Even though it has been a men’s event every year since 1959, the NCAA didn’t include the 3,000-meter steeplechase race in the women’s outdoor championships until 2001.

Two years after the steeplechase replaced the 3,000-meter run, then-junior Andrea Parker set the Michigan school record in the race at the 2003 Big Ten Championships with a fifth-place time of 10:33.

“It was actually my first (competitive) steeple ever,” fifth-year senior Parker said. “It was the new women’s sport. I wanted to try something new.”

Some of the “new” in the steeplechase can be attributed to barriers, which are completely unlike hurdles and much less forgiving.

“If you hit a hurdle, it’ll fall down,” said senior Ana Gjesdal — another steeplechase runner for the Wolverines. “If you hit a barrier, you will fall down.”

The race also includes water jumps, which are barriers followed by 12-feet-by-12-feet water pits that a runner must jump over.

The steeplechase requires both the acceleration of a hurdler and the endurance of a long-distance runner. Parker practices both skills, but does not want to exhaust her energy too early in the season. At the Florida Relays last weekend, Parker didn’t run the race.

“I don’t like to run too many steeplechases at the beginning of the season because they can be dangerous,” Parker said. “If you land (in the water pits) incorrectly, you can sprain or even fracture your leg bones. But I will run the race later on in the season.”

Gjesdal ran instead and took first place with an NCAA regional qualifying time of 10:41.25.

Parker and Gjesdal both run this unique race for Michigan, but their styles are different. Parker excels at accelerating onto the water jumps but has problems when she pushed off the barriers.

“I am not a natural hurdler,” Parker said. “I see the races as a series of mini-races. I don’t focus on the barriers. I focus on the flat ground, and, when I see a barrier, I just jump over it.”

In contrast, Gjesdal is best at jumping over and pushing off the barriers but hesitates on the water jumps.

“I subconsciously anticipate the water jumps because I have to push out so that I don’t land in the water,” Gjesdal said. “If I fall in the water, I could really hurt myself.”

Parker and Gjesdal continued to improve on fitness and distance running technique during the indoor season. But they still need to work on their jumping techniques.

“Both runners are better in their flat (non-hurdle) events, as a result of their indoor season training,” Michigan coach Mike McGuire said.

Last week, Gjesdal placed second in the 3,000-meter race with a time of 9:42.84 in addition to her first-place finish in the steeplechase. Parker placed second in the 800-meter race with at time of 2:14.98 and third in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:29.97.

Despite their accomplishments, transitioning from indoor to outdoor is hard for steeplechase runners because they go from running flats to dealing with barriers and water jumps.

“You can’t practice the acceleration and flexibility of water hurdles during indoor season because it’s an outdoor event,” McGuire said.

The Wolverines will continue their outdoor season this weekend at the Duke Blue Devil Invitational in Durham, N.C.