When I was 14, my track coach asked me if I would be interested in trying the hurdles. There were no other boys on the team that wanted to do hurdle events, so I decided to give it a try. As it turned out, I was pretty good at it. The coach worked on my hurdling form, since I initially started out jumping way too high over the hurdles and 'floating'... costing me valuable time. The idea is to get your feet back on the ground as quickly as possible. Fortunately, during my 8th grade year of track I went undefeated in the hurdles. I continued to run the 110-Meter High Hurdles and the 300-Meter Intermediate Hurdles throughout high school, advancing to the State finals and doing pretty well for a 5'9" guy with a 30" inseam.
During my senior year of high school I clocked 41.8 seconds for the 300-Meter Intermediate Hurdles and 15.8 seconds for the 110-Meter High Hurdles -- good, but not good enough to get on the podium at the State Championships. The high hurdles in high school were 39" tall and there were ten barriers to get over in 110 meters.
When I went to the University of Montana in 1984 I decided to walk onto the college track team and try competing as a high hurdler. The collegiate hurdles are 3 inches taller than in high school (42 inches), and I knew that would be a challenge due to my height and limited inseam.
The university coach was somewhat impressed with my high school times and decided to give me a shot. I practiced really hard and spent many nights icing the ankle of my trail leg, which I had a difficult time clearing the 42-inch barriers. I stepped up to the starting line of a race and looked to my right and left at hurdlers that stood 6 inches taller than me. Suffice it to say, I came across the line in last place. I was 19 years old and my coach told me, "Paul, you have a lot of heart... but not a lot of inseam. I think you've done all that you're capable of doing in this event. You can continue if you want to, but I don't think we'll be able to squeeze any more speed out of you in the high hurdles."
I ended up leaving the track team and floundering for a few months as I thought about what I wanted to do in running. It was then that I decided to do long distance running (as I had done during the cross country season in high school, primarily to stay in shape for track season). So, my focus on running very long distances started by reaching my physical limit in the sport of high hurdling. I still enjoy watching high hurdle races whenever I get the chance, and back in my high school days I was inspired by such great hurdlers as Renaldo Nehemiah and Edwin Moses. I still own three hurdles and my old track spikes from high school are tucked away in a box somewhere, probably next to my race medals from over 33 years ago.
Since my competitive hurdling days in high school and college, I've been fortunate to be able to coach high school hurdlers -- some of them becoming state champions. Occasionally I'll stretch out and hurdle a collegiate/Olympic high hurdle height (42 inches), as I did last year. I'm not sure how long this 50+ year old body will be able to do that, but whenever I face a hurdle it seems to all come back to me... the form needed, the speed required, and the focus necessary to clear the 3 1/2 foot barrier with decent form and no fear.
In so many ways, life is like a hurdle race. There are obstacles to overcome and we learn with each barrier how best to approach and conquer the next one. In a way, I'll be a "hurdler" until my last breath.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
