The steeplechase is a race in track and field. The race is three thousand meters long, seven and one half laps of the track. In the first half lap runners encounter no barriers. In each subsequent lap the runners encounter five hurdles at the height of thirty six inches. Four of the hurdles are on level ground, the fifth hurdle at the top of the second turn is the water jump which consists of a thirty six inch hurdle followed by a pit of water which is twelve feet long and slopes upward from two and a half feet deep at the hurdle end to even with the surface of the track. The steeplechase orginated in Britain in the nineteenth century as an analogue to cross-country horse races which went from town steeple to town steeple, hence "steeplechase." Most of the earlier steeplechases were contested cross-country rather than on a track and resembled english cross country as it exists today. The steeplechase (at varying distances) has been an Olympic event since the later day inception of the Olympics. The current world record is held by Brahim Boulami of Morocco at 7:55.28 and was set on 8/25/2001.
![[Home]](wikipedia.png)