Steeplechase - Wet vs. Dry?

[Wmbgskip]

Afternoon, all - while looking through my school's records, I noticed that at one meet they ran the 3,000m steeplechase with a dry (presumably sand) pit.

Is there a statistically significant difference between running the event with a dry pit instead of a water jump? Should I hold those marks separate, or just toss them in the list with all of the other steeplechase times?

Thanks,
Skip

[Helen S]

As every water jump I have ever seen is not movable, I think the dry may have been into an empty pit as I doubt they would have filled it with sand. And running through a jumping pit would have been difficult to configure into circling the track. I would research the reality before making any decisions, but I also think there is a huge difference between running with wet shoes vs dry for whatever reason.

[KevinM]

Helen, I would guess that the "dry" SC refers to a race run on a race without a water barrier installed (like many/most HS tracks), i.e., a 3000m race run over steeple barriers (I've also seen hurdles).

[Wmbgskip]

The recaps of the event are not particularly helpful - "...was run without the water pit due to technical difficulties."

No indication of whether they went over the barrier into an empty pit, or just set up another hurdle out in the first couple lanes. The track DOES have a water pit installed - either they failed to fill it, or the pit leaked, or there was a small shark in there. Who knows.

--Skip

[polevaultpower]

The recaps of the event are not particularly helpful - "...was run without the water pit due to technical difficulties."

No indication of whether they went over the barrier into an empty pit, or just set up another hurdle out in the first couple lanes. The track DOES have a water pit installed - either they failed to fill it, or the pit leaked, or there was a small shark in there. Who knows.

--Skip

At NAIAs one year they had to run a few laps around the water barrier because a girl fell down in the first lap and got trampled and almost drowned and they had to call an ambulance and such.

[tandfman]

No indication of whether they went over the barrier into an empty pit

I can't imagine that they would have had them go over the barrier into an empty pit. That would be dangerous. I've never heard of anyone filling the pit with sand. My guess would be what KevinM suggested--it was a race around the oval without any detour for the pit.

[Swoosher]

No indication of whether they went over the barrier into an empty pit

I can't imagine that they would have had them go over the barrier into an empty pit. That would be dangerous. I've never heard of anyone filling the pit with sand. My guess would be what KevinM suggested--it was a race around the oval without any detour for the pit.

Just a question I have always wondered (as a former steeplechaser myself), would it actually be more dangerous without the water? What kind of "cushioning" effect doest the water actually have? My intuition from running the event often myself is "not much at all" but maybe that is becuase I was landing properly near the end of the pit so very little water. I guess the deeper you land the more cushioning there is..... Interested in the thoughts of others.

[tandfman]

Is it possible that if there were no water, the steeplechasers would try to land on two feet? I think I would in that situation, but I have never run a steeplechase.

[Swoosher]

Is it possible that if there were no water, the steeplechasers would try to land on two feet? I think I would in that situation, but I have never run a steeplechase.

Definitely not any semi decent runners, you would lose all your momentum - and there is nothing stopping you doing it at the moment anyway. On the other hand if the water was removed then I think the steeple at the local interclub would lose more than 90% of the entrants - all the fun is splashing about for 10 seconds in the pit !!

[tandfman]

Where's malmo now that we need him?