The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Payton Smith, shown here competing at the 2022 Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., has posted several times in the 2,000-meter and 3,000-meter steeplechase that have placed him on the NCAA's top performances and also among the leaders in NDSU track history. (NDSU Athletics)
North Dakota State University track and field athlete Payton Smith, son of Kyle and Layne Smith of Carrington, has made a name for himself in one of the sport's quirkier events.
Smith just completed his indoor season for the Bison, and now hits the outdoor circuit as a 2,000 and 3,000-meter steeplechase specialist.
So far, he has done very well in the green and yellow, having completed two spring events.
On March 18, Smith competed at the University of South Florida in Tampa at the USF Bulls Invitational.
In the 2K race, he was the overall winner in a time of 5:49.99. His clocking was the sixth-fastest 2K steeplechase in the nation this year, and 18th-fastest ever by a collegiate athlete.
Twelve days later, on March 30, Smith was among the field at San Francisco State University for the Mike Fanelli Track Classic. There, he placed second out of 49 runners in the 3K race with a very fast time of 9:00.40.
His effort in California moved him to seventh place all-time in NDSU Bison history in the event.
Next up for Smith and his teammates will be the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif., on April 13.
He is double-majoring in exercise science and psychology.
About the event
The steeplechase shares its name with a horse racing event, originating in Ireland, in which the rider and his/her horse traverse over hedge and water ditch obstacles around an oval track. It is so named because of early course orientation centering around church steeples.
In the human variation of the race, runners jump over a 36-inch high barrier (30 inches for women) 28 times in the 3,000-meter race and 18 times in the 2,000. They are also required to detour inside the track oval to complete seven water jumps, or five in the shorter race.
Water jumps are often where the sport's drama (and sometimes humor) originate. The pit is 12 feet long, on an upward slope, and 70 centimeters (27.6 inches) deep at its deepest. Almost every runner has tripped up in the pit at least once in their competitive careers, leading to sometimes spectacular crashes.
On each full lap, there are four barriers and one water jump that must be cleared. Since the 3,000-meter event's start begins on a half lap, there is no barrier or water jump for the first 200 meters.
Contrasting with hurdle races, in which the objective is to clear the barrier with no body contact, steeplechasers will typically "skip" on the top of the barriers due to their unforgiving weight and immovability.
Track spikes for steeplechasers sometimes have ventilation holes on the toes, or a mesh build, to allow for the shoes to drain more effectively in between water jumps.
The event has been contested in the Olympics on the men's side since the 1920 games in Antwerp, Belgium, but did not get added to the women's competition until 2008.
