The Marathon Challenge
Listen to a person’s personal achievement and test your understanding with the comprehension questions.
The Marathon Challenge
Listen to someone’s personal achievement and answer the questions to test your understanding. Read the transcript if you need to.
Transcript
Completing a marathon was something I’d had on my bucket list for a decade, but I always found an excuse to put it off. Last year, I finally bit the bullet and signed up for the Manchester Marathon. The training was, quite frankly, brutal. I had to run four times a week, often in the freezing rain, and I had to completely overhaul my diet – goodbye pizza, hello pasta!
On the day of the race, the atmosphere was electric. The first fifteen miles were actually quite enjoyable, but hit the wall at mile twenty. My legs felt like lead and I seriously contemplated dropping out. But then, I saw a young kid holding a sign that said ‘Keep going, random stranger!’ and it gave me the second wind I needed. Crossing that finish line was the most emotional moment of my life. I wasn’t the fastest, but that didn’t matter. I’ve kept the medal on my mantelpiece ever since as a reminder that I’m more resilient than I thought.
