The Steeplechase offers a number of obstacles to efficient running. It is the only event on the track which features barriers that are all but impossible to knock over. On top of that, once in each of the seven and a half laps which make up the race runners need to negotiate a three foot tall barrier attached to a 12 foot expanse of water. To prevent soggy shoes during the race, steeplechase shoes feature holes in the upper to evacuate the water. My first pair, pictured above, took me through numerous races, PRs, and mostly good memories (after my first Steeplechase race which resulted in a broken ankle!).