What is a Hurdles race?

Hurdling is the act of running and jumping over an obstacle at speed. In athletics, a hurdles race will consist of anywhere between 6 and 10 barriers.

The height of the hurdles and the distance between them will vary according to gender, age and the style of the hurdle event. There are two different styles of hurdle events, sprint hurdles and long hurdles.

Sprint hurdles typically vary between the distances of 70m and 110m. Long hurdles typically vary between 300m and 400m.

As such the techniques we need to achieve the best possible results in hurdling will vary significantly between events and even between athletes - for example a taller athlete will often need a very different technique over the hurdles than a shorter one.

Learn about the Components of Hurdling

Hurdles races are very specialised events and as such require a lot of time to learn technique, improve flexibility, and get used to the 'rhythm' up to the first hurdle and between subsequent ones. Please select from the list below to see advice on how to train for hurdles races.

Here is a hurdles training video for drills that we've put together. It is one of many we feature on the site and on our Youtube channel. We hope you enjoy it.