The Reading / Listening - Running Marathons - Level 0

It's hard to run the 42 km of a marathon. This seems easy for a 32-year-old Australian runner. She just ran one every day for 150 days. She ran 6,300 km across Australia for over five months. She easily beat the old world record of 106 marathons. The woman did not qualify for the Olympics, so she ran the marathons instead.

The woman broke the record to raise awareness of animals in danger. Many animals in Australia are dying out. She raised $70,000 for a wildlife charity. The marathons were very hard, but she knew she could finish. She was "covered in sweat and flies, and everything ached". She kept giving herself lots of tiny goals.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Running Marathons - Level 1 Running Marathons - Level 2   or  Running Marathons - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-64286469
  • https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/i-m-so-stoked-woman-wraps-up-150-marathons-in-150-days-with-tan-track-dash-20230116-p5ccul.html
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/erchana-murraybartlett-runs-150-marathons-in-a-row-breaks-record/101861080


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. It's hard
  2. the 42 km of
  3. This seems
  4. a 32-year-old
  5. She just ran one every
  6. She easily beat
  7. qualify for
  8. she ran the marathons
  1. Australian runner
  2. the old world record
  3. instead
  4. a marathon
  5. the Olympics
  6. day for 150 days
  7. to run
  8. easy

Paragraph 2

  1. raise
  2. She raised $70,000 for
  3. The marathons were
  4. she knew she could
  5. She was covered
  6. everything
  7. She kept giving
  8. tiny
  1. ached
  2. awareness
  3. goals
  4. a wildlife charity
  5. herself lots
  6. very hard
  7. in sweat and flies
  8. finish

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

It's (1) ___________________ the 42 km of a marathon. This (2) ___________________ a 32-year-old Australian runner. She just ran (3) ___________________ for 150 days. She ran 6,300 km across Australia (4) ___________________ months. She easily (5) ___________________ world record of 106 marathons. The woman did not qualify for the Olympics, (6) ___________________ the marathons instead.

The woman broke the (7) ___________________ awareness of animals in danger. Many animals in Australia (8) ___________________. She raised $70,000 for (9) ___________________. The marathons were very hard, but she knew (10) ___________________. She was "covered in sweat and flies, (11) ___________________". She kept giving (12) ___________________ tiny goals.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

It'shardtorunthe42kmofamarathon.Thisseemseasyfora32-year-ol
dAustralianrunner.Shejustranoneeverydayfor150days.Sheran6,30
0kmacrossAustraliaforoverfivemonths.Sheeasilybeattheoldworldre
cordof106marathons.ThewomandidnotqualifyfortheOlympics,sosh
eranthemarathonsinstead.Thewomanbroketherecordtoraiseaware
nessofanimalsindanger.ManyanimalsinAustraliaaredyingout.Sherai
sed$70,000forawildlifecharity.Themarathonswereveryhard,butshe
knewshecouldfinish.Shewas"coveredinsweatandflies,andeverythin
gached".Shekeptgivingherselflotsoftinygoals.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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