Skyline vs Marathon - Time comparison

[Zé]

I've been wondering what going up Skyline is equivalent to in flat running by comparison of time / energy expenditure.

For those who've tried to see what their best times were on Skyline (bet you didn't try in the summer!), have you also done a marathon? If so, how do the times compare?

[FIGHT ON]

Mission Bay Marathon is flat. At sea level, nice and cool, foggy, VS 8k elevation gain in an oven at 120? a lot of variables. In ideal conditions for each I think the mbm would take longer.
I've thought of stuff like this. It's interesting. I think it's harder to compare flat smooth surfaces with irregular surfaces like trails than it is to compare just trails w/ each other.
But if I had to guess I think ya ought to be able to do skyline faster than the mbm. havent done a marathon lately, What is Perry's time on Skyline? under 3 hours? Can he do a sub 3 mbm marathon?

[halhiker]

I've run a marathon in under three hours but have never done Skyline that fast. Of course I was MUCH younger when I ran the marathon. If I'd done Skyline then....

[FIGHT ON]

I've run a marathon in under three hours but have never done Skyline that fast. Of course I was MUCH younger when I ran the marathon. If I'd done Skyline then....

...you would have had to travel faster than 3.6 mph. to finish under three hours. How far do you think you would get at 3.6 mph up that trail today?

[Zé]

yeah it's definitely hard to estimate, but I'd have to think Skyline would take longer. My flat running times indicate a marathon time under 3:10, but I find it hard to believe I could do skyline in that time.

Baldy race took me 90 min (8 miles, 4000 ft). Double the elevation gain but only a few more miles...would still more than double the time required.

[FIGHT ON]

yeah it's definitely hard to estimate, but I'd have to think Skyline would take longer. My flat running times indicate a marathon time under 3:10, but I find it hard to believe I could do skyline in that time.

Baldy race took me 90 min (8 miles, 4000 ft). Double the elevation gain but only a few more miles...would still more than double the time required.

It depends on what you have been doing more. moving your body up vs along a level surface is different. if you spend all your time on level surfaces and then try to hike up skyline, wouldn't you be using your leg muscles differently?
The same the other way around. if all you did was what zip does a marathon on a level surface would be kinda strange, new.
If you spent equal time on each, then I guess you find out the truth!
So for one year hike skyline once every other saturday and on the other saturdays do the mbm. Then you will know for sure!

[AlanK]

My last marathon was 25 years before my first Skyline. I was never a real distance runner, but I did a lot of running, including a few marathons, "just for fun." My best time is in the mid 2:30s, and that was on a hilly course, not Mission Bay. It was done on a whim. I was marking a marathon course with a friend and bitching that I could run it faster than we were marking it. Naturally, he dared me to back that up and, being a guy, it was easier to take the dare than admit I was BS-ing. (Turned out I wasn't.)

I don't know what I could have done Skyline in back then, but I don't think it would have been in the mid 2:30s.

I am not interested in running a marathon now in order to do the comparison. I like being able to say it's been 32 years since my last one.

In general, I would guess that Skyline would take a lot longer than a flat marathon for a someone who is good at running on fast courses. For an ultramarathoner/trail runner, I could see things going the other way. Such a person is not as fast on the flat but can run Skyline -- I walk it.

[Zé]

quite a good time

So instead of a marathon, how about the Baldy race to the top? Then we could get at least one estimate of marathon to trail race

[halhiker]

I've run a marathon in under three hours but have never done Skyline that fast. Of course I was MUCH younger when I ran the marathon. If I'd done Skyline then....

...you would have had to travel faster than 3.6 mph. to finish under three hours. How far do you think you would get at 3.6 mph up that trail today?

Probably to about the first switchback.

[AlanK]

So instead of a marathon, how about the Baldy race to the top? Then we could get at least one estimate of marathon to trail race

Hasn't Perry, Zippetydude, or someone on this board who does Skyline in quick time, run a marathon? I have to believe that some of the speed burners I have seen running on Skyline have done 'em. We just need to break the conspiracy of silence.