Austin Resident Competes In Steeplechase Event At Rio Olympics

AUSTIN, TX -- An Austin runner is in Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympics, representing her homeland of Great Britain, according to a published report.

Lennie Waite, 30, is competing in the steeplechase event later this month, reports the Austin American-Statesman. Born in England, Waite has lived in Austin intermittently since 1992, the newspaper noted.

She distinguished herself on the soccer field in Rice University, to where she earned an athletic scholarship. Her older sister, physical therapist Katie Gwyn, ran cross-country and track at the same school, the Statesman reported.

So what exactly is steeplechase? Wired.com calls it the "the coolest Olympic event you've never heard of."

The event is a 3,000-meter obstacle race with four hurdles and a water pit measuring 12 feet long and located at the end of the track on the curve right before the home stretch, the magazine describes. That home stretch is either on the inside of the first land or the outside of the final one.

"It's got a barrier in front of it, a barrier being a really wide hurdle," Wired.com helpfully notes.

But it's that water pit that offers the event's drama: "Everyone loves a train wreck, and the water pit is just that," the magazine reports with near-palpable glee. "People flock to it when a race starts, hoping to witness a few good crashes. They're rarely disappointed."

We're talking wipe-outs here. We're talking spectacular wipe-outs. All told, steeplechase features 35 obstacles, four of those being those water pits upon which spectators sadistically fixate.

Although the athlete is competing for England, she gave Austin a shout-out as a prime training ground for her Olympic dreams: “Austin is such a great running community, for all abilities,” she told the Statesman. “I feel like it’s a great place to be an aspiring Olympian.”

Waite is scheduled to compete on Aug. 13.