This is America. Гришенкова Е.Г. - 39 стр.

UptoLike

ВУЗ: 

УлГТУ | Ульяновск

Составители: 

Рубрика: 

39
Before the marathon begins, a computer chip device is attached to each
runner’s shoe. It electronically records how long the runner takes to complete the
race. Timing begins when a runner passes another device placed across the road at the
starting line. The computer chip records each runner’s time as he or she passes over
several areas along the race. And it records the runner’s final time when crossing the
finish line.
Last year, Lee Bong-Ju ran his winning race in two hours, nine minutes and
forty three seconds. Women’s winner Catherine Ndereba finished in two hours,
twenty three minutes and fifty three seconds.
People who cannot walk also compete in the Boston Marathon. Competitors in
wheelchairs begin the race earlier than others. The Boston Marathon became the first
major marathon to include users of wheelchairs in 1975.
Last year, South African competitor Ernst VanDyk won the wheelchair race.
He finished in one hour twenty-five minutes and twelve seconds. That was more than
six minutes faster than his closest competitor.
The first Boston Marathon was held in 1897. Fifteen men competed. Ten
finished the race. Since then, the marathon has been held every year as part of a
holiday in Massachusetts called Patriot’s Day. The holiday honors the beginning of
the American War of Independence in the 1770s.
This year, several special events are planned for Patriot’s Day. For example,
musicians will perform 18
th
century music at a public gathering place at Hopkinton
where the race begins.
The word “marathon” comes from an area along the coast of Greece. An
important battle took place in Marathon about two thousand five hundred years ago.
An army from Persia had invaded Greece. Greece’s army defeated the invading army
at Marathon. An Athenian general sent a Greek runner to Athens to tell the news of
the victory. Marathon was about forty kilometers from Athens. The man ran to
Athens at top speed. He announced his message. Then he fell to the ground, dead.
A men’s marathon of about forty kilometers was included in the first modern
Olympic Games in 1896. The distance of the marathon was increased to forty two
and two tenths kilometers at the 1908 Olympics in London. The marathon continues
to be a popular Olympic sport.
Many American cities in addition to Boston hold marathons. For example, the
United States Marine Marathon will take place on October 3, 2002 in Washington,
D.C., and the state of Virginia.
Chicago also will hold its 2002 Marathon in October. The running area in
Chicago is almost completely flat. This has permitted runners to set some of the

Страницы