What IS the steeplechase?
Here’s how it goes whenever someone asks me what I “do”:
“So what do you do?”
“Oh, I’m a runner.” (sweating bullets, always unsure how to answer)
“Oh cool, like marathons?” (a pique of interest, I can see them mentally preparing to tell me THEIR marathon or half-marathon time)
“No, like on the track.” (nervous, ready for what comes next)
“Oh. So what do you run on the track?” (already disinterested, confused. What’s a track?)
“Oh, the steeplechase.”
“OH! So, like, where do you keep your horses?” (Virginia equestrian knowledge coming out.)
*nervous giggle* “No, it’s like… I’M the horse.”
“What?”
It’s okay. I get it. No one has any idea what the steeplechase is.* (*I believe in my 9 seasons of running the event, I’ve had 1.5 people know what it really was when I introduced myself as a steeplechaser.) It’s a strange event and when track is already a fairly unknown sport, it’s nearly impossible for the general public to recognize what it is without some prompting.
For the most part, non-track runners will know that:
1. There’s a track race with a waterpit.
2. People fall and splash and it’s funny.
The steeplechase has been around since the mid-1800s, but has taken a few different forms. It was originally more of a cross-country (off the track) race, but moved to the track soon after. It’s been an Olympic event since the start of the modern Olympics (so late 1800s, early 1900s), but the first time women raced the steeplechase in the Olympics was in 2008; it’s still in its early stages of advancement for women, especially in America. American women are still making huge leaps in the distance, making it a much more competitive event. Times are getting faster, girls are getting stronger, and it’s not “easy” to make a team in the event like it was 8 years ago.
So what IS it exactly? It is:
3000 meters– 7.5 laps of the track
There are 5 barriers a lap.
A barrier is the height of a normal hurdle, but much longer– it takes up roughly 3 lanes of the track.
One of those 5 barriers is a water jump– so we hurdle or step on the barrier into a pit of water and run out of it.
And yes, people fall in the water sometimes and it’s devastating (I’ve had a few falls at the very worst moments!).
So that’s: 4 barriers and 1 water jump per lap for 7.5 laps.
The first 200 meters (half of a lap) has NO barriers.
7.5 laps. 35 barriers. Just under 2 miles of running and jumping.
How did I get into the steeplechase? Well, I always wanted to hurdle, but my high school coaches were afraid it would hurt my knees– so I was shuffled over to the distance events of the mile and two mile. When I began running at UVA, my coach Jason Dunn was a former steeplechaser. I had no interest in running the longer distances (5k and 10k for college and elites) and wasn’t fast enough to run the mile or 800 meters. I was “athletic” (not a stick skinny runner), loved adventures, and was fiercely competitive… so the steeplechase was perfect for me. I marched up to Coach and proclaimed, “I want to race the steeplechase!” He looked me up and down (as if only seeing me for the very first time), shrugged, and said, “Okay.” My destiny was made.
Rio 2016 will be the 3rd time the steeplechase is an Olympic event for women– it’s my dream to be there in the thick of it!
So next time you see a track race on TV or talk to a track runner– be sure to throw in a few thoughts about the steeple. It will instantly up your coolness factor AND make a runner very, very happy.
images by Ross Dettman, Michael Scott, Victah Sailer / for more of my #olympicdream, follow along at @steph_steeples!
