The 3000m steeplechase is arguably the hardest event in all of track & field. Labeled as a distance event, this race has more in common with a horse race.
Not only do athletes have to possess the endurance to run 3000m of hot track, but for every lap they have to hurdle four barriers, each three feet tall, and at one point they must jump a water pit that is two feet deep. Unlike other distance events where athletes only have to worry about their conditioning and their race execution, any athlete, regardless of talent, can have a bad race if they commit an error at any of the obstacles.