This Obscure Olympic Race Proves Distance Running Is Just as Exciting as Sprints

Most of the glory in Track & Field tends to go to the sprinters. However, if one takes the time to examine distance running, they’ll discover these athletes tackle some pretty incredible feats, including the steeplechase race.

As the 2024 Paris Olympics continue, excitement has grown for the Track & Field events, especially when it comes to fast-paced races like the 100-meter dash or the 4×100 relay race. These races tend to end in dramatic photo finishes. This year, Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred charged ahead of gold medal-favorite Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100 m finale, while Noah Lyle clinched the win in the men’s 100 m in a race that was almost too close to call. Short sprints like the 100 m are some of the only races where runners are at absolute maximum speed for the entirety of the race, so they’re quite entertaining.

However, there’s a common misconception that distance events aren’t as entertaining as sprints. Those who believe that quite clearly haven’t watched the steeplechase race.

What is the steeplechase?

The steeplechase race is arguably one of the most difficult and grueling races in Track & Field. It’s also one of the most obscure races. After all, not every track includes the water pit necessary to host the steeplechase race. As a result, many high schools don’t even offer athletes the option to participate in the steeplechase. So, it’s not uncommon for even those within the world of Track & Field to not learn of the steeplechase until competing at the collegiate level.

The race is exceedingly grueling because it’s not just a straight race or straight hurdles race. Instead, it’s a long-distance race that includes jumping over heavy barriers and water. The most common steeplechase race length is 3,000 m or just shy of 2 miles. Five barriers are placed on the track, as well as one water pit. So the athletes must leap over the five barriers and water pit for each of the 7.5 laps. The only exception is on the first lap when the first barrier and water pit are skipped because the runners tend to be bunched together at this stage, and jumping over barriers and water pits in such close proximity to one another while wearing track spikes isn’t very safe. However, after this, athletes must go over every barrier and water pit, adding up to 28 barriers and seven water pits to jump over while running almost 2 miles as fast as possible.

What’s unique about the barriers is that the rules aren’t very strict about how athletes get over them. Also, it’s important to emphasize that these are big barriers fixed to the ground, not hurdles. As a result, athletes are allowed to touch them. While it’s most effective to jump over them, some athletes use their hands to vault themselves over the barrier. When it comes to the barrier with the water pit in front of it, some runners step up onto it, pushing off it to try to clear the water pit. Of course, most athletes still end up having to run partially through the 12-foot-long water pit.

I had the opportunity to watch a few steeplechase races in college, and they sure get wild. It’s one of the few track races where it’s actually pretty customary to see a few falls and tumbles. While the barriers don’t go down, they tend to take quite a few runners down. Some athletes would be so exhausted by the final laps that they’d come to a full stop at each barrier and have to climb over it instead of jumping it. Also, don’t forget that water is involved, so some of the barriers can get dangerously slick and cause catastrophic slips. Since many runners are running just under a sprint, it’s hard to avoid a runner who goes down in front of you, sometimes resulting in literal runner pile-ups.

Considering how fun collegiate steeplechase races are, the Olympic steeplechase is one unmissable event. So far, both the women’s and men’s preliminary steeplechase races have taken place. Now, the finalists will have to do the entire race over again on August 6 for the women and August 7 for the men. Not only will they be participating in one of the most grueling races one can compete in, but there will be the added pressure of vying for the medal.