Pressie Traverse vs Marathon

[giggy]

for the upcoming event - I am telling folks at work (who I hope to give me $$ for the BTS) about the event and trying to describe what a "Prezzie Traverse" is. I have been relating it to a marathon -

I have never done a marathon so don't know how true this comparison is - was hoping someone who has done both could provide some perspective if they are in the same ballpark. - lets not get too technical here - I know one is running and one is hiking - but on average - ya know.

 

[sapblatt]

I have done one marathon...I would say that the traverse is harder, but the fact that you are not running may make it seem easier...it takes more hours to bonk...the marathon has not rest stops...
I would still rather try a traverse - I did not make it as far as I hoped last year.

 

[JohnL]

I'm sure you'll get answers from both end of the spectrum here. I did my first traverse last year but I added Isolation which added about 9 or 10 extra miles. I think I would still rather do the traverse than I would a marathon. But it is still a long tough walk so your comparison is appropriate. It is an all day endeavor no matter how you look at it.

JohnL

 

[Tim Horn]

On the traverse you will not hit the wall and probably will not hallucinate, unless of course you eat the wild shrooms. I find it is less taxing to hump a pack 26 miles than to run 26 miles. Hiking I go at a very measured pace and take a rest every hour for food and stretching. So I never loose my electrolyte balance and I can go for a long time. In the marathon there is only covering ground and the pain of running at peak threshold. Also you are competing in a Marathon and there is none of that in hiking.(at least for me). The real measure is that the day after you do the traverse you can get up and hike 10 miles. Try running 10 the day after you do 26 and you will likely end up injured if you can make it. I think the impact of running takes a much bigger toll on your body especially when you get dehydrated and start to lose form and mental focus. If I were being paid to do one or the other I would choose to hike. I think it is physically less demanding but more importantly I think that hiking is more rewarding to your soul and spirit. Either way your gonna be ready for a foot rub and a beer at the end.

 

[dug]

Think about the 'isolation'. Not the mountain. Even if you are hiking with someone, you are not likely to have thousands of people cheering you with every step on a Traverse like you do with the Boston Marathon. That is encouragement that is hard to quantify.

Next, think about the break points. Tired as you may be, it's awfully difficult to just pull up to a park bench and have a snack and take a break on a marathon. You may never get started again. That will probably happen many times on a Traverse.

Now, think about the views. I'll take 20+ miles above treeline over staring at the pavement for 26.2 miles any day. But, I personally hate jogging, so I'll say the hiking is easier. Even when in training for my college soccer team, I was famous for feigning an injury during our long training runs.

 

[sli74]

I have never done a marathon but I have survived a half-marathon . . . I won't call what I did running a half-marathon but I completed it and I have completed a Presi Traverse and for me the Half-marathon was harder even though it took less than 20%, actually less than 15% the amount of time of the Traverse.

Hiking is less strenuous I think because you can keep your own pace and stop and "smell the roses" while a marathon isn't like that. Also I think each person's body will find one or the other easier. I have friends who run marathons competitively and they cannot endure a hike lasting longer than 7-10 hours while I can plug away for over 20 hours on a hike. Now, make me run for 3 hours and I am ready to end my life and they feel energized afterwards.

Also, I think the muscles you use are different so if you do one over the other with any regularity you are bound to train your body for that activity and hence that activity will seem less draining or atleast the other activity will seem difficult.

I prefer hiking to running any day, but that too is a personal preference . . .

sli74

 

[Mike P.]

4 1/2 miles is about all I can handle jogging at a time & that is at the beach on the boards & I even walk there a couple of .10ths of a mile.

Attempting the traverse this weekend but I've but in some 20 mile + multiple peak days & Jefferson South a few years ago & that seems easier.

One is run & keep mind going but body needs to keep going, can stop & call it quits.

Other requires just walking, takes all day (at least longer) but really can't stop & call it quits (Easy button - cell phone aside)

 

[--M.]

To me, the qualitative difference is the continuous output required of a marathon: no stops. With hiking, we even have time for concepts like lunch. I've done the hiking, but I can't continuously run any more (joints).

