Emma Coburn should hurdle the water barrier

Hurdling the water barrier breaks your momentum too. The airtime is so long that you have to "freeze" in your hurdle form in mid-air, waiting to traverse the twelve-foot gap. Some of the Kenyans make it look good but I can assure you, it's not as easy or smooth as it looks. And I was a pretty good steepler (as fast as Emma). Maybe if you're running 8:00 pace then you are going fast enough, but 9:0x is too slow to be hurdling the barrier, IMO.

ghost of wilbur ross wrote:

She is a very erect runner

Good point, I know I am too when I watch her.

Is there video of anyone doing this and landing as far out as jumping off the water barrier?

Some lunatic wrote:

Is there video of anyone doing this and landing as far out as jumping off the water barrier?

This is from the other day. Late in the race with about 700 to go.

The lead Kenyan has a pretty neat two legged hop. Very efficient for her. But its weird because she has both feet land in the water which is not so good.

Getnet the Ethiopian in 5th place is just off the lead pack also hurdles the steeple and it is not efficient for her.

adsfasdfasfsdfd wrote:

Hurdling the water barrier breaks your momentum too. The airtime is so long that you have to "freeze" in your hurdle form in mid-air, waiting to traverse the twelve-foot gap. Some of the Kenyans make it look good but I can assure you, it's not as easy or smooth as it looks. And I was a pretty good steepler (as fast as Emma). Maybe if you're running 8:00 pace then you are going fast enough, but 9:0x is too slow to be hurdling the barrier, IMO.

If you were running 9 flat you can certainly add more than most people can. Thanks for the reply adsfasdfasfsdfd

My thought is that because the barriers are so low and Emma is so tall that it would be worthwhile to explore. I also think that there is no great need to clear the whole 12ft pit. Just get far enough out where you don't have to run uphill or run through deep water but more importantly eliminate that step on the barrier that kills the momentum.

So what kills the momentum more? Stepping on the barrier and pushing off or clearing the barrier and spending more time in flight?

I was a 9:00-9:10 steepler and was more of a quality hurdler than a fast flat runner. I always felt that hurdling the water barrier took more energy and was riskier that stepping it. If your steps aren't just right or you don't have a solid take off you are much more likely to land deeper in the water than stepping it, and as the prior steepler said, you kind of have to pause and hold your form in mid-air to sail over the barrier rather than snapping your lead leg down. while it may look like you are losing momentum, I always seemed to get out of the pit better with a good push off the barrier and my lead leg touching dry or in the first few inches of the water. At my level you finished a good race with one wet shoe and one dry shoe.

Have you ever waterjumped?! Hurdling the WJ would send you way deep and you'd take at least an extra step (or two)to get out, not to mention the hello-injury effect from landing so far down from track level.

What you gain from not stepping-on you would more than lose in trying to wade out of the pit every time.

No we are talking about hurdling the water jump but not bringing that trail leg around so soon to avoid landing in the deep end. Kind of opposite of high hurdles.

Ethiopians hurdle the water barrier... EDDY hurdles the water barrier!

She's not that tall.

Steeple hurdling is about efficiency not form.

By stepping on the water jump barrier, the athlete will decelerate twice. Hurdling the water jump the athlete does not raise their center of gravity as high as stepping on top. At 9:00 pace the athlete will not land in deep water when hurdling. As the OP suggested hurdling the water jump (especially when in the lead) is worth practicing and experimenting with.

coachkritter wrote:2

By stepping on the water jump barrier, the athlete will decelerate twice

Really?

Please stay in the shallow end of the pool, kid.