Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/05/13/runner-literally-flies-across.html
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5 Likes
I think my knees just peeled off three layers of skin in sympathy watching that.
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Yeah, that had to leave a mark.
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I’m always amazed that people can do this. The hurdle not the flying. Even I can fly, briefly.
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I don’t know about track rules: Is this legal? Because it shouldn’t be: One foot on the ground at all times, you know?
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As someone who occasionally competes in a potentially-painful athletic endeavor, adrenaline is a hell of drug. You don’t care bout the pain, or even feel the pain at all until many minutes later.
That would make it hard to get over the hurdles…
24 Likes
not just hurdles, 400 meter hurdles. As a former hurdler, this is without a doubt one of the most grueling events in track and field. Evidence being that even elite/Olympic level athlete kinda hop high over the hurdles (rather than the tight snapping step over the 100/110 meter) and look like jelly people by the end. His diving into the ground doesn’t surprise me one bit. Your eyes and inner ear are a wobbling mess by the end. He probably just really. wanted. to. lie. down.
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I’ve never been able to do the hurdle thing. I suspect that it’s about 90% psychological (as in, I physically might be able to do it, but at 5’ tall, I would psych myself out of leaving the ground enough to leap effectively). But in gym class I never got my leg/crotch area up high enough to clear the dang things and I’d crash right into the hurdle.
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It ain’t the flying, it’s the landing that’ll get you.
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Flying is easy. You just fall and miss the ground
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It’s not something that I ever tried. I’m 6’ 3" but I don’t feel that would help me to do flying splits. I can’t really do sitting on the ground splits. And climbing over a mid height fence requires all limbs and a lot of cursing. I accept this is just one of those things that I will never do. I’m ok with that. I applaud those that can.
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Think of the force in that impact. How many times can he do that before he causes permanent damage that makes it impossible for him to race?
That would then prevent this, indeed, but you’re just making up rules.
I don’t see any reason why this “ought” to be illegal. It’s an incredible athletic feat in and of itself. It’s no easy move leaping forward head-first while you’re running full-tilt, you can see he actually had to prepare his body and slow down slightly in order to get his head in front of his legs enough to make that push. And if your timing’s wrong you just screwed yourself.
It’s probably similar to people seeing the Fosbury Flop in the high jump for the first time: “it ought to be illegal to go over backwards.” It’s just people working out the most effective way to move their body through space given the rules.
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That isn’t flying, it’s falling with style.
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There’s nothing at all in the rules about that.
One of the things I love about track and field (both as a participant and spectator) is that there is very little room for subjective interpretation. You start running, and the first person across the line wins. You jump and the highest/longest wins. You throw and the farthest wins.
More complicated sports that require real-time interpretation of rules by officials are fun, but also carry the frustration when (usually) well-meaning officials bump into the human limitations of perception and bias and interpret those rules incorrectly.
You really don’t see that in track. When someone breaks the rules, it’s rare and usually obvious.
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It’s up for grabs between the 400 hurdles and the 800 m. As a former 800 m runner, I would give it to the hurdles. It’s one thing to try and carry a sprint for a half mile, it’s another thing entirely to carry a sprint over obstacles that want to trip you for a quarter mile.
ETA: Here’s the 800 m from the same meet (2019 SEC Championships). The winner looks SO smooth, even when going out to a 50 sec first 400 m, but after crossing the line, he folds up, goes to hands and knees, and I know that look: “Don’t hurl. Don’t hurl. Don’t hurl.”
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Everything else aside, “Infinite Tucker” is an awesome name.
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I think you’re exaggerating the height of the hurdles. 200 meters, I might buy. But 400???
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I went to school with the Retton clan (as in Mary Lou) and they were not tall at all, but her sister was an awesome hurdler. Technique and flexibility, I think. I was a swimmer. Coordination not my strong suite!
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I’m flying, well, not right now but maybe later.
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