In 1908 a small Italian runner came into the Olympic stadium in first place. Then something went wrong — and the world never forgot it.
Ten items. Say your answer out loud before you reveal it.
Read the sentence and guess the word in bold. Say your idea out loud. Then reveal.
Same idea: guess from the sentence, then reveal.
These three words are important in the story. Guess, then reveal.
Read each part. Answer the quick check from memory, then discuss.
On 24 July 1908, the Olympic Games were in London. The marathon was starting. The race began at Windsor Castle and finished in a new stadium. The route was about 42 kilometres — 26 miles and 385 yards. After this race, people used the same distance for every marathon.
More than fifty runners started the race. It was a very hot day. Many runners went too fast at the beginning. Later they were tired and slow. Some stopped at the side of the road, and ambulances took them away.
One runner was Dorando Pietri. He was twenty-two and from a small town in Italy called Carpi. He worked in a sweet shop. He was small and not famous. He did not run at the front. He ran at a steady pace. While the other runners were getting tired, he was moving past them, one by one.
1. Where did the race start and finish?
2. What happened to many runners? Why?
3. How did Dorando run? What was he doing while the others were getting tired?
1. It started at Windsor Castle and finished in a stadium in London.
2. Many went too fast at the beginning, so they became tired and slow in the heat. Some stopped.
3. He ran at a steady pace. He was passing the other runners one by one.
Dorando came into the stadium in the lead, in first place. About 75,000 people were waiting, and they were shouting and cheering. But Dorando looked terrible. He had no energy left.
Then he turned the wrong way. Some officials ran to him and showed him the right way. A few steps later, his legs stopped working and he collapsed. He got up and staggered forward a little more. Then he fell again. Most people say he fell five times in the last part of the race.
The doctors and officials ran to him. The crowd was shouting. Someone took his arm and helped him stand. With people on both sides, Dorando walked slowly to the finishing line. He crossed it in 2 hours 54 minutes. The stadium was roaring.
1. Where was Dorando when he came into the stadium?
2. What mistake did he make? What did the officials do?
3. How did he cross the finishing line?
1. He was in first place, and 75,000 people were cheering.
2. He turned the wrong way. The officials showed him the right way.
3. People helped him. They held him on both sides and he walked slowly to the line.
The crowd thought Dorando was the winