Hurdlers Hurdle

 
 

Photo courtesy of Kendyl Flaming

Kendyl Flaming

I step up to the starting line. I glance down at the finish line trying to ignore the daunting 10 hurdles that stand in my way. My head spins with all the different scenarios that could happen during this race. I glance over at the girl next to me. She also runs a fast time. I am going to have to run a smooth race to beat her.  

I imagine myself hitting a hurdle, falling in front of everyone. I think how embarrassing this would be which just increases my nerves. I try to shake off these thoughts as my heart begins to pound in my chest and out through my ears. My hands start to get clammy so I try to dry them off on my spandex, but it doesn’t do much. I take an unsteady breath to calm my nerves. I stare down at the finish line and begin going through my routine in my head. “Out hard and fast. 8 steps to the first hurdler. Out 5 hard, steps 6, 7, 8 are fast. On the balls of my feet. Attack. Quick trail leg. Punch and chop.”

The judges blow the whistle. They are ready at the finish line. The gunman raises the gun. “On your marks.” I step in front of the blocks. I do my routine and get down into the blocks. I can feel the roughness of the track cutting into my knees. The slight breeze blows my hair in front of my face. I spread my arms out wide and place my fingers as close to the line as they will go.

I lean forward over my shoulders feeling the weight of my body in my fingers. My fingers begin to cramp but I know it will only last for a few seconds. “Get set.” I come up into my starting position. I hold my breath waiting for the gun to go off. Bang, and we are off.

Over the first hurdle all 8 of us were in line. I focused on my technique and getting my feet back down on the track as quickly as possible. Slowly I could feel myself itching ahead of the competition and by the 8th hurdle I had easily taken the lead. I only had two hurdles left. I had gained enough space to ensure my win, but then something happened. I miscalculated my steps to the last hurdle. I became careless due to my lead causing me to catch my toe on the front of the hurdle.

My whole body came to a halt and went crashing into the track. I lay there as I can feel the cool blood dripping off my arms and the sting in my palms. I could hear the whole crowd sigh in disbelief as my competitors fly past me to the finish line. I mean I couldn’t believe it either. Never in my life had I fallen during a race. Regardless, I force myself up off the ground and walk my way across the finish line where my opponents are waiting. They all began checking up on me, but I wasn’t listening.

My brain began swirling with so many possibilities of what I could’ve done differently. One misstep lost me the winning of the race and what could’ve been a huge personal record and the school record. I was angry with myself, but all I could do was pick myself up off the ground and go back to training so that it wouldn’t happen again.

Hurdling is not just like any other race in track and field and is something that not just anyone can be good at. True hurdlers are shaped around a culture of resiliency. They are constantly beat down both physically and mentally but regardless they have a want to keep competing. Hurdling is more than just a normal sprinting race. It causes extra adrenaline and excitement for competitors and fans because of the danger of the sport, it rewards athletes that are very technical, and involves more intellectual problem solving than regular race running. Hurdling is a skill that needs a different kind of mindset than other races in track & field.

    Hurdlers are shaped around a culture of resiliency. The truth is, all good hurdlers fall. I mean they are running at full speed towards barriers that sit at least a lofty 33 inches at the bare minimum. It is inevitable that every hurdler will fall at one point or another, but it is how they respond that sets great hurdlers apart from the rest. Great hurdlers are tough. They don’t let falls define them, they let it be a lesson so they are even better in the next race. Let's take the story of the three-time Olympian Lolo Jones. Leading up to the 2008 Olympics, Dodd (2021) describes Lolo Jones as being at the top of her game. She was favored to win gold that year and the fans were eager to see it happen. Lolo Jones stepped up to the line and when the gun went off everything was going smoothly. Lolo Jones said, “Everything was clicking perfectly. By the fifth hurdle I had taken the lead… But then I miscalculated. I snapped my lead leg down too quickly and hit the ninth hurdle” (Dodd, 2021, p. 53). For Lolo Jones this had to be the most devastating thing to happen to her. She was in the finals of the Olympic championship, picked to win, but one misstep cost her the gold medal. Situations like this happen constantly when you are a hurdler and it is all just part of the race. Regardless of all the hurt and why she was feeling after she fell, Lolo Jones picked herself up off the ground and went back to training. According to Miller (2012), Lolo believed that without the adversity she wouldn’t have made it as far as she had. She was grateful for the adversity in her life and she knew that it just made her stronger. She overcame her biggest failure and began to look to the next Olympics. Many hurdlers go through something that is similar to what Lolo did, and some are even more severe.

Let’s take the Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang who was also picked as one of the favorites to win the Olympics that year. According to Jiang (2012), Xiang sat on the track after pulling his Achilles tendon while taking off over the first hurdle before hobbling to the end of the race where he was wheeled off the track in a wheelchair. All Xiang had to say following the race was “This is the reality” (Jiang, 2012). Liu Xiang is exactly right. As a hurdler you have to face the reality that in order to be great you have to face the danger that this sport brings. You can’t be afraid of it or shy away for it. Fennessy (2012) says, “A hurdles race is all about rhythm. Three steps-attack, three steps-attack.” Although this is partially true, what truly makes a hurdler great is the heart and determination they are shaped around. Hurdlers are shaped around a culture of resiliency that faces challenges head on. They pick themselves up off the ground no matter the amount of struggles they go through. Hurdlers seek greatness in one of the most dangerous events in track & field, but they don’t shy away from it. Hurdlers love the excitement the event brings them and aren’t worried about the danger that comes with it. If they were, they would simply just run an open event like the 400m dash or the mile run, but what fun would that be.

In my time of being a hurdler, I have also competed in the open 100m dash. Due to this, I have to run my races back-to-back. Following the hurdles, I jog my way back to the starting line waiting for my heat to be called. As the seven other runners and I stand there waiting for our turn to run, the girl in the lane next to me turns and looks at me noticing that I am out of breath. She looked at me in awe and says, “OMG did you just run the hurdles? Girl you are crazy. That is so dangerous. You realize you could get hurt so easily. I would definitely fall. There is no way I could ever do it.” This type of comment is not unusual for me to hear and I hear something like this at almost every meet. In all honesty, I can’t deny the things that these people worry. Hurdling can be a very dangerous sport. Many hurdlers fall constantly, cutting up their limbs and leaving not only their bodies bruised but also their mental state. Not even to mention the great toll all of the training does on hurdlers' bodies. It is also sometimes considered reckless.

Some falls are even so serious that the athlete is unable to walk off the track under their own will. Let’s take the Spanish hurdler Enrique Llopis who suffered a serious fall in the European Indoor Championships. According to Bengel (2023), Llopis was removed from the track on a stretcher after he hit the last hurdler and fell awkwardly to the ground. Following this event Llopis posted a video on social media commenting on the fall. One of the first things he said is “Now it’s time to recover” (Bengel, 2023) He could have ended his career right then, but like many great hurdlers he had already accepted that falling is inevitable and that it is just part of the race he loves. I mean I get it. Who is crazy enough to run full speed towards a barrier that is waist high with what looks like no fear? Noden (2001) describes the hurdles as daunting and still imposing like they were the first day of track practice. I can account for this statement. I feel the same way when staring down the hurdles before the race. I always think to myself, “They really aren’t that tall,” but in reality, they are just an obstacle waiting to happen. Hurdling can cause broken ankles, scratched up limbs, torn hip flexors, strained backs, neck injures if you fall the wrong way, and lifelong effects on your body. Although these are all true, the risk, danger, adrenaline, and fierceness that comes from hurdling creates a drive that makes hurdling so enjoyable for its competitors.

The great hurdler Lolo Jones is one of the greatest examples of continuing to hurdle even through all the long-term tolls it brought to her body. According to Epstein (2012), following Lolo Jones' fall in the 2008 Olympics, she was diagnosed with a tethered spinal cord. She had this injury since her early childhood, but hurdling had made it so severe that she had to get surgery. Jones knew that surgery was a gamble, but like all great hurdlers she knew she couldn’t imagine not returning to the track. She should’ve stopped hurdling right then and there, but Lolo has a heart of a hurdler. She needed that surgery not to make her body feel better, but so that she could hurdle once again. As a hurdler, I understand that hurdling can be dangerous, but good hurdlers are willing to take that risk because of the love they have for their sport. For a lot of us, the risk factor is what makes hurdling so enjoyable. You can’t play it safe when hurdling. You must take a risk and sometimes that will cause you to fall, but the joy you feel after perfectly grazing over the hurdles, running neck and neck with your opponent, and finishing just a step-in front of them will forever outweigh all the falls and hardships you endured to get to that point.

Many people are afraid to begin hurdling because of the risk it can bring to them, but this is something I encourage young potential hurdlers to not shy away from. When first starting hurdles, the hurdles are set at only 30 inches which is short enough for most people to easily step over. Due to this you are also able to clear the hurdle substantially without the fear of hitting it. This reduces the risk for young hurdles because they are less likely to hit the hurdle and cause a serious fall. Young hurdlers also take more steps in between the hurdles which allows for them to not be moving towards the hurdlers at as high of a speed. This creates a safer way for young hurdlers to master the event before they have to worry about getting super close to the hurdle and running at it full speed. The race may seem scary as someone starting out, but you are able to take extra precautions to ensure your safety until you are more comfortable with what the race feels like. Once you do it a few times, you will see yourself becoming more comfortable and wanting to take more risks. All beginners start out slow and eventually learn to love the fear having obstacles in their way brings to their race.

Hurdling for me causes the most intense adrenaline rush imaginable. There is something about running towards a barrier that you know could very well cause you to fall that sends excitement rushing through your veins. Wang (2018) says it best when he says, “I am blood and breath and heart and feet” (p. 41) This is how he describes himself when he runs the hurdles. I feel this way when I too get ready for my hurdle race. When I get into the blocks for my hurdle race, it is much like my sprinting race but my senses are elevated times 10. You still feel the adrenaline in other races, but they are never as intense as I have felt getting ready for the hurdle race. Helfen (2008) describes her experience before the race as having an overwhelming desire to win and her excitement as making her twitch while waiting for the gun to be fired. I feel much like this when getting ready to run my hurdle race. My nerves set in and I must block out all the distraction of people chatting and bustling around me. I get so worked up before the race because of all the extra adrenaline the risk factor of the race brings to me. Along with this, my nerves bring me determination. I love the statement Jeshua Anderson makes when he says, “It’s a man’s race. I love the challenge in it” (Crumpacker, 2010) This is the truth for most hurdlers. The challenge the race brings is what sets it apart from just normal race running. I am able to stare down at the finish line and imagine my steps over all 10 hurdles. You learn to enter the zone fearlessly. According to McGill (2012), fears are what hold us back. In a sense I agree with him, but I think fears can also fuel us to become better, especially in hurdlers. Fear can cause you to perform poorly if you let it consume you. If you let yourself think too much about the hurdles in front of you and how you can fall, your body will begin to slow you down without you even realizing it (McGill, 2012). You have to take every chance you have to lessen your time which means you can’t hold yourself back. If you use it to your advantage, fear can fuel your fire. Fear, especially in the hurdlers, can give you that extra surge of adrenaline that helps you to complete a race. Hurdlers have the willingness to not let their fears hold them back and instead let the rush it gives them take over. Fear can be a bad thing, but in hurdlers I believe that fear is what motivates and brings excitement to the race. Other races bring adrenaline to the body, but nothing can top the adrenaline you feel when there are 10 daunting barriers standing in your way.

The fear factor also brings excitement for the fans watching the race. Watching hurdle races is exciting because in good races there is never a clear winner until the last hurdle or when the athletes are leaning over the line. It brings excitement for the crowd, watching all the hurdlers run in sync, wondering who is going to win and if their favorite competitor is going to make it to the finish line without nicking a hurdle. One of my friend’s moms once told me “The hurdle race is always my favorite event to watch even though my daughter doesn’t run it. There is something about the race that gets your heart pounding and puts you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see who is going to make it to the end of the race.” What can I say, there is something that makes people crave situations where the end result is unknown.

Although other races also take a lot of hard work and determination, what sets hurdling apart from other races is the extra intellectual problem solving it takes to be a hurdler. According to McGill (2013), “Hurdlers are a different breed. We’re weird in our own way.” Hurdlers are often considered to be sprinters because that is part of the hurdle race, but they are different in the way they think through their race. Hurdlers tend to constantly live in their head. According to McGill (2013), we think and analyze every situation when it comes to hurdling. We think about how we can improve our time by just a split second or what we are going to do to make sure we don’t nick the hurdle. We analyze how other hurdlers run, how fast their feet hit the ground when going over the hurdle, and all the little things that we can do to make ourselves better hurdlers. For me, my dad records every single hurdle race that I run. Following my race, I sit down with my coach and we go through and break down every single step of my race. We put it in slow motion, watching where my foot takes off and where it lands, how close I am to the hurdle, how fast my trail leg makes it back to sprinting mechanics, what my arms look like when going over the hurdle, and so many other little details. We spend time analyzing each part of my race, because in hurdling it is the small things that are going to increase my time by milliseconds which is what all good hurdlers strive to do. Analyzing your own races is a big part of becoming a better hurdler, but it isn’t the only part.

Another big part of become a better hurdler is watching other hurdlers. During practice my coach videos every drill that I do and we compare it to how others do it. We watch videos of other hurdlers to see what they do differently that could help improve my hurdle race. I point out what I do well and am able to visualize what is working for others and how it could also help me. When trying to improve a certain aspect of my race, my coach has me watch Olympic hurdlers who are known for doing exceptionally well at that skill during their races. For example, just a few weeks ago I was struggling with completely surging into the hurdle without slowing myself down. My coach had me watch videos of USA hurdler Kendra Harrison because this is something she does exceptionally well. I was then able to visualize how she looks when going into the hurdle and transfer it into my hurdle race. Hurdlers become good by watching themselves and others hurdle. As a hurdler, we can’t just go out and run like sprinters do. It takes more than just speed. We have to put in the time and effort to become technical in our race, which is what makes constant thinking, but not overthinking a must when wanting to become a successful hurdler.

Hurdling is a sport that I believe doesn’t receive enough credit. Many people lump it in with other running events like sprinting the 100-meter dash. Although some of the aspects of hurdling do come from sprinting, it takes far more hard work and dedication to be a hurdler than to merely just sprint. Hurdlers are constantly living in their head and analyzing hurdle races whether it be someone else’s or their own. Hurdlers are resilient. 400m hurdler Olympic and world champion Sydney Mclaughlin (2021) said in her Instagram post following her qualification for the USA team, “Weeks like these are some of the hardest in a track athletes’ life. The mental strain of preparing for the rounds in order to solidify your sport is heavy enough.” Hurdlers have built the culture that nothing is going to stand in their way and that they will overcome any challenge that comes their way. Just like me all great hurdlers fall. My body as well as my ego were bruised that day, but I didn’t let that race define my career. I picked myself up off the track and went to the next race where I was able to crush my schools 100m hurdle record. I still have scars on my arm from that day I fell, but now they stand as a constant reminder that as a hurdler falls don’t define you. After this experience I am certain I will always pick myself up and begin working again because the truth is hurdlers love to hurdle.

References

Bengel, C. (2023, March 6). Spanish hurdler Enrique Llopis suffers serious fall at European indoor championships. CBS Sports. https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/spanish-hurdler-enrique-llopis-suffers-serious-fall-at-european-indoor-championships/

Crumpacker, J. (2010). Anderson's goals include plenty of lofty hurdles. San Francisco Chronicle p. B7. Available from NewsBank: America's News: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.mpcc.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/12EBC2811603C5D0.

Dodd, J. (2021). I’m still in the battle. People, 96(3), 52–55.

Epstein, D. (2012). Jonesing for gold. Sports Illustrated, 116(5), 32.

Fennessy, C. (2012). Hurdles hurdles hurdles. Runner’s World, 47(7), 92–123.

Helfen, E. (2008). Breaking for the hurdles. Teen Ink, 19(7), 16.

Jiang, S. (2012). Chinese outrage over “scripted” olympic commentary on star hurdler. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2012/08/23/world/asia/china-olympics-liu-hurdler-cctv/index.html

McGill, S. (2012). The love factor. Hurdles First. https://hurdlesfirstbeta.com/free-articles/issues/love-factor/

McGill, S. (2013, September 2). The essence of a hurdler. Hurdles First. https://hurdlesfirstbeta.com/free-articles/issues/essence-hurdler/

Mclaughlin, S [@sydneymclaughlin16]. (2021, June 28). “The face of a woman who is in awe of God 🙏🏽 51.90. I could feel this meet was going [Caption]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQrOX17h4Tg/?igsh=MTlyMm5jZjVmNnBucA==

Miller, E. (2012). Lolo Jones: hurdles. Guideposts, 67(5), 52–53.

Noden, M. (2001). Track event. Sports Illustrated, 95(8), 48.

Wang, M. (2018). My greatest hurdle. Teen Ink, 29(5), 41.