Both the "athlons" claim to be the best gauge of the best all-around athlete. Given the broad array of disciplines heptathletes and decathletes have to master, it's hard to argue with those claims.

The elements of running, jumping and throwing that are at the heart of track and field are all on the slate, requiring a blend of raw athletic ability, mental strength and well-honed technical prowess.

"I may be biased," admits former decathlete and CBC analyst Michael Smith, "but the decathlon and heptathlon are the best test of true athletic ability …"

Nine of the decathlon's 10 events are a blend of power and speed, but Smith says there's a lot of technique involved too. Not to mention the mental stress of competing: "It's a 48-hour period of concentrating at 150 per cent, even when you're relaxing. Nothing else compares to that degree of mental focus.

"The ultimate challenge of the decathlon and heptathlon is battling yourself," explains Smith. "There's no outright competition with other athletes because your real challenge is against is gravity and the clock -- you're fighting each to get as many points as you can. The mental focus, concentration and ability are all up to the athletes themselves, and you can win overall and not win any individual component. You have to learn to take your victories in individual events and be humbled by a fifth or eighth-place finish in others."