The secret to getting the most out of life is finding challenges suitable to your time and place. So let's talk about a crazy event called steeplechase. For those of you unfamiliar with the #trackandfield event it is a 3000-meter race (about 200 yards short of two miles) over thirty-five 42"-high wooden 4" X 4" barriers that do not budge if you hit them. There are also seven water jumps with the same 42" barrier in front of an inclined zero-depth pool 13 feet in length. At its base just under the barrier, the water depth is 2.5 feet. An adept steeplechaser is able to navigate this water jump getting just one foot wet during the race. As a former high jumper (6'1.5") and triple jumper (40'4") I was often able to leap beyond the twelve feet of water, land on the one-foot zone where the incline ended and keep both feet dry for a major part of the race. That's an advantage as wet shoes are slightly heavier. In this photo I'm stepping on the barrier in front of the water jump to launch over the water. Thus the event requires agility as well as endurance. My life in #basketball and other sports helped make steeplechase a choice event for me. I was able to run just under 9:20 in this event, qualifying for D3 nationals and winning three conference championships, even with all that hair on my young head. I cannot imagine steeplechasing these days, but man was it fun in its day. Youth is not wasted on the young. We move on to other endeavors. #running #run #track #competition #olympics
