Longevity in the Hurdles
“Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts.” –Paul Simon
If you’ve been following the hurdles this year, you may have noticed a lot of new faces entering the elite level stage and making some big noise. This is particularly true in the sprint hurdle races (women and men, but especially women). This phenomenon seems to occur just about every year, although not everyone who emerges on the scene stays on the scene for long.
So let’s take a look at some of these new stars, and let’s look to address the question of what it takes to maintain staying power in the sprint hurdle events.
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On the women’s side, the new faces include first-year pros Jasmine Stowers and Sharika Nelvis, and NCAA champion Kendra Harrison. Stowers and Nelvis have both run sub-12.40 this year, and Nelvis and Harrison have qualified for the World Championship team, joining veteran Dawn Harper-Nelson, beating out more experienced hurdlers such as Brianna Rollins, Queen Harrison, Lolo Jones, and Kristi Castlin.
On the men’s side, Omar McLeod of Jamaica and Orlando Ortega of Cuba joined the sub-13 club this year. Neither of them came out of the blue, as McLeod was a standout collegian last year and Ortega has been battling with the big boys for a couple years now. I’ve always liked his efficient technique and thought that he’d break out last year, when Pascal Martinot-Lagarde of France proved to be the one who rose to the top.
In a recent interview with Ato Boldon, David Oliver, who is 33 and still at the top of his game, said that he’s always looking out for any new young guys who may be coming up, but that he doesn’t preoccupy himself with worrying about fending them off. It’s something that happens.
But not everybody who makes a big splash as a young up-and-comer sticks around for a lengthy career. This year’s new-kid-on-the-block story can easily becomes next year’s whatever-happened-to story. Devon Allen comes to mind when I think of this topic. Last year, the Oregon footballer shocked the world by dropping something like .8 from the beginning of the season to the end to win the NCAA 110 championship, defeating favorites Aleec Harris of USC and Wayne Davis II of Texas A&M. Then the following week he proved to be a true giant killer by winning the USA National Championship, defeating vets like Oliver and Jason Richardson.
This year, where is Devon Allen? He is rehabbing from an ACL tear he suffered during football season. Between his injury and his passion for football, it’s unclear as to whether or not he’ll ever return to the form and promise he showed in 2014.
Brianna Rollins, meanwhile, blasted onto the scene in 2013, dominating the collegiate ranks, setting a new American record of 12.26 at the USA National Championships, then winning the World Championships in 12.44, where she defeated the previous year’s Olympic champion Sally Pearson and 2008 Olympic Champion Harper-Nelson. Since then, Rollins has been competitive, but has lost her dominance mojo. In 2014, Harper-Nelson and Queen Harrison were the ones dueling it out for Diamond League supremacy, and this year Rollins has been defeated by the next generation of youngsters mentioned above.
Lolo Jones is another one who at one time (2008) was the darling of the event, but has since fallen from the ranks of the annual medal favorites, although she remains competitive. Harper-Nelson, meanwhile, is someone who has remained at or near the top for the past eight years.
Like Harper-Nelson, Oliver, on the men’s side, would be the one to point to as the one who has been consistently among the world’s best year after year for an extended period of time. He medaled at the 2008 Olympics, had a 2010 season for the ages, becoming the first American to run under 12.90, then went on to have his moment of glory when he won the 2013 World Championship. As new kids like Ortega, Martinot-Lagarde, and Hansle Parchment of Jamaica, have risen to the top ranks, and former all-time greats like Dayron Robles and Liu Xiang have faded into the sunset, Oliver has been there for all of it.
Other Americans have struggled to maintain the same level of consistency. Aries Merritt had the greatest single season every for a 110 hurdler in 2012, when he won the Olympic gold medal and brought the world record all the way down to 12.80. But he hasn’t found that type of mojo ever since. Richardson, similarly, has struggled to find consistency since he first emerged as a world champion in 2011.
It seems to me that, back in the day, the D.O.’s of the world were more common in the men’s race. Hurdlers were known for their longevity. Colin Jackson, Allen Johnson, Greg Foster, and Roger Kingdom are four names that instantly come to mind as hurdlers who competed at the highest level for 10+ years. Renaldo Nehemiah and Rod Milburn both had their careers interrupted for a few years, and then came back and still competed at the highest level. Tonie Campbell made three Olympic teams. Terrence Trammell had a very long career as well.
So what are some of the factors when it comes to maintaining longevity in the hurdles? Let’s take a look:
Probably the first big thing is making the transition from the collegiate ranks to the pro ranks. Rollins, for example, had her amazing 2013 as she completed her final year of college. Though the college season is long and includes a lot of races, the college environment is very conducive to excellence. You have access to great coaching, great training facilities, great competition in practice, and all your needs are taken care of. Track isn’t your livelihood.
Not to mention, when you get to the pros, you don’t race as often, so you can’t race yourself into shape like you could in college. Finding the training environment that is most conducive to your success can also be a tricky thing. Then, when you get to the pros, you have to deal with the fact that “pro” in track isn’t the same as “pro” in other sports. You’re making money, but there’s always the threat that the shoe contract will not be renewed, and there are people you have to pay (coach, agent, masseuse, nutritionist, etc.). Some of the best hurdlers on the circuit today have been dropped from their contracts (think Richardson, Johnny Dutch, Bershawn Jackson; Ryan Wilson didn’t have a sponsor for most of his career). There’s no guarantee that success on the track will result in financial stability. That has got to make for a very stressful life.
Track athletes need solid support groups. They need to surround themselves with people they can trust, not people who are eager to take advantage of them in one way or another. A hurdler’s ego and confidence are very fragile. Every race you can lose, every race you can crash, every race you have to prove yourself all over again. Without a solid support group, a hurdler can easily lose hope when racing poorly or when injured.
Another key to longevity is to train smart, not just hard. Oliver has said that in the last year or two he has reduced the number of days per week that he trains to four, and that he spends less time in the weight room. He says that such changes are necessary to preserve his body, that he can’t train like he did when he was 23-24 years old. Allen Johnson similarly backed off on volume as he grew older.
Along the same lines, it becomes increasingly important to race only when completely healthy. Liu Xiang comes to mind with this one. He forced himself to try to compete at the 2008 Olympics because they were in his home country of China and he didn’t want to let down his people. But it could be argued (and yes, I’m making the argument) that his attempt to compete at that meet ruined his career. He never recovered from the Achilles and ankle problems that he exacerbated by trying to race when he knew he wasn’t fit to race. While it’s disappointing for fans when stars pull out at the last minute, an athlete has to do what’s best for career longevity, not short-term gain.
I think that efficient technique also plays a role in longevity. Allen Johnson serves as the best example of someone whose technique allowed him to hurdle at a very high level for a very long time. Efficient technique means less strain on the muscles. That’s one of the reasons I’m very big on a bent lead leg. A straight lead leg puts a lot of strain on the hamstring. It also puts a lot of strain on the groin of the trail leg.
Then of course, the lifestyle off the track contributes to longevity as well. Maintaining a healthy diet, getting the proper amount of sleep, not indulging excessively in the party lifestyle.
And finally, you have to love the hurdles. If it’s all about being famous or making money, you’ll get tired of track pretty quickly. It’s a lonely sport. And hurdling can be especially lonely because it’s such a niche event. All the best hurdlers that I’ve ever talked to or heard interviewed say the same thing, in so many words – that there is nothing else they’d rather be doing.
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