Steeplechase (athletics)

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The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.

2006 NEWMAC Championships, Cambridge, MA

1 Rules
2 History
3 Records
4 External links

[edit] Rules

The length of the race is usually 3000 m, seven and a half laps of the 400m track. In the first half lap runners encounter no barriers. In each subsequent lap the runners encounter five barriers. According to IAAF rules, barrier height is 914 mm (36 in) for men and 762 mm (30 in) for women. Unlike those used in hurdling, steeplechase barriers do not fall over if hit; some runners actually step on top of them, although it is faster to hurdle them. Four of the barriers are on level ground, and the fifth barrier at the top of the second turn (fourth barrier in a complete lap from the finish line) is the water jump, which consists of a barrier followed by a pit of water which is 3.66 m (12 ft) long and slopes upward from 700 mm (27.6 in) deep at the barrier end to even with the surface of the track. This slope rewards runners with more hurdling ability, because a longer jump results in a shallower landing in the water. Some runners can completely "clear" (jump over) the water pit. It is important to land on only one foot if jumping off the barrier so as to keep the stride going. If both feet are landed upon, it may take a few seconds to get back into the rhythm of running. The toe off is also important when jumping off the water barrier so as to jump as far across as possible

[edit] History

The event originated in the British Isles. Runners raced from one town's steeple to the next. The steeples were used as markers due to their visibility over long distances. Along the way runners inevitably had to jump creeks and low stone walls separating estates. The modern athletics event originates from a two-mile cross country steeplechase that formed part of the Oxford University sports (in which many of the modern athletics events were founded) in 1860. It was replaced in 1865 by an event over barriers on a flat fields, which became the modern steeplechase. It has been an Olympic event since the inception of the modern Olympics, though with varying lengths. Since the 1968 Summer Olympics the steeplechase in the Olympics has been dominated by Kenyan athletes, including a clean sweep of the medals at the 2004 Games.

The steeplechase for women (3,000 metres long, but with lower barriers than for the men) made its first major championship appearance at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.

[edit] Records

The official world record in the 3000 m steeplechase for men is held by Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar (formerly Stephen Cherono of Kenya) at 7:53.63 and was set on September 3, 2004 during the Memorial van Damme in Brussels. On August 16, 2002 Brahim Boulami of Morocco ran 7:53.17 but this has not been ratified by the IAAF owing to Said being banned for two years in 2003 after testing positive for EPO.

The first person to run the steeplechase in under eight minutes was Moses Kiptanui of Kenya who ran it in 7:58.18 on August 16, 1995 in Zurich, Switzerland.

The official world record in the 3000 m steeplechase for women is held by Luiza Prong of Connecticut at 9:01.59 and was set in 2004.