Learn English via Listening - Level 3 - Marathon | Текст песни

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• Marathon

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Few sports events integrate the competitive side of sport with the social and playful side
of sport like marathon running. This might seem like a strange thing to say about what is
such a rigorous and physically challenging event. However, major city marathons attract
both serious competitors and less serious runners in the same event, and often generate
a citywide party atmosphere leading up to and during the event.
The competitive marathon was introduced as part of the modern Olympic Games in 1896.
The purpose of the event was to mimic the ancient Greek Games, despite the fact that no
such event was held in ancient Greece. However, according to legend, in 490 BC a Greek
soldier ran from Marathon to Athens to take news of a Greek military victory over the
Persians. The runner collapsed with exhaustion and died. Interestingly, the first winner of
the modern-day Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece, was Spiridon Louys, a Greek
runner.
As the twentieth century unfolded, major track and field meets integrated the marathon
into their schedules. However, the marathon grew in popularity due mostly to the
emergence of several urban-based marathons. Some, notably the Boston Marathon, had
been around for decades; however, many new ones emerged, especially in the 1970s and
1980s. The emergence of these popular races coincided with a late-twentieth century
boom in the sports and exercise industry. As a result, the sport of running took off.
Also, lasting images from top international competitions began to attract people to
marathon running. In the Olympic marathon in 1952, Emil Zatopek won the race after
having competed-and also won-in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres races. In 1960 and 1964,
Ethiopian Abebe Bikila won the marathon, making himself a national hero. Images of
Bikila running barefoot in his first victory in 1960 are engrained in most serious
marathoners' minds.
Women entered marathon running in the 1960s and 1970s, although their participation
was met with great resistance. While women had run marathons for decades (the first
recorded time came in 1926 by Violet Percy), it was Kathy Switzer's run in the 1967
Boston marathon that was one of the most important symbolic runs for women. In the
middle of the marathon, a Boston official spotted Switzer running and tried to yank her
off the course. Switzer and fellow supporters resisted, and she went on to finish the race.
Switzer's effort motivated other women to take on marathon running, and the
participation rose, although slowly. It was not until 1984 that the women's marathon was
included in the Olympic program.
Today, major city marathons in Boston, New York, London, Berlin, and cities around the
world make the race one of the most attractive participatory and spectator amateur
sports events in the world.