Hardest Pool Event?

Well, I took my 100 free out way too fast at nationals in October and never felt so much pain in my life.  But probably the 200s of stroke. 

I did the hour postal…….. once.  

When the 400 I M  and the 200 fly are on the same day!!!

For this question, hard=painful 

Absolutely!  The Southside Seals Pentathlon (in Georgia) is brutal.  I've done the Ironman a couple of times-- 200's of each stroke and the 400 IM.  It was a fast meet, so it was all raced in under three hours.  Rob Copeland knows what I'm talkin' about! 

Does this have to be a sanctioned event in meets? I’m more of a long distance (open water) swimmer, and not much of a meet swimmer. But I have trained myself in butterfly, and do have to say that the 400 IM is one tough mother. A few times…just for s4!ts and giggles…I’ve done a 1600m IM. Pretty much done after that. I’ve done the 1-hour ePostal numerous times. I think it’s easier than the 400 IM.

Dan

I was only considering sanctioned pool events. A 1600 IM means 400 fly... and that is already too hard of an event to finish. 

200 breaststroke...LCM...and this is coming from someone for whom the 200M BR was probably their best event!  The last turn and pullout is pure hell, and then you pop up knowing you still have 40+ meters to go!

Runner up for me woul dbe the 200 Butterfly LCM.  I love butterfly, and I love the 200 yard FL, where my walls and underwaters can shine.  But if you ever want the feeling of being dropped off in the middle of the ocean, no boats or land in sight, no hope of rescue, just do the 200M FL.  Because that is the feelign you get when you go up for your first breath on the last 50 and realize you have to travel 45 meters of butterfly after already struggling through 155!  It is borderline panic attack inducing. The other three strokes you can slow down and float the finish.  Not so with butterfly.  There are only two speeds in butterfly: fast, and slow.  And both take the same amount of energy!

Yeah, I can relate; I've done both races several times.  On that last 50 meters, I'm saying to myself, "Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?..." on every breath.

I agree with 400 IM being hardest regular pool event but I think even a 400 IMer would disagree about it being harder than an hour postal.  When I was younger and more beautiful dropping 1:04s for an hour straight (and some are doing 1:00 or better) has got to be waaaay harder than the 4 minutes plus of pain.