If you think running a 26-mile marathon sounds tough, how about 135 miles? Through California's Death Valley. In summer.
Warm-up
Are you involved in any leisure activities or sports?
How often do you take part in or practise them?
Key words
Match the following words 1-8 with their correct definitions a-h:
tough
the outskirts
terrain
endorse something
an injury
a day job
pragmatic
a challenge
a. a geographic area, for example a desert or mountains
b. difficult
c. physical damage done to a person’s body, for example a cut or broken bone
d. solving problems in a practical way
e. something difficult that needs a lot of skill, strength etc. to achieve
f. the areas of a city that are far away from the centre
g. to say that you use or like a particular product in order to promote it
h. work that you do to earn a living and which allows you to take part in a secondary activity or hobby
Read the article about Dean Karnazes, a so-called "ultra marathon" runner.
Then answer the questions.
How did Dean Karnazes become involved in long distance running?
In what ways are ultra marathons different from conventional marathons?
How many people take part in ultra marathons?
What natural attributes help Dean Karnazes to run very long distances?
How does he prepare for a running event?
How does he earn a living? How does he want to make money in the future?
How does he run without stopping to eat?
If you think running a 26-mile marathon sounds tough, how about 135 miles? Through California's Death Valley. In summer.
When the world's élite athletes compete in the next London Marathon, the 42-year-old Californian will not be among them. The reason is simple. For Dean Karnazes, the conventional marathon distance of 26 miles is only a warm-up.
Karnazes first ran the standard marathon distance when he was just 14, after which he stopped running long distances completely. But then, on the evening of his 30th birthday, he put on a pair of running shoes and decided to run into the night.
On the wide roads in the outskirts of San Francisco, and with absolutely no preparation, he ran 30 miles. That birthday run not only changed Karnazes's life but would eventually push the levels of endurance that human athletes are capable of.
Today, Karnazes is one of the world's leading participants in the little-known sport of ultra-marathon running. Unlike the 26-mile city marathons that take place around the world, "ultras" are distinguished by both their unusual terrain, typically deserts and mountains, and their extremely long distances, anything between 50 and 150 miles.
"In ultra races, victory is defined simply as finishing," explains Karnazes.
In the US, it is estimated that around 15,000 people regularly take part in ultra-marathons, and worldwide, according to Karnazes, it is 100,000 and rising rapidly. Among the better-known events is the Comrades in South Africa. The 56-mile race takes place every June. Competitors have to complete the course within 12 hours, and scenes at the finish are often desperate.
The best ultra-distance athletes, explains Karnazes, are blessed with certain physiological advantages: "I'm pretty slow but my biomechanics are good." He is talking about his perfectly neutral "foot strike", a natural running style that helps him to avoid injuries. His relatively advanced age is also a common feature among competitors. Age helps the ultra runner to cope with discomfort as increasing pain requires what is perhaps best described as a "pragmatic maturity".
Karnazes's day job is as the president of an organic health food company, and training must be fitted in around work. "In preparation for an event, I get up at 4am four mornings a week and run for a few hours and then try and get in an hour in the evening." His success is bringing commercial benefits, including various endorsements, and Karnazes hopes these will soon allow him to pursue his ultra-distance ambitions full time. One deal involves testing running shoes for a well-known adventure clothing company, The North Face.
Authors have written about the mental effects of miles on the road. "On the Western States run," explains Karnazes, "you run the first 50 miles with your legs and the next 50 with your mind. I've fallen asleep a number of times. Once, I woke up running down the middle of the road; the movement becomes automatic, you just switch to autopilot."
One run was a 350-mile, non-stop loop of San Francisco's Bay area, a feat which took an incredible 80 hours and 44 minutes. "You only stop to change your shoes but otherwise I pee, drink and eat while I run," says Karnazes. "If you're running for three days straight you can't just eat energy snacks, so I eat pizza. I carry a phone and a credit card. I tell the delivery guy where I'm going to be in 20 minutes and he meets me on the corner."
Original article by Mark MacKenzie
©The Independent News and Media, first published in The Independent,, 26/03/06
Find the words
Find a word or phrase in the text which means...
usual, traditional (adjective, P1)
not typical (adjective, P4)
success in a competition or battle (noun, P5)
a business agreement or arrangement (noun, P8)
one after another without interruption (adverb, P10)
Grammar - infinitive or -ing
Complete the following sentences from the article by putting the verb in brackets in the correct form:
Complete the rules below with ‘infinitive’ or ‘-ing form’. Give an example above for each rule.
a. When one verb follows another verb, the _________ (e.g. to run) or an _________ (e.g. running) is used.
Example: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
b. An _________ is often used to answer the question "Why.....?" or to talk about the purpose for doing something. The action is imagined or in the future.
Example: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
c. Some verbs are followed by an object (e.g. ‘him’) + an _________.
Example: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
d. An _________ is often used when the action happens at the same time as the first verb or it has already happened.
Example: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
e. Some verbs can be followed by an _________ or _________ with a difference in meaning.
Example: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Grammar practice
Complete each sentence with a suitable verb in its correct form.
advise| enjoy | forget (x2) | give up | promise | remember (x2) tell | want
Now put the verbs above into the correct categories below:
verb + infinitive:
verb + object + infinitive:
verb + -ing form:
verb + infinitive or -ing form:
Talking point
What you do think of Dean Karnazes’s lifestyle? Can you think of any other feats of endurance?
Comments