Why read this: This is a simple sports story about a runner who broke a big world record. Sabastian Sawe ran a marathon, which is 42 kilometres long, in less than two hours. He wore new shoes from Adidas. The shoes are very light, only 99 grams. That is lighter than a bar of soap! Students will enjoy this short news story. It is a good way to talk about sports, brands, and how new things can help athletes go faster.
What to notice: Notice the small numbers in the story: 99 grams, 42 kilometres, two hours, three years, and £450. These numbers help students see why the shoes are special. Also notice the question in the story: 'Is the runner really faster, or is it just the shoe?' This is the main question of the article. Students should look for the simple words 'but' and 'now' in the story. These words show changes from the past to today.
Skills practised: Students practise reading short, simple sentences about sports and shoes. They learn four useful sports words from the side notes: 'super shoe', 'carbon plate', 'marginal gains', and 'anti-doping testing'. The questions ask students to find facts in the text. The open questions ask them to describe a thing and to list facts about a person. This is good practice for finding details and for talking about people and things in English.
The Shoes That Helped Break a Marathon Record
A runner from Kenya ran a marathon in less than two hours, wearing new shoes that are lighter than a bar of soap.
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
On Sunday in London, a runner from Kenya broke the world marathon record. His name is Sabastian Sawe. He ran 42 kilometres in less than two hours, and people are now talking about his shoes.
Sawe wore a new shoe from Adidas, called a . It is very light and weighs only 99 grams. That is lighter than a bar of soap! Inside the shoe, there is a thin, hard piece of carbon called a . This carbon plate helps runners use less energy and run faster.
For many years, Nike was the most famous shoe brand for runners. Nike is an American company, and many top athletes wear Nike shoes. But now Adidas wants to be the best brand for runners too. Adidas worked with Sawe for three years to make this special shoe. In a sport of , every small change can help a runner win.
When a runner breaks a big record, some people ask a hard question. Is the runner really faster, or is it just the shoe? Other people ask another hard question: does the runner use drugs? Sawe wants to show that he is a clean runner. He and Adidas asked for more . They paid extra money for more drug tests on Sawe. This way, people can trust his amazing new record.
The new shoe will not be cheap when it goes on sale. It will cost about £450, which is a lot of money for one pair of shoes. But for now, the world is talking about Sawe and his light, fast shoes.
On Sunday in London, a runner from Kenya broke the world marathon record. His name is Sabastian Sawe. He ran 42 kilometres in less than two hours, and people are now talking about his shoes.
Sawe wore a new shoe from Adidas, called a . It is very light and weighs only 99 grams. That is lighter than a bar of soap! Inside the shoe, there is a thin, hard piece of carbon called a . This carbon plate helps runners use less energy and run faster.
For many years, Nike was the most famous shoe brand for runners. Nike is an American company, and many top athletes wear Nike shoes. But now Adidas wants to be the best brand for runners too. Adidas worked with Sawe for three years to make this special shoe. In a sport of , every small change can help a runner win.
When a runner breaks a big record, some people ask a hard question. Is the runner really faster, or is it just the shoe? Other people ask another hard question: does the runner use drugs? Sawe wants to show that he is a clean runner. He and Adidas asked for more . They paid extra money for more drug tests on Sawe. This way, people can trust his amazing new record.
The new shoe will not be cheap when it goes on sale. It will cost about £450, which is a lot of money for one pair of shoes. But for now, the world is talking about Sawe and his light, fast shoes.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
How heavy is the new Adidas shoe?
- 02
What is inside the new shoe to help runners go faster?
- 03
Why did Sawe and Adidas ask for more drug tests?
- 04
Describe the new Adidas shoe. Use three details from the article.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
List three things that we learn about Sabastian Sawe from the article.
Suggested length: ~50 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
How heavy is the new Adidas shoe?
- 02
What is inside the new shoe to help runners go faster?
- 03
Why did Sawe and Adidas ask for more drug tests?
- 04
Describe the new Adidas shoe. Use three details from the article.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
List three things that we learn about Sabastian Sawe from the article.
Suggested length: ~50 words