Who supports the runners?

How it started

How to be sure of the winners

What to wear for a marathon

What it is like to run a marathon

How to get ready for a marathon

Who runs just for fun?

Can the landscape help?

A.      Many cities in the United States hold marathons. The city of Chicago, Illinois, has its marathon once a year. The running area in Chicago is almost absolutely flat. The scenery is amazingly beautiful. This fact has helped some runners set some of the world’s fastest times there. Many of them hope to go back again.

 B.      Some people know that they have no chance of winning but they participate anyway. They are not officially registered for the race - they just start running with the crowd. These runners are called “bandits.” Many of them finish the race hours after the serious runners but they are happy to cross the finish line anyway.

C.       An important battle took place in Marathon in Greece more than two thousand years ago. Greece’s army won the battle. A Greek runner was sent to Athens to announce the victory. The man ran for about 40 km at top speed. He announced his message. Then he fell to the ground and died. In memory of the great runner a marathon was included in the Olympic Games.

D.      Recently, a British writer and journalist, Mario Roter, ran in a marathon. He thought it would be fun to write an article about what people felt during the race. Later he said that running forty-two kilometers was no fun. Many people agree that there is no pleasure in running a marathon, but afterwards it feels great to know that you have done it.

E.       People usually start training for a marathon in early spring. They run often and gradually increase the length of their runs from eight to twelve and even to twenty kilometers. At this point it is necessary to build up the needed strength. In the months before the race, the average participant runs a total of more than eight hundred kilometers.

F.       Usually there are lots of runners. The line of people stretches back hundreds of meters. As the winners are awarded prize money it is important to avoid cheating. In order to track all the participants, special chips are used. When the participants register for the marathon, they get their identification number and computer chips.  The chips are activated at the start of the race and keep time.

G.      A marathon is usually a big public event. In the city where the marathon is held hundreds of people give their time and effort to make the race possible. The city police block traffic on the main roads. Some runners thank the officers as they run by. Every few kilometers there are volunteers who offer water to the runners. Lots of people cheer.

 

 

Supporting sports

A remarkable container design

A universal medicine

A smart symbol

The drink ingredients

Good in any season

A fan society

The drink varieties

A.      Coca Cola appeared in Atlanta, Georgia, 1886. Doctor John Pemberton made a special syrup, but he kept its components secret. He added some mineral water to it and took the new product to the chemist’s. There the syrup was sold for five cents a glass. Pemberton told everyone that Coca-Cola cured many illnesses, including headaches, stomachaches, and nervous breakdowns.

B.       Coca Cola was first sold in ordinary bottles. In 1915, the company held a competition to create a new bottle for their drink. They said it should be a bottle that would make Coca Cola different from all other drinks. Even today the shape of Coca Cola bottle is one of the most recognized packages on the planet..." even in the dark! ".

C.       The famous Coca Cola symbol was created by John Pemberton's colleague, Mr. Robinson. He thought that two letters " C" would look great in advertising. Besides, the red and white colours were simple and effective. Red was energetic and bright and so would attract young people. As for the style of writing, it was just popular in the United States during that period.

D.      Before the 1930s, Coca Cola was only considered to be a drink for warm weather, so the company started a campaign to remind people that Coca Cola was a great choice in any month. For this a talented artist drew pictures of a happy Santa Claus enjoying a drink of Coke. The pictures were published in magazines and made Cola even more popular.

E.       Coca Cola was one of the first companies that invested money in public projects. For example, the company is proud to be an old and devoted partner of the Olympic Games. This connection began in 1928 with the Games in Amsterdam. Since then the company has sponsored lots of football, hockey, and basketball competitions.

F.       The Coca Cola Collectors Club was formed in 1974 by a small group of people. Today it has become international with more than 5, 000 people from 28 countries. Club members collect everything connected with Coca Cola: bottles, posters, newspaper articles, postcards – everything. They sometimes meet to exchange their treasures.

G.      Today there are 16 special variants of the original Coca Cola recipe. Some have less sugar or no sugar at all. Such Coke is chosen by those who want to keep fit. Children may prefer a cherry or a vanilla flavour. The drink also changes from country to country, reflecting national preferences. For example, if you travel to France, you can try the unusual orange Coca Cola.

 

 

The opening ceremony

A great honour

The Olympic team

The Greek calendar

A symbolic meaning

A place to visit

A new start

The best location

 

A.      The first winners of the Olympic Games got free food and housing for the whole lives. They were mentioned in poems and well-known all over Greece. Sculptors even built statues of the competitors. Everyone respected and admired the winners. In short, the victory in the competitions made the man a national hero and all the little children wanted to be like him.

B.       Olympia was chosen as the place for the Games because it was a peaceful and neutral area. There the ancient Greeks praised their most important God – Zeus. Another factor was that it had a beautiful green valley. It was very suitable for all kinds of sports competitions. Also people could easily get to Olympia because there were two rivers nearby. It was impossible to find a better place anywhere else in Greece.

C.       The Olympiads were named in honor of the runner who came first in the stadium race. For example, the Olympiad of Dionis. So, the years after this Olympiad were named as the first, the second, the third or the fourth year since the Olympiad of Dionis. The early historians used this system to give dates to important events.

D.      The Olympic Museum was founded in 1993 in Switzerland. It has a big collection of pieces connected with the Olympic movement. It also has the largest number of books and documents about the Games in the world. No wonder, the place is one of the main tourist attractions. The museum is surrounded by a park with wonderful works of art based on a sporting theme.

E.       The modern Olympics began in 1894. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman, decided to bring back the ancient Greek tradition. He wanted to begin a sports festival to celebrate health, youth and peace. The first modern Olympiad took place in Athens in 1896. Since then the Olympic Games have been held every four years with two exceptions because of the two world wars.

F.       The Olympic Games traditionally start with the “Parade of the Nations”. Most of the participating athletes walk out into the stadium. The Greek athletes open the parade and the hosts appear on stadium the last. The name of each country is announced in French and English, the official languages of the Olympic Games, and the language spoken in the country that organizes the Games.

G.      The five Olympic rings represent the five main regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Every national flag in the world includes one of the five colours, which are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The rings are connected and there is a reason for it. It’s done to show that the Games are for all nations. All good sportsmen can come and compete against one another in unity.

 

 

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