World News for Students of English

16-04-2014 07:00

It’s known as the toughest foot race on Earth and consists of six stages over about 155 miles in the blistering heat of the Sahara Desert.

Yes, the 29^th Marathon des Sables has begun in Morocco, with more than 1,000 extreme sport enthusiasts taking part.

The ultra-marathon, which began on Sunday, saw competitors struggle for 12 kilometres through the sand before reaching a rocky plateau and through a lead mining village.

They then tackled another 3 kilometres of huge sand dunes before finally making the overnight station.

According to the race’s official website, runners are entirely self-sufficient and have to carry all food and equipment with them to survive in the desert, including sleeping bags and anti-venom pumps.

Anything that doesn’t fit must be left behind at the starting line and will not be available to the runners for the rest of the event.

Super-fit running enthusiasts or just plain crazy? Rather them than us!

Difficult words: blistering (extremely hot), enthusiast (person who loves doing something), ultra- (extreme), struggle (try very hard), plateau (flat area), tackle (to try to deal with a difficult problem), self-sufficient (they do not need help), venom (poison), super-fit (strong and healthy) rather them than us (the runners do something most people do not want to do).

Source: www.itn.co.uk