Steeple Buckingham’s Palace

Australia’s steeplechase men are set to do battle over the barriers at the Coles Summer Super Series in Canberra, with a slick field assembled in the first leg of the enticing series that will culminate in a showdown for the national title. 

The event features World Championships representative Ben Buckingham (Nic Bideau), along with Australian stalwart James Nipperess (Dick Telford) and the South Australian duo of Max Stevens and Matthew Clarke (Adam Didyk) – with competitive steeplechase fields on Australian soil the new regular.

It’s a prospect that has Buckingham optimistic for the future. 

“All four of us have a shot at winning. Nipper needs no introduction – he’s a multiple time national champion. Max won nationals last year and Clarkey, all respect to him, did a huge amount of steeple specific work and became really good at the event,” he said. 

The past three years have witnessed Australia’s leading steeplechase quartet raise the standard of the event - with Buckingham (8:27.51), Stevens (8:29.48), Nipperess (8:32.59) and Clarke (8:38.68) all climbing their way up the Australian all-time rankings. It’s a significant improvement from the time period of the 2018 Commonwealth Games – where breaking 8:40 was a rarity.

Buckingham has not run his pet event for 18 months since last competing at Doha in the World Championships, but a 7:57.81 over 3000m in December before a clinical performance pacing the Men’s 10,000m through halfway at Zatopek suggests he is in promising shape. 

“In my first race I just said I either want to win the race or break eight minutes, and I did both which is a great sign,” he said.

“Pacing Zatopek was a lot of fun and a different kind of pressure because you are just on the front on your own for a long time.”

Buckingham has only recently reintroduced steeple specific workouts and barriers into his training, acknowledging the unique nature of the event.

“It’s hard to simulate steeple fatigue during training, you have to get out there and race a few. I’m running this race as training, this is my first hit-out to remind myself how to run one,” he said.

“I’m really excited to see where I’m at and see how all the fitness gains I have made in the last year and a half translate over the barriers.”

2019 was in many ways a breakout season for the man more commonly known as “Bucks”, dropping his personal best from 8:54.14 to 8:27.51 and earning his first Australian uniform.

“I had one of those seasons where you just keep riding the wave – I opened with an 8:40, went overseas and ran 8:31 and then 8:27. I was able to keep extending my season and stay really consistent,” he said.

“The fact that I got to experience that and race in a couple of countries – you can’t ever take that off me no matter what happens.”

The Coles Summer Super Series will serve as a launch pad to propel Buckingham into the rest of his season, where he plans to compete in the steeplechase in Brisbane before gunning for his first national title in Sydney.

“Three steeples in six weeks is the sweet spot for me, I’ve never done better than come third at nationals so I’d really like to win one and this is the year.”

Buckingham will also race in the national 5000m bout set to take place at the Sydney Track Classic, but his heart lies in the steeplechase – an event that he hopes will only grow thanks to the current crop of Australian stars.

“I think it’s great how good the depth is and I hope that younger guys come and jump in the event and see that you can get really good at it,” he said. 

By Lachlan Moorhouse
Posted: 24/2/2021