Kathmandu, Nepal May 2012 Everest Marathon Leaves Runners Gasping for Breath

Transcription

1 In News Focus #7, we visit Nepal, the landlocked country in the Himalayas. The mountainous north of Nepal contains 240 peaks over 6,000 meters in height. Eight of the world s tallest mountains are found here, including Mount Everest. In May every year, the world s highest marathon starts from the Everest Base Camp at an altitude where it is difficult to breath and run. If you are interested in finding out more about this challenging marathon, then click here. Kathmandu, Nepal May 2012 Everest Marathon Leaves Runners Gasping for Breath More than 150 hardy competitors took part in the world s highest marathon on May 29. The Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon is held every year in the thin air and bone-chilling temperatures of Mount Everest. The annual run marks the first conquest of the 8,848-meter summit on May 29, 1953, by Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay. The race started at 7:00 am near the Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,356 meters. It finished almost 2,000 meters lower in the town of Namche Bazaar. Daniel Maxwell from New Zealand describes the route, which passed through Buddhist monasteries, monuments and over suspension bridges, as just the most beautiful and adventurous course. The atmosphere at Base Camp contains only half as much oxygen as at sea level. I was gasping for breath even on the slightest inclines, said Daniel. When we started the temperature was hovering around freezing. But you didn t notice that once you started running. Although the course of the Everest Marathon is mostly downhill, there are two steep uphill sections. According to Daniel, there was snow and ice on the upper part and runners definitely need some experience of rough terrain running. The views were breathtaking, but the descent was hell on my legs. The winner was Phurba Tamang, a Nepalese runner who completed the kilometer race in three hours, 41 minutes and 31 seconds. Although Daniel needed almost twice that amount of time to finish, he was very pleased with his result was the tenth anniversary of the T-H E Marathon. Organizer Shikar Pandey explained that runners were asked to arrive in Nepal three weeks prior to the race. This allowed participants to acclimatize to the high altitude. After a sightseeing tour of the capital, Kathmandu, we flew from Kathmandu to Lukla. We then trekked for 14 days through Sherpa villages to Everest Base Camp. We visited the Buddhist monasteries of Pangboche (one of the oldest in the area) and Thyangboche (the biggest in the whole Himalayas). The highest spot of the trip was Kalapatthar at 5545 meters. From the summit we had a breathtaking

2 panoramic view of many Himalayan peaks, ranges and glaciers. We had a superb view of Mt Everest only a stone s throw away. Terri Adams, a Canadian businesswoman, said the journey to the Base Camp was the highlight of her trip. The people I trekked with were inspirational, kind, fierce and funny. They were an amazing lot, from all over the world and we shared the experience of a lifetime. The Sherpa guides were so unbelievably kind and the mountains are wondrous. It remains one of the proudest moments of my life. (442 words) TRIP PROFILE Mode of Trekking: Lodge/Camping Trekking Grade: Moderate to Adventurous Trip Duration: 18 days (May 16 to June 3) Trekking Period: 14 days (May 18 to May 31) Race Date: May 29, 2012 Course Length: 41.2 km / miles (International Standard) Start Point: Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) Finish Point: Namche Bazaar (3,446 m) Highest Elevation: Kalapatthar (5,545 m) [A] READING CHECK Are these sentences correct (C) or incorrect (I)?

3 Nepalese runners completed the Everest marathon. (C) (I) 2. The race is held on May 29 each year because this was the day when Hillary and Tenzing arrived at the summit of Everest. (C) (I) 3. The race began at an altitude of 8,000 meters. (C) (I) 4. Following international standards, the race was just over 41 km long. (C) (I) 5. Air at sea level has three times as much oxygen as the thin air at 5,000 meters. (C) (I) 6. The fastest runner took less than 4 hours to descend 2,000 meters. (C) (I) 7. The first Everest marathon took place in (C) (I) 8. Participants arrived early in Kathmandu in order to complete entry forms. (C) (I) 9. Runners visited the largest and oldest Buddhist monastery in Nepal. (C) (I) 10. The Canadian runner thought the trek to Base Camp was the best part of the three-week vacation. (C) (I)

4 [B] WORD FOCUS Fill in the blanks using the correct words below. Kathmandu, Nepal May 2012 Everest Marathon Leaves Runners Gasping for Breath More than 150 (1) competitors took part in the world s highest marathon on May 29. The Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon is held every year in the thin air and bone-chilling temperatures of Mount Everest. The (2) run marks the first conquest of the 8,848-meter (3) on May 29, 1953, by Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay. The race started at 7:00 am near the Everest Base Camp at an (4) of 5,356 meters. It finished almost 2,000 meters lower in the town of Namche Bazaar. Daniel Maxwell from New Zealand describes the route, which passed through Buddhist monasteries, monuments and over suspension bridges, as just the most beautiful and adventurous course. The atmosphere at Base Camp contains only half as much oxygen as at sea level. I was (5) even on the slightest inclines, said Daniel. When we started the temperature was hovering around freezing. But you didn t notice that once you started running. Although the course of the Everest Marathon is mainly downhill, there are two (6) uphill sections. According to Daniel, there was snow and ice on the upper part and runners definitely need some experience of rough terrain running. The views were breathtaking, but the descent was hell on my legs. The winner was Phurba Tamang, a Nepalese runner who (7) the kilometer race in three hours, 41 minutes and 31 seconds. Although Daniel needed almost twice that amount of time to finish, he was very pleased with his result was the tenth anniversary of the T-H E Marathon. Organizer Shikar Pandey explained that runners were asked to arrive in Nepal three weeks (8) the race. This allowed participants to acclimatize to the high altitude. After a sightseeing tour of the capital, Kathmandu, we flew from Kathmandu to Lukla. We then trekked for 14 days through Sherpa villages to Everest Base Camp. We visited the Buddhist monasteries of Pangboche (one of the oldest in the area) and Thyangboche (the biggest in the whole Himalayas). The highest spot of the trip was Kalapatthar at 5545 meters. From the summit we had a breathtaking (9) of many Himalayan peaks, ranges and glaciers. We had a superb view of Mt Everest only a stone s throw away. Terri Adams, a Canadian businesswoman, said the journey to the Base Camp was the highlight of her trip. The people I trekked with were (10), kind, fierce and funny. They were an amazing lot, from all over the

