British woman first to finish world's toughest ultramarathon

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2024/03/25

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: British woman first to finish world's toughest ultramarathon

Vocabulary Match

navigate •• fell down
terrain •• success
participants •• people
traditions •• downhill
achievement •• land
collapsed •• customs
descent •• find way

Vocabulary Answers

navigatefind way
terrainland
participantspeople
traditionscustoms
achievementsuccess
collapsedfell down
descentdownhill

Article

Jasmin Paris, a British runner, made history as the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee, USA. She finished the race, known as one of the world's toughest ultramarathons, in just under 60 hours.

The race took place in Frozen Head State Park and is about 100 miles long with a climb and descent of 60,000 feet. Only 20 people have finished this race within the time limit since it changed to 100 miles in 1989.

Jasmin trained hard and felt confident she could finish it. She was so tired after the race that she collapsed. The race, inspired by a prison escape, has unique traditions and requires participants to navigate through challenging, often pathless terrain.

Competitors must also find books along the course and tear out pages as proof of completion. Jasmin's achievement is being hailed as one of the greatest in ultramarathon history.

Quiz

  1. How quickly did Jasmin finish the Barkley Marathons?
  2. How long is the Barkley Marathons?
  3. What is one unique task that competitors need to do during the race?
  4. What happened to Jasmin after she finished the race?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Jasmin Paris is the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons.
  2. The Barkley Marathons is about 100 miles long.
  3. Competitors need to find books along the course and tear out pages.
  4. Jasmin collapsed after she finished the race.

Conversation

A:Did you hear about the Barkley Marathons this year?
B:No, what happened?
A:Jasmin Paris finished it in 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds.
B:Wow, over two days! What was the time limit?
A:60 hours! She did it with seconds to spare!
B:Amazing! Is she the first woman to finish it?
A:Yes! It's such a hard race. She made history!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever participated in a marathon? If not, would you want to?
  2. What's the hardest physical challenge you've ever faced?
  3. Tearing pages out of books is unique. How else could runners prove they ran the course?
  4. Do you enjoy exercise? If not, what other activities do you enjoy?

Source Material

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-68643341


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