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Many Americans enjoy running[1] marathons . About 300 marathons were held[2] in the US last year and
that number is expected[3] to grow.
The NY City marathon is held every year in November. It is a big sporting event with thousands of
participants.[4] One can see celebrities and famous sportsmen[5] among the marathon runners. A famous
cyclist, whose excellent physical condition helped him complete the marathon in less[6] than 3 hours, admitted
that the race was ‘the hardest[7] physical thing he’d ever done’[8].
While the NY City marathon is the biggest, the Boston Marathon is the oldest one. Boston’s[9] is held in
April. It is famous for the fact that Roberta Gibb became the first[10] woman to unofficially run that marathon
in 1966. At that time, people did not believe[11] women could[12] run marathons.
Today’s marathons welcome everyone. The popularity of the sport has spread[13] among people who are
interested[14] in health and fitness. Many middle-aged people like to spend a weekend visiting[15] a new city
and running a marathon there. Some magazines call the middle-aged people of today the ‘marathon generation’.
43% of marathon runners in the US are 40 y.o. or older.
A marathon really starts several months before the race. You need to run about 5 days every week to
prepare. Most runs should[16] be for half an hour. You should also try to run for an hour or more each Sunday.
This is a very basic way for an average runner to prepare. What you can’t[17] prepare for is running in a big
marathon with thousands of other participants. It is in many ways a social event. There is a sense of community.
The spectators are as much a part of the race as the runners. Almost every age group is[18] present.
However, there are people who want to run farther[19]. For them ultramarathons are organised that take
running to a different level. An ultra-marathon is any race longer than a marathon. One of the oldest ultramarathons is held annually in California. It is 160 kilometers long. Last year, 210 people finished the race. The
winner, Graham Cooper, finished[20] in 18 hours and 17 min.
Model: [0] marathons – множественное число существительного marathon/