Athletics (British Sports Library)

I CHAPTER IX THE STEEPLECHASE STEEPLECHASING has always been a popular English sport, but in the past the race was run at all sorts of distances·and over all kinds of obstacles. To-day the standardized distance for boys as used at the Public Schools Sports Meeting is three-quarters of a mile. The record is held by V. E. Morgan, of Charterhouse, who in 1923 covered the distance in 4 minutes 3t seconds. A good winning per– formance, however, would appear to approximate to 4 minutes 20 seconds. The A.A.A. and English Championship distance is 2 miles, and the record of 10 minutes 57t seconds was established by Percy Hodge of the Surrey A.C. in 1921. At either distance there are four hurdles and a water jump in each lap. The hurdles, and also the fixed hurdle at the water jump, which is bushed, are 3 feet in height. The water jump is 12 feet in width and 2 feet 6 inches in depth at the hurdle end, but slopes to the level of the field at the farther end. In this event it is necessary that the runner 131