 

[Jim lombard]

I'll tell you next week, on Saturday we're doing the traverse with a man who runs the Boston marathon every year at a 3hr pace. He's only done one or two rugged hikes in the Whites and so far his only concern is his ankles. My concern is if I'll be able to get back up after eating lunch on Washington

 

[LenDawg]

I haven't done a marathon, but a half-marathon, and thought the Presi Traverse was much easier. In fact, I would say that the Wildcats-Carters-Moriah traverse starting at Glenn Ellis Falls is harder than the full Presi-Traverse. With the Presi Traverse, you can stop, and eat, and socialize, and have some chilli and a whooppi pie on top of Washington. A half marathon was straight running. The Wildcat-carter-moriah traverse was the most difficult, in my opinion, of those three.

 

[Woody]

I think the comparison is a fair one. Many runners go out and do five miles without any problem and a five mile day hike is a piece of cake for most hikers. So with this warped logic - think back to when you took your SAT's (or other standardized tests in school). A marathon is to a daily run as a presidential range traverse is to a normal day hike. Makes sense to me.

By the way - I hate to run! My knees like it even less.

 

[Artex]

Cool thread! Having done a few marathons now (and a 50K ultra) as well as a Pressie traverse, I'd have to say marathons are harder, at least for me.

Looking at recovery times from both, it took me longer to recover from the marathons than it did from the Pressie traverse. Noticed the same for other longer hikes. Running faster and on pavement in marathons requires more work, even if on my feet for a shorter amount of time. I recovered quicker from the 50K though, I'm guessing because it was all on trails.

It's hard to compare the two because with marathons the focus is on time for most people. Pressie traverses aren't. The time focus with marathons means stepping up your level of effort more so than a Pressie traverse where it's "acceptable" to take breaks as needed. Just my two cents.

 

[jade]

I walked the Boston Marathon a few years back and have done 24 mile hikes with 6,000' elevation....I used to run 10ks on a regular basis...I would say that hiking is more mentally rewarding and more forgiving on the legs and feet...Being in good shape and given the choice, I would no doubt choose the mountains, rock hopping an all......then I would watch giggy celebrate with a beer (or three)....

...Jade

 

[Jay H]

I'd do marathons if they let me bike it.. Heck, I'd even use a single speed. I'm not a runner, never particularly liked running although I've done a bunch of 5ks, because they were for charity. I get bored with running, I'm not concerned with time or all the stuff that runners are concerned with so I typically get bored staring at other runner's sweaty shirts so I never really got interested in anything longer than a 5k.

If I may quote some lyrics from Rush "Marathon":

It's not how fast you can go
The force goes into the flow
If you pick up the beat
You can forget about the heat
More than just survival
More than just a flash
More than just a dotted line
More than just a dash




Jay

 

[cbcbd]

I haven't run a marathon but have ran close to 18 miles a few times.
I have also hiked the Pemi loop (37 miles) in a day.

Hiking is easier for me. Even though my mind was warped and I was a zombie during the last part of the Pemi, I think it would be much more taxing on your legs and body to run a marathon.

Plus, you can take breaks when you hike and just pick it right back up... it's not real good to stop in the middle of a long run.

 

[cbcbd]

It's hard to compare the two because with marathons the focus is on time for most people. Pressie traverses aren't. The time focus with marathons means stepping up your level of effort more so than a Pressie traverse where it's "acceptable" to take breaks as needed. Just my two cents.

Good point. Most of us aren't really competing on the trails. There are a few who do focus on time and try to beat the fastest Presi traverse or Pemi Loop time, but then you might as well just put them in the trail running category... and then it's just all gets gray.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Not sure if it's a fair question. You take a runner, and have him do the traverse, he'll say that the marathon is easier. Take a hiker, who never runs, and he'll say the opposite.

For me, I can ride a bike 100 miles in the morning, then do a 15 mile hike, and I'd find that much easier than a marathon. It's what you're used to.

 

[mtnpa]

On the traverse you will not hit the wall and probably will not hallucinate, unless of course you eat the wild shrooms. Either way your gonna be ready for a foot rub and a beer at the end.

Anyone know where the shrooms grow on Gulfside?

 

[daxs]

I've done several half marathons and think the running is harder than a long traverse. I push myself harder running - always looking for a PR in a race. I also kick hard the last mile or two in a race. On a long traverse, I am not looking to set any records. I can slow down and take my time and take breaks as needed. In a race, I may slow down for a water break but I never stop running.

 

[Tuco]

It’s hard to compare hiking and running (done both) but I think the average person can relate to the fact that a marathon is a tough, longer than average road race. By comparison, a Presi traverse is a tough, longer than average hike.

In that context I think the explanation is a good one.