# Olympic marathoner vs navy seal **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2013, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664 "2013-05-18T07:36:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/21 "2013-05-18T18:03:54Z")
This is a question that’s been pondered since ancient Greece. Basically, being athletic for athletics and for military endeavour are completely different things. Hence, the Spartans are the best soldiers and the Krotonians are the best athletes. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/22 "2013-05-20T14:26:20Z")
The job that SEALs do 99% of their time, day after day, is PT. PT in the morning, PT in the afternoon. Once in a blue moon they shoot at someone, the rest of the time they PT. So in a lot of ways they are professional athletes except that the events they prepare for involve killing. Many SEALs are great athletes, I’m sure, they just don’t specialize in the the popular sports so can’t compete on the same level. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/23 "2013-05-20T14:35:09Z")
Really? They don’t do combat exercises? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/24 "2013-05-20T16:13:39Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > The job that SEALs do 99% of their time, day after day, is PT. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/25 "2013-05-20T17:02:08Z")
All Special Operations branches recruit out of the regular military population. I’ve known plenty who have gone SF. Their athletic ability is about the level of the average decent high school athlete. You need to only be decently athletic, have strong will power, be willing to endure hardship and be lucky to not get injured during training. An Olympic marathoner is a world class athlete that can do what only a handful of people have ever accomplished. Except for that guy who comes in last from Krasnovia who is only on the team because his uncle is the Premier. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/26 "2013-05-20T20:55:55Z")
The world’s top marathoners are quite close to running 26.2 miles in TWO HOURS. Think about that for a minute. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/27 "2013-05-23T06:55:40Z")
Yep. To set a world record, men have to run sub-five-minute miles for the entire race. It’s mind-blowing. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/28 "2013-05-23T07:20:06Z")
To a marathoner, running is IT. To any soldier, seal, or marine, running is what you do for 5K or 5 miles every day for general conditioning. The marathoner would smoke the G.I. On the other hand, dress the marathoner in BDUs, boots and hang 85 lbs of equipment on his back and send him or her on a 25 mile forced march over mixed terrain with a water channel or 3 to cross and the GIs would smoke him or her. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664/29 "2013-05-23T11:31:58Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Yep. To set a world record, men have to run sub-five-minute miles for the entire race. It’s mind-blowing. 4:42.9 to be exact. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-marathoner-vs-navy-seal/658664.md?page=1)