What’s harder: a triathlon or a marathon?

Having discussions with you family or friends whether doing a marathon or triathlon is tougher? You came to the right spot to get your question answered. Both endurance sports are similar in a way, but differentiate from several points of view.

You can compare a triathlon to a marathon only if you specify the distance of a triathlon. Most people experience it as follows: the sprint triathlon and Olympic triathlon are easier than a marathon, the half triathlon is slightly harder than a marathon, and the full triathlon is definitely harder than a marathon.

That is a straightforward answer, but in fact, it depends on several factors and the way you look at it. If you want to know more about which factors determine the toughness of these sports, have a read. 

The different triathlon distances

To dig deeper into the reasons why a person can experience a marathon or triathlon to be harder and tougher, we first need to break down the different triathlon distances.

	Swim	Bike	Run
Sprint Triathlon	750 m	20 K	5 K
Olympic Triathlon	1.5 K	40 K	10 K
Half Triathlon / Ironman 70.3	1.9 K	90.1 K	21.1 K
Full Triathlon / Ironman	3.9 K	180.2 K	42.2 K

If you wonder why the triathlon has a fixed sequence of swim, bike and run. you can read this blog.

Comparing half triathlon vs. marathon

As these two distances come closest to the toughness and performance, I will compare them based on different variables. The comparison is being made for amateur athletes, not professionals, as most of you will fall in that first segment.

Comparing finish times

Average finish times of a half triathlon

In triathlon and marathon, the term ‘age groupers’ is being used quite often. This refers to the non-professional athletes who participate in the event, ranging from 18 onwards. The average finish time for male age groupers is 5:50, for female age groupers this is 6:24 hours. 

Looking for a suitable first triathlon race course? Read this!

Average finish times of a marathon

Compared to a marathon, the average finish time of male age groupers is 4:30, while the women finish in 5:00 hours. 

Of course the difficulty of a track course determines if these times need to be adjusted, but these times are still a good rule of thumb. Looking at these times, it can be concluded that a half triathlon takes roughly 1:30 hours more than a marathon, which is significantly more time on the course.

Comparing the required training level

Required training level for a half triathlon

Obviously, a triathlon requires you to have a sufficient training level for three different sports instead of one. And that is exactly the challenge for a lot of athletes. 

Running and cycling are sports that most people know how to perform, as you have learned the basics during childhood. But a lot of athletes struggle with swimming. If you want to swim freestyle, 1.9 kilometers may not sound like a lot compared to the other distances, but you may find yourself losing tons of energy and time if this element is not performed properly. Read this blog to know how and when to start your swim training sessions.

And that being the first of the three elements, you could start the bike course quite exhausted. The advantage of a triathlon is that you have transition zones where you can recover shortly. Plus, by doing three different sports you leverage different muscles and joints which divides the fatigue of each muscle group.

Required training level for a marathon

A marathon on the other hand requires an extreme training level as well. Using the same muscles and joints for over 4 hours is going to hurt. Your legs start to burn and are in need of calories and glucose. 

Mentally and physically, the monotone exercise of putting one leg in front of the other could become a real challenge. However, it’s just one sport that requires a proper training level, not three.

The run section in the triathlon and the marathon require proper preparation during training sessions and on race day. Read this blog about do’s and don’ts of stretching.

Comparing the training regime 

Training regime of a half triathlon

The training regime for a half triathlon is diverse and focuses on high volumes and low intensity. You could say that a triathlon is the ultimate endurance challenge. 

And to become a proper endurance athlete you will need to put a lot of miles in your training at a pace or heart rate that is considered to be low till medium. Your muscles need to get used to the fact that carbohydrates and glucose are needed for a very long time. 

Your schedule will dictate how much time you can devote to training. But in order to master three sports, you most probably will need to train 5 – 6 days a week, sometimes doing two sports a day. 

Training regime of a marathon

The training regime for a marathon is somewhat different and might be more complex. While training for the triathlon has less intensity, a typical marathon training regime requires more interval and tempo runs, next to long distance runs. That could make you feel exhausted quite often. 

The diversity of these training sessions can be experienced as more fun. At the same time your knees, ankles, and muscles in your leg are the only ones who need to take the constant beating. Therefore you should be careful not to run into injuries such as shin splints or achilles injuries.

Conclusion

If you compare the average time on the track, the training level that you must have, and the training regime of a half triathlon with a marathon, most people would agree that a half triathlon is harder.

Browse these blogs to get inspired by amazing triathlon videos and other athletes on Instagram.