The most important race of Isaac Updike’s running career progressed relatively smoothly in a preliminary steeplechase heat Saturday morning at the World Championships.
Then, disaster.
With about 100 meters left in the 3,000-meter tour over hurdles and a water jump, and with Updike poised to battle for the last qualifying spot into the final, horror struck – he was tripped from behind. The 31-year-old from Ketchikan, and his dream, crashed to the track in Budapest, Hungary.
From seeming ruin, though, came relief – Team USA and Updike won a protest and he advanced to the final despite finishing 11th in a heat in which the top five finishers qualified for Tuesday’s final.
“Happy the protest was a success,’’ Updike texted. “Not really the way I would have envisioned making a world final, but here we are. Time to refuel, recharge and recover.’’
Updike bounced between third place and eighth place among the 13 runners in his heat before moving into sixth place with about 600 meters to go. Coming off the final water jump, the eventual top four finishers had distanced themselves from the field. Updike was among a handful of runners still in contention to earn the coveted fifth place and a place in the final.
Ketchikan’s Isaac Updike. Photo by Johnny Zhang Photography
“I was treating it like a final,’’ Updike texted. “I did lapse a bit there in the middle and rallied to get back into that 5th contention spot with a few laps to go.
“I landed pretty hard on the last water pit and lost a bit of momentum but was still with the pack fight for fifth. Who knows if I would have gotten the last spot or not – I have been able to close really well over the last barrier so it could have been me. But I don’t think it fair to discount other athletes and say I was going to get it.’’
After getting tripped, Updike got back to his feet and finished in 8 minutes, 31.81 seconds.
Updike said in a postrace interview that a runner behind him clipped Updike’s right foot, which caused his right foot to clip his left leg and send him sprawling.
This season has been the best of Updike’s career, with personal bests in the steeplechase (8:17.47), 1,500 meters (3:39.84), 3,000 meters (7:52.48) and 5,000 meters (13:26.69). He also defended his title at the iconic Penn Relays. Updike qualified for the World Championships by finishing third and the USA nationals in July in Eugene, Oregon. That marked the first time in his career the former NAIA steeplechase champ for Eastern Oregon made a global (Olympic, World Championship) team.
Although Updike did not meet the steeplechase qualifying standard (8:15.00) for worlds, he gained entry by finishing third at nationals and being ranked 22nd in the world. He entered his heat Saturday with a season-best time (8:17.47) that ranked 25th among 37 runners in three heats. His personal best ranked 28th of 37.
Updike’s ascension to the world stage is the culmination of an unlikely rise. He didn’t run high school track in Ketchikan because he devoted spring to soccer. He walked on to the Eastern Oregon running program coached by Benny Welch, the former Wasilla High state cross country champ, and developed into a national champion. Updike, currently based in Albuquerque, N.M., spent his first handful of years as a pro runner working part-time to support his dream. And he’s been through a few sponsors, with Under Armour stepping in as his sponsor this season.
After all that, and roughly a decade as a pro chasing his dream, Updike finds himself heading to a global final in the unlikeliest way.