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What Is Steeplechase—And Why Is There a Water Pit in the Middle of the Track?!

lizzy briskin
·6 min read

Jam Media/Getty Images

Unless you’re a dedicated track-and-field fan, you may be confused when you flip on the Olympics to see runners launching themselves into a pool—or is it a puddle?—in the middle of the track. Yes, it’s hot in Paris, but no, these runners aren’t just looking to cool off. It’s all part of their job as competitors in the steeplechase.

The steeplechase is one of the more unusual (and entertaining) track events (or TBH Olympic events in general) to watch at the Summer Games, but it can be a head-scratcher for the uninitiated. To better understand it before you tune in to support Team USA, here’s everything you need to know about what’s going on in the track during a steeplechase event.

What is a steeplechase race?

The Olympic steeplechase is a three-kilometer race run on a standard 400-meter outdoor track with a few notable adjustments. For starters, the start line. Most middle- and long-distance events start just before the first curve of the track, but steeplechasers have a unique starting line in the middle of the back straightaway. They finish at the familiar finish line used for other events.

Contestants line up shoulder to shoulder along a white curve marked on the track. As soon as the starting gun fires, everyone rushes toward the innermost lane (lane one) for the shortest distance around the track. For the first few hundred meters, it’s business as usual; there’s nothing to jump over or splash through. Then things get interesting. Think: obstacles and a water pit.

Steeplechasers face 28 dry hurdles and seven water jumps throughout the race. The first three obstacles are called barriers, which differ from the hurdles that sprinters fly over in shorter races. Steeple barriers resemble horse jumps; they’re wider, much sturdier, and shorter. (Women’s barriers stand 30 inches tall, while women’s 100-meter hurdles measure 33 inches.)

“If you hit a hurdle, the hurdle gives, but you hit a barrier, it does not,” Ben Bruce, former professional steeplechaser and assistant coach of the Hoka Northern Arizona Elite team, tells SELF. In short, these barriers mean business. According to USATF regulations, they weigh between 176 and 220 pounds, and the bar across the top is a solid five inches wide. This makes them large enough to step on and push off for momentum (and more likely to leave a bruise–or worse–if you collide with one).

Unlike sprint hurdlers, who race in separate lanes, steeplechasers often run in a tight pack. That means that up to 18 runners could attempt to clear a barrier simultaneously. This can get messy quickly, and it’s fairly common to see falls in the steeplechase. “Trust me, nobody wants to fall, but fans love the excitement that you never know what’s going to happen,” says Bruce.

After three dry barriers, the racers face their first water jump—there’s a barrier on the back curve of the track where sections of turf have been removed to reveal a water pit. The water is level with the track, but it’s deeper than it looks. For the first four feet of the pit, the water is over 19 inches deep. From there, it slopes gently upward for another eight feet. Landing in the shallower water is an advantage, pro steeplechaser Marisa Howard tells SELF. “The further out into the water pit you get, the better you can accelerate out of the water jump.” That means you’ll want to execute a nice long, powerful jump to avoid landing in the deep stuff.

Runners continue for a total of seven and a half laps, clearing five evenly-spaced barriers with every loop.

Where TF did the water pit come from!?

Okay, the water pit is…odd. The track steeplechase, in all its puddled glory, likely originated from the horse event of the same name. In the first equine steeplechases, jockeys raced between towns in 18th-century Ireland, navigating a course using pointy church steeples as guides, as The Washington Post reported. Along the way, the horses crossed natural barriers, including fences, stone walls, streams, and rivers. (Sound familiar?)

Eventually, the event transformed from a horse race to a footrace, but it still retained the drama of wet and dry obstacles. According to Brittanica, the human-powered steeplechase was first contested as a cross-country event in 1850 at the University of Oxford. The men’s steeple became an Olympic event in 1920, though the women’s race didn’t come to the Games until 88 years later.

So…do your feet get wet?

We’re sorry to have to answer the most pressing question in the affirmative: Yes, the runners’ feet get wet. But most steeplechase athletes go sock-free, and their racing shoes (called spikes) are so lightweight and skin-tight, the runners aren’t sloshing around with heavy waterlogged trainers. So even though they’ll be running through water, it might not be quite as uncomfortable as it sounds.

How do you win at steeplechase?

Like every track event, the first to cross the finish line takes the win. But winning the steeplechase demands different skills than races that keep runners on solid ground. The water pit in particular requires more tactical finesse. Unlike sprint hurdles, runners surge when approaching the water jump, step on top of the barrier, and launch themselves over the water.

You need to go in with confidence: “The biggest thing is trying not to stutter, or take short baby steps, into and out of the hurdles,” Howard says, who explains that runners often have to jump toward a barrier even if someone is blocking their view. As for landing, one foot is better than two. “If you ‘double-foot to land,’ as we call it, you’re just losing a lot of momentum,” says Howard.

Because the jumps are so tactical and there’s plenty of room for error, the race can change dramatically coming out of a water jump, making it a particularly exciting event for spectators.

Who should we be watching for in Paris?

For one, Howard! The day after speaking with SELF, Howard punched her ticket to Paris at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, finishing third behind Valerie Constien and Courtney Wayment. A Boise State graduate and former school nurse, Howard—who’s supported by running-apparel brand Tracksmith but doesn’t have a traditional big-name sponsor (yet)—ran a career-best at the Trials, beating her personal record by 15 seconds to make her first Olympic team at 31.

Constien, who’s sponsored by Nike, also ran a personal best, breaking the meet record in 9:03.22 to become the steeplechase national champion. The 28-year-old Colorado native represented Team USA in the steeplechase at Tokyo, where she came in 12th, so she’s got some Olympic experience under her belt. Wayment, a 25-year-old On-sponsored athlete, also ran a personal best at the trials (finishing in 9:06.55); she brings to the Games a 2022 NCAA title in the steeplechase.

Ugandan steeplechaser Peruth Chemutai and Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech won’t make it easy for Team USA, but we’ll be watching and cheering them on. Catch all the Olympic steeplechase action starting with a qualifying round on August 4 and the finals on August 6.

SELF is your one-click source for all things Summer Olympics. Read our latest coverage of the Paris Games here.

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Originally Appeared on SELF