Pico Iyer

Older boys were allowed to beat younger ones at my 15th-century English boarding school, and every boy had to run a five-mile annual steeplechase through the sludge and rain of an October day, as horses do. We wrote poems in dead languages and recited the Lord's Prayer in Latin every Sunday night.

Indian Writer

Victoria Pendleton

As you ride in a steeplechase, and you're on the horse, going quite fast, you think, 'That's quite a big fence...' But trust the horse, and don't give him any reason to doubt you.

British Athlete

Originally, steeplechase races were between two church steeples in the countryside.

Equestrian Origin

Steeplechasing differs from flat racing; it includes jumps which are a test of endurance and agility.

Not Flat Racing

Steeplechases are a part of traditional cultural events in countries like the UK and Ireland.

Cultural Event

In athletics, the steeplechase requires both running and jumping skills, testing all-round athletic ability.

Athletic Challenge

Steeplechase events have a specific distance, commonly 3000 meters, unlike the variable horse racing ones.

Distance Specification

The steeplechase is an Olympic track event, giving it international recognition and prestige.

Olympic Discipline

 this is steeplechase on a remote island and the far west of the Falklands it has the largest albatross colony in the world