Thomas Grabher will have other obstacles to deal with other than fellow competitors during his races in the 1,500-meter steeplechase and the 2,000-meter run.
Grabher, a member of the Oceanside Track and Field Team, goes to school at NDSS but trains here in Parksville every week with the OTFC. The 15-year-old will be enjoying his first trip to the B.C. Summer Games and is excited to being part of it in his hometown.
“It’s going to be exciting, I’m really looking forward to it,” Grabher said. “I wasn’t sure what it was to begin with but when I heard it was like a mini Olympics, I thought it would be lots of fun.”
Grabher will be running in two completely different races. The 2,000-meter is a straight forward distance run while the steeplechase includes four obstacles waiting for competitors on the other side of a hurdle at different points on the track.
“Steeplechase is pretty exciting. The 2,000-meter is just a lot of hard work, straight forward stuff,” Grabher said.
“The steeplechase is great because you could be at the back of the pack and someone up front could trip up on an obstacle and change the whole race. The fact that one of them has water on the other side makes it all the more interesting too.”