Arguably the most technical event in track and field, the High Hurdles are 100 meters for women, and 110 meters for men. Elite women can complete the race in just over 12 seconds. As American hurdler Lolo Jones proved with her stumble in the 2008 Olympic finals in Beijing, there is no room for error. Every aspect of the race must go smoothly if an athlete can expect a win in the hurdles.
The Start:
The start is where many races are won and lost: a bad start can put an athlete at a disadvantage of precious tenths of a second. In a race that is won by hundreths, a good start is essential (except for Usain Bolt, who can make it up anyway).
The start comprises of three commands: take your mark, set, and the gun.
On “take your mark”, athletes will get down in their blocks, setting their feet one in front of the other. They are up on their finger tips, hands spread wide, ready for them to burst through.
On “set”, athletes raise their hips above the shoulder until the front knee forms approximately a 90 degree angle. The athlete should be leaning forward, so if their arms were to be removed, they would fall forward.
When athletes hear the starting gun, they take off. A false start- going before the gun goes off- is an easy way to get disqualified.
Coming out of the blocks, the athlete should be fully extending their legs and staying relatively low as they build speed.
Notice how the knee drives up and the back leg forms a straight line with the body
Acceleration is key, as an elite runner will only take eight steps before the first hurdle, with three steps between the rest.
Approaching/Clearing the Hurdles
Obviously a key factor in high hurdle success, the method for approaching and coming off of each hurdle is the same. When approaching, the athlete will take off from the ground with their non-dominant leg, or their trail leg. This allows their dominant leg, the lead leg, to clear the hurdle first.
This athlete’s lead leg is his right leg.
As shown in the picture, the arm opposite the lead leg reaches forward while the other arm drives back. The athlete should also stay low to the hurdle. The longer you are in the air, the longer you go without accelerating. The goal is to just barely clear the hurdle, and then to snap the lead leg down and bring the trial leg out in front.
The athlete in front has his lead leg on the ground and is driving his trail leg around so he can continue accelerating. Notice how his body is upright and his arms continue to drive as well, while his competitor is bent over and has his arms at his side.
This technique is very specific and must be held throughout the race. Those who can maintain perfect form over all ten hurdles are likely to succeed, as is demonstrated here by the 2008 men’s Olympic gold medalist, Dayron Robles.
Finishing the Race
As many coaches will tell you, anybody can run the first 90 meters of a race. There have been countless athletes who have led the entire race only to be caught at the last moment because they didn’t finish. Just ask Lindsey Jacobellis, who’s showboating cost her the gold medal in 2006.
Finishing a hurdle race is slightly different than finishing a flat race because of the transition off the final hurdle. The athlete switches from the upright hurdle form back to the low acceleration they had coming out of the blocks. Watch at 0:27 when the leading athletes come off of the last hurdle and sprint for the finish, or take a look at these hurdlers at Cornell:
The athletes revert back to full leg extension with arm and knee drive to finish a hurdle race.
A full comprehension and ability to perform each aspect of a high hurdle race is necessary for an athlete to be successful. Failing in just one of these areas will usually be enough to make the medals out of reach. It is a tough race, but if it is studied and practiced appropriately, it is possible to succeed.
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