The steeplechase is perhaps one of the more peculiar events run in track. It's a long, heavily congested event where athletes are forced to push their bodies to the limits of speed, endurance, and agility. When most imagine the steeplechase, it seems downright brutal. Some consider the race to be distance-running's rendition of the hurdles. Such a comparison seems merited at first. After all, both events require competitors to clear numerous vertical barriers as they simultaneously try to outrun opponents. However, the steeplechase is less of a controlled sprint over obstacles and more of a high-intensity obstacle course. Essentially, the steeplechase contains numerous challenging intricacies in everything from training to the event itself.

Obstacles:

The steeplechase consists of two types of inherent obstacles and numerous other incidental ones. First and foremost are the actual steeples that give the race its name. The IAAF (International Amateur Athletics Federation) dictates in the 2012-2013 Competition Rules Handbook that these be placed at a height of .914 meters (roughly 3 feet). To add more difficulty to the race, there is also a 12 foot by 12 foot water pit present immediately after the steeple on the far turn. The length guarantees that almost every competitor will be partially submerged in water, but how submerged depends on how far they manage to jump. At its deepest end (cruelly located as the closest to the hurdle), the water pit is nearly 2.5 feet deep.