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, ...

I’ve fallen in the water pit once. It was 40 degrees, raining, and my first steeplechase of the season. The barrier was an older one, made of wood and pretty slippery.

According to the IAAF, the modern 3,000-meter steeplechase track event — with the barriers and the water pit — first originated at Oxford University in the mid-19th century. It was then ...

The Olympics steeplechase event is an obstacle course that spans 3,000 meters on a standard 400-meter outdoor track and includes seven water jumps and 28 fixed barriers. The barriers are similar ...

In modern steeplechase, the water pit is a sloped obstacle, placed just after a barrier, which athletes may use to launch themselves across the pit. For both men and women, the water is 12 feet long.

Steeplechase is 7.5 laps around a track for 3,000 meters. There are four 30-inch barriers that runners have to jump over throughout the track and then one water pit.

When runners reach the water, they fly through the air and attempt to clear the 10-foot water pit and land on the other side. The runners keep running over the hurdles before crossing the water again, ...

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, ...

The Olympics steeplechase event is an obstacle course that spans 3,000 meters on a standard 400-meter outdoor track and includes seven water jumps and 28 fixed barriers. The barriers are similar ...

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, ...