Cross country runners are a select breed of athletes: they have endurance to run races over three miles long, skill to conquer obstacles on the course and mental toughness to give their all for an entire race.
Nonetheless, when you take a cross country runner off the course and put them onto the track, their entire state of mind changes.
“So many cross country runners complain about just running around an oval,” Keene State College Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach, Peter Thomas, said.
Contributed Photo:
Samantha Goldsmith competes in the steeplechase event in the George Davis Invitational in Lowell on April 12.
According to Thomas, however, there is one event in collegiate track and field competition that emulates all the challenges of a cross-country race: steeplechase.
“For the track, what most athletes and coaches will say is that steeplechase is the closest thing you can get to cross country on the track,” Thomas said.
Further, according to Kaley Mientkiewicz, a junior steeplechase runner for the Owls, steeplechase is set up differently than all other track events.
“It’s just under two miles, it starts at the back stretch so it’s seven-and-a-half laps. Each lap has four dry steeples, which are just big hurdles, and then one water pit where the runner steps on the steeple and jumps over water. It’s deeper really close to the steeple area and gets shallower further away, so the objective is to jump as far out because the water is going to slow you down,” Mientkiewicz said.
According to Thomas, this is not an event that is typically offered in high school competition, so he seeks out certain runners from his team he knows can do well in the event.
“Steeple is only run after the season in Connecticut and not anywhere else in New England. So we usually look for someone who just has a hurdling background. We also look for the coordinated athlete that is strong, has some speed and that is mentally tough. We look for people like that,” Thomas said, “Some years we have them and some years we don’t.”
This season, Thomas said he has two female runners that have the ability to compete in Steeplechase: Mientciewicz and sophomore Samantha Goldsmith.
“With Kaley’s [Mientkiewicz] hurdling background she was a natural. For Sammy [Goldsmith] I just had a feeling she could do it,” Thomas said.
“Last year Pete [Thomas] just asked me if I’d like to try it and I said, ‘sure why not. It will be kind of fun.’ It’s a long distance event and it gives me something different to try,” Goldsmith said.
Melinda Noel / File Photo:
Runners say the steeplechase is the closest track event to outdoor running. They also say it takes a certain set of skills to excel in the event.
“I ran it once last year and I loved it so he said, ‘let’s put you in it again’ and I loved it again. I’m hoping to keep up with it this season, I’m excited for it,” Goldsmith continued.
In addition, these runners agree with Thomas that it takes certain physical and mental aspects to be competitive in steeplechase.
“I think being tall definitely helps. Kaley is a lot taller than me but we both have really long legs. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible for people who are shorter, but you need enough power to get over the hurdles and push yourself so I think people with long legs probably have an advantage. But I do think anyone can do it,” Goldsmith said.
However, both athletes think it is more of a mental event than a physical one.
“It’s a really mentally tough race because when you’re tired you can’t just go around the steeple. You’re probably just going to go straight down (into the deepest part of the water pit), which I’ve done before. It’s definitely a different race mentality, it’s more than just getting through it running-wise. You have to be in it the full-time, you can’t just zone out and focus on someone’s back. You have to be alert the whole time, which is what is so draining about it,” Mientkiewicz said.
“It forces them to think and not zone out,” Thomas added, “You know there’s twenty-eight hurdles they have to do so they really have to focus.”
So far in their careers, both Mientkiewicz and Goldsmith have established themselves as successful steeplechase runners.
Last season, Mientkiewicz qualified for all of the postseason meets aside from the national championships in the event.
“I haven’t gotten the start that I want so far, but I’m coming off an injury from cross [country] so I can’t get down on myself too much. I’d like to see myself making all three postseason meets which is Division Threes, Division Ones and ECACs. Nationals is a far goal but I’d like to be at least in the top one-hundred in the country,” Mientikiewicz said.
While Mientkiewicz has experience in the event, Goldsmith is more of a rookie. Nonetheless, she explained this is not preventing her from being successful.
In her first time running the event this season, Goldsmith has already qualified for the ECAC championships in May, and is currently ranked 22 in the country.
“I’m hoping to see how close I can get down to 11:00 and just try to gradually take time off as much as I can. I also want to do well in the 5K so I’ll be focusing on those two events and just trying to the best I can in this season,” Goldsmith said.
“She’ll get close to that national qualifying time,” Thomas said of Goldsmith’s future in the event, “She may have to take twenty to thirty seconds off her time but I think she’s got a chance.”
“Sammy’s [Goldsmith] having a great season. When she steepled on Saturday, it was only her second time ever running. She came out and ran a great first steeple race for the season. She’s just kind of on fire,” Mientkiewicz said about her teammate.
Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com
