What is up with this in awe of distance thing

I'm with 'ya 100%... I think that a sprint or oly is almost tougher than a half or a full... if you're racing.  I freaking kill myself in shorter stuff and usually am hurtin' the next day.  Sure the long stuff is tough too, but it's just not the same.

I'll give you harder, but more?  Really?  A higher volume of training for a sprint than for an IM?  I'm no coach but that seems odd to me.

I really don't know.  I just don't imagine a sprint triathlete going out on a Saturday for a 100 mile ride followed by a 10 mile run which wouldn't be at all uncommon for someone training for IM.  But like I said, I'm no coach so maybe they do.

Personally my body feels a lot more abused when my sessions are routinely 2-3 plus hours at a moderate or even easy pace (and that was just for a HIM) than it does when routine sessions are under 2 hours, often just one hour with some of that being 100% all out effort speed work.

Where is "everyone" saying that?

You beat me to it-- I don't know where "everyone" came from. LOTS of love here on BT for the shorter courses. The recent poll was dominated by sprint distance events.

In the "stop at sprints" thread cited by the OP, TWO of the 20 responses suggested trying out more than Sprints. The remainder of the responses indicated that it was purely a personal decision, do what makes you happy, sprints are awesome, etc.

This thread topic comes up periodically and I never understand it. My personal thought is that some folks are internalizing and personalizing some comments irrationally. Just because I like the IM distance and do multiple IMs - that doesn't mean I think everyone should, or think less of people who chose not to. 

I totally get where you're coming from, but you can't deny that longer races get more coverage, more attention, and more praise than shorter ones.  The NYC marathon gets race coverage on national TV.  The Boston marathon winners get mentioned on Sportscenter.  Kona gets coverage on national TV as well.  When someone attempts to swim across a channel, or an ocean, or whatever...it gets attention.  When some guy jumps out of a hot air balloon from near the edges of space, it's on TV.

It's not to say that longer races or events actually are better, or that shorter races don't require as much training.  It's just human nature for people who don't truely understand the sport that longer or farther is more worthy of praise...or more impressive.

Personally, there are lots of things to be in awe of in life......people who run triathlons is not one of them.

I think it's pretty cool to take care of yourself physically, no matter what you choose to do....but it ends right there for me.

Go run around the world or around your block.....just do something!

My .02 which is actually worth .00.  I don't get the IM distance is everything feel either.  And I don't believe one distance or another is better or worse.  But you (the royal you) cannot ignore the differences in training and commitment that are required to complete an IM vs. a sprint.

Personally, and it's just my opinion, but I think that for an experienced triathlete completing an IM is a bigger accomplishment than completing a sprint.  Most every day in the last several years I've been doing tris, I could get out of bed, on my worst day, and complete a sprint.  Maybe even race for a place nearish the front.  Not true for IM.

Now, racing and competing for a podium in a sprint is much more difficult and painful than completing.  But you can't compare racing a sprint and completing an IM.  Nor can you campare racing either distance.   Lots of folks can race and place a sprint.  Much fewer can race and place in an IM

And in a way, it's really like two different sports to me.  Can't compare a 1500 meter guy with a marathoner.  totally different systems at work. 

YMMV

Meh...it's just people finding a way to test themselves.  Not everyone is interested in getting to the podium.  For a MOPer, they may not find as much joy trying to improve from 45th/70 AG to 32nd/70 and decide to just tackle a new distance while racing against themselves.  Crossing the finish line at a new distance may provide a whole new level of satisfaction similar to a FOP athlete winning a shorter race.

Different strokes for different folks.

ETA: Also, not everyone is interested in being in the sport long term.  Many just want to build up to a certain level, and they may never race again.  Nothing wrong with that.  Nobody said when you sign up for your first triathlon that your signing up to be a triathlete for life or minimum X years.

You're going to tell me that a 5K at 100% effort is going to be tougher on a body than an IM at a moderate pace?  I'm not buying that.

I can run a mile so hard that I make myself puke.  That's still never going to compare to how I feel after running 26.  The best coach on the planet isn't going to change that.

The races do feel significantly different, but *generally* to become as fast as possible at any of them you put in what time you have available. Crowie and Alistair do put in similar volumes, but they divide it up differently because the demands for their races is different. Alistair races at a higher intensity, so may do more work there and may not go as long at one time as Crowie does because he doesn't need that adaptation.