I came across this great 3-minute video explaining the science behind why the 400m is considered one of—if not the most—painful event at the Olympics.
The 400m distance is like a sprint, as in the distance is not far, but the reason why it’s considered such a challenge is because no human being can sustain maximum effort for the full 400m.
There’s significant strategy involved as the athlete ends up cycling through three different stores of energy, running at maximum output for the first 50-100m, and reducing down to 90-95% for the rest of the race.
Most gruelling of all is the final 100m, where it comes down to the mental toughness of the athlete and whether or not they can tolerate more pain than their competitors.
It’s a great three minute watch!