(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm PhoebeZimmermann.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Today, we report about marathon races andthe popularity of running in the United States.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Forty-two kilometers is a long way to run without stopping. Buttwenty-thousand competitors with a lot of energy will try to do thatnext Monday, April nineteenth. These people will take part in theone-hundred-eighth Boston Marathon in Massachusetts. The race is theoldest marathon in the world held each year.

Men and women over age eighteen run in the marathon. Somecompetitors are much older than eighteen. Some runners are seventyand older. But most of the runners are younger than forty.

VOICE TWO:

Winners of past Boston Marathonswill race again this year. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya isdefending his first-place finish last year. Catherine Ndereba ofKenya has won the Boston race two times. They are among many seriouscompetitors in the two-thousand-four marathon. Winners will sharefive-hundred-twenty-five-thousand dollars in prize money given bycompanies and organizations.

VOICE ONE:

Runners in the Boston Marathon have demonstrated that they aregood at the sport. They completed earlier races called qualifyingraces. They have to run those races within a set time.

Other people join the Boston Marathon just for fun. These peoplehave not officially joined the race. They just start running withthe crowds. They are called "bandits." Many of them probably willfinish hours after the serious runners. But these unofficial racersare just as happy. They sometimes kiss the ground after crossing thefinish line.

VOICE TWO:

The runners will begin this year's Boston Marathon at mid daynext Monday in the town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts. They will thenpass through the towns of Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley,Newton and Brookline. They will run up and down hills. They willcomplete the race in the center of Boston.

People will provide liquids for the runners at twenty-four placesalong the way. If anyone gets hurt or sick, medical workers attwenty-six American Red Cross stations can provide medical help. Asusual, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch themarathon. Many will carry signs that say things like, "We are proudof you, Mommy."

VOICE ONE:

Before the marathon begins, a computer chip device is attached toeach runner's shoe. It electronically records how long the runnertakes to complete the race. Timing begins when a runner passesanother device placed across the road at the starting line. Thecomputer chip records each runner's time as he or she passes severalareas along the race. And it records the runner's final time whencrossing the finish line.

Last year, Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot ran his winning race in twohours, ten minutes and eleven seconds. The women's winner, SvetlanaZakharova, finished in two hours, twenty-five minutes and twentyseconds.

VOICE TWO:

People who cannot walk also compete in the Boston Marathon.Competitors in wheelchairs begin the race earlier than others. TheBoston Marathon became the first major marathon to include users ofwheelchairs in nineteen-seventy-five.

Last year, South African competitor Ernst VanDyk won thewheelchair race. He finished in one hour, twenty-eight minutes andthirty-two seconds. Mister VanDyk also won the wheelchair race intwo-thousand-one and two-thousand-two.

Christina Ripp of the United States won the women's wheelchairevent last year. She finished the race in one hour, fifty-fourminutes and forty-seven seconds.

VOICE ONE:

The first Boston Marathon was held in eighteen-ninety-seven.Fifteen men competed. Ten finished the race. Since then, themarathon has been held every year as part of a holiday inMassachusetts called Patriot's Day. The holiday honors the beginningof the American War of Independence in the seventeen-seventies.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The word "marathon" comes from an area along the coast of Greece.An important battle took place in Marathon abouttwo-thousand-five-hundred years ago. An army from Persia had invadedGreece. Greece's army defeated the invading army at Marathon. AnAthenian general sent a Greek runner to Athens to tell the news ofthe victory. Marathon was about forty kilometers from Athens. Theman ran to Athens at top speed. He announced his message. Then hefell to the ground, dead. A men's marathon of about forty kilometerswas included in the first modern Olympic games ineighteen-ninety-six. The distance of the marathon was increased toforty-two and two-tenths kilometers at the nineteen-oh-eightOlympics in London. The marathon continues to be a popular Olympicsport.

VOICE ONE:

Many American cities in additionto Boston hold marathons. For example, the United States MarineCorps Marathon will take place October thirty-first in Washington,D. C. and the state of Virginia.

The city of Chicago, Illinois also will hold itstwo-thousand-four marathon in October. The running area in Chicagois almost completely flat. This has permitted runners to set some ofthe world's fastest times there. The Chicago race offers some of thelargest prizes among American marathons. It will givesix-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars in prize money.

New York City will hold its marathon in November. This race is solarge that competitors must take part in a game of chance to win theright to enter. As many as thirty-thousand people run in New YorkCity marathons.

VOICE TWO:

Not all marathons are so successful. More than six-thousandpeople ran in the first Washington D.C. Marathon in March,two-thousand-two. Some said they enjoyed the race more than anyother. The runners passed by some of the city's most famousmonuments, including the United States Capitol. But last year therace was cancelled. The organizers blamed security concerns becausethe war in Iraq was soon to start. The marathon was cancelled againthis year. However, that did not stop hundreds of people fromracing. They ran the "unofficial" marathon on the day the officialrace was to have taken place.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Thirty years ago, far fewer people ran in the United States.Today, millions run. Many more women now take part in the sport.Many children in public and private schools run as part of theirphysical education programs.

Running has gained popularity for several reasons. You can do itanywhere, any time. You do not need other people. And you do notneed much equipment. However, experts say you should wear a goodpair of running shoes to protect your feet. The manufacture ofrunning shoes has become a huge industry.

VOICE TWO:

People run for different reasons. Most say running makes themfeel better physically. It prevents them from gaining weight. Itprovides needed exercise to help prevent some diseases. Many peoplealso say running makes them feel better mentally. It makes them feelhappier. Some say they forget their worries when they run.

Many people also run to help others. For example, Ed Burt ofHopedale, Massachusetts ran in the Boston Marathon last year to helpthe American Liver Foundation. This deeply pleased his father, whowas suffering from liver disease. This year, Ed Burt already hasraised more than two-thousand dollars in the Liver Foundation's Runfor Research campaign. He will take part in the marathon this yearin memory of his father.

VOICE ONE:

Sports experts urge people to prepare themselves before trying torun in long races. They say special exercises and repeated runs areneeded to build strength.

Doctors also urge runners to make sure they are in good healthbefore entering a marathon. They say forty-two kilometers is a longway to run as fast as you can, without stopping.

But many marathon runners say it is exciting to cross the finishline. "You feel terribly tired," says a runner from Encino,California. "At the same time, you feel just wonderful."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Shelley Gollust and Jerilyn Watson.It was produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE :

And I'm Phoebe Zimmermann. Join us again next week for THIS ISAMERICA in Special English on the Voice of America.