and field just in the early stages of the season today, we are going to talk about what I feel is the hardest event in the sport. In events like the 100 and 200 meters, those are typically easier explosive sprints, but in the 400 meters, it gets a little harder having to have a dead sprint for the entirety of the race. In the 800-meter race, it requires the athlete to sprint at nearly maximal speed while simultaneously conserving energy.

While there are events like the mile that is also high up on the list of the hardest events to run in track, it just doesn’t compare to what athletes have to endure while running the 800 meters, battling not only their physical endurance but also their mental. You have to master the art of pacing yourself and decide when to kick it into high gear without wearing yourself down. Now, while some people may think that this is one of the easier events, personally, from hearing thoughts about what the hardest event is, I’ve heard from the majority that the 800 meters has to be the hardest event.

The website True Grit|Runner’s World states, “The 800 meter wins many runners’ awards for the most difficult race. Mark Fernando, a University of Houston middle-distance runner, says the quandary for many 800 meter runners is in the intensity of the final curve and the homestretch. “The race is almost an all-out sprint for 500 meters, then somehow you have to mentally and psychically dig deep down and tell yourself to kick for another 300 meters when your body is running on fumes,” he says.

Throughout every event in track and field, the 800-meter dash has to be the most physically and mentally demanding for the athletes that run the event. Although some may disagree, everyone who has run this event has to agree that the 800-meter dash has to be one of the hardest races to run.