5 world and we shared the experience of a lifetime. The Sherpa guides were so unbelievably kind and the mountains are wondrous. It remains one of the proudest moments of my life. 1 (a) sensitive (b) hardy (c) helpless 2 (a) annual (b) weekly (c) monthly 3 (a) valley (b) peaked (c) summit 4 (a) angle (b) altitude (c) atmosphere 5 (a) gripping for (b) grasping for help (c) gasping for breath support 6 (a) steep (b) stretch (c) shallow 7 (a) competed (b) considered (c) completed 8 (a) adding up to (b) at the start of (c) prior to 9 (a) close up shot (b) panoramic view (c) magnified image 10 (a) inspirational (b) imaginary (c) influenced [C] KEY PHRASES Complete these key phrases by matching words in column A and B. column A column B 1 More than 150 hardy competitors a we flew to Lukla. 2 I was gasping for breath b many Himalayan peaks, ranges and glaciers. 3 When we started the temperature c even on the slightest inclines. 4 Although he needed twice the amount of time d took part in the world s highest marathon. 5 Runners were asked to arrive in e was the highlight of her trip. Nepal 6 After a sightseeing tour of the f was hovering around freezing. capital 7 From the summit we had a g three weeks prior to the race. breathtaking view of 8 The journey from Kathmandu to the Base Camp h he was very pleased with his result.

6 [D] SUMMARY Complete the summary by putting the sentences in the order they appear in the news article. a b c d e f The marathon finished in Namche Bazaar some 2,000 meters below the Base Camp. After leaving Kathmandu the runners trekked through villages and visited monasteries. The race began early in the morning near the famous Base Camp. The annual marathon marks the arrival of Hillary and Tenzing at the top of Everest. Participants spent 3 weeks in Nepal before they took part in the marathon. It was very difficult to breath in the thin air of the Base Camp.

7 answers Newsflash #07 [A] READING CHECK Are these sentences correct (C) or incorrect (I)? Nepalese runners completed the Everest marathon. (I) Daniel was from New Zealand, Terri was from Canada. 2. The race is held on May 29 each year because this was the day when Hillary and Tenzing arrived at the summit of Everest. (C) 3. The race began at an altitude of 8,000 meters. (I) Everest is around 8,000 meters high, but the race begins near the Base Camp, 5,364 meters. 4. Following international standards, the race was just over 41 km long. (C) see information box 5. Air at sea level has three times as much oxygen as the thin air at 5,000 meters. (I) The atmosphere at base camp contains only half as much oxygen as at sea level. 6. The fastest runner took less than 4 hours to descend 2,000 meters. (C) 7. The first Everest marathon took place in (C) 2012 was the tenth anniversary of the marathon. 8. Participants arrived early in Kathmandu in order to complete entry forms. (I) They arrived early in order to allow time to acclimatize to the thin air in the mountains. 9. Runners visited the largest and oldest Buddhist monastery in Nepal. (I) Pangboche is one of the oldest monasteries not the largest and oldest. 10. The Canadian runner thought the trek to Base Camp was the best part of the three-week vacation. (C) She said the journey was the highlight. [B] WORD FOCUS Fill in the blanks using the correct words below. 1 (a) sensitive (b) hardy (= tough, (c) helpless resilient) 2 (a) annual (b) weekly (c) monthly 3 (a) valley (b) peaked ( peak) (c) summit 4 (a) angle (b) altitude (= height, (c) atmosphere elevation) 5 (a) gripping for support (b) grasping for help (c) gasping for breath (breathing with difficulty) 6 (a) steep (b) stretch (c) shallow 7 (a) competed (b) considered (c) completed 8 (a) adding up to (b) at the start of (c) prior to (= before, in advance of) 9 (a) close up shot (b) panoramic view (= (c) magnified image wide view) 10 (a) inspirational (b) imaginary (c) influenced ( influential) [C] KEY PHRASES Complete these key phrases by matching words in column A and B.

8 column A column B 1 More than 150 hardy competitors d took part in the world s highest marathon. 2 I was gasping for breath c even on the slightest inclines. 3 When we started the temperature f was hovering around freezing. 4 Although he needed twice the h he was very pleased with his result. amount of time 5 Runners were asked to arrive in g three weeks prior to the race. Nepal 6 After a sightseeing tour of the a we flew to Lukla. capital 7 From the summit we had a breathtaking view of b many Himalayan peaks, ranges and glaciers. 8 The journey from Kathmandu to the Base Camp e was the highlight of her trip. [D] SUMMARY Complete the summary by putting the sentences in the order they appear in the news article. d 1 The annual marathon marks the arrival of Hillary and Tenzing at the top of Everest. c 2 The race began early in the morning near the famous Base Camp. a 3 The marathon finished in Namche Bazaar some 2,000 meters below the Base Camp. f 4 It was very difficult to breath in the thin air of the Base Camp. e 5 Participants spent 3 weeks in Nepal before they took part in the marathon. b 6 After leaving Kathmandu the runners trekked through villages and visited monasteries.

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