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The steeplechase is said to have originated from a bet by Oxford students around 1850. In 1879 steeplechase was part of the English Athletics Championships.
The obstacle run is an athletics running competition over 3000 m. In this, 4 hurdles and one hurdle with a water jump have to be overcome in approx. 7.5 stadium laps.
The hurdles are 91.4 cm high for men and 76.2 cm high for women. A width of at least 3.96 m is required, and wider hurdles are often used. In contrast to the hurdle race, the obstacles are fixed. The first hurdle may only be overcome after crossing the finish line for the first time. Since the runners start on the back straight, helpers have to carry 2 of the hurdles into the track after the start.
The water jump is usually behind a hurdle on the inside of the track in the area of ​​the second curve after the finish line. This has a width and a length of 3.66 m each, at the beginning of the water surface it is 70 cm deep.
The obstacle course entered the Olympic program in 1900, initially with distances of 2500 and 4000 m. In 1904 only the 2500 m were run, in 1908 the 3200 m distance. The distance of 3000 m run to this day was introduced at the Olympic Games in 1928. The obstacle course for women has existed since 1998 and was part of the program for the first time in 2005 at the World Athletics Championships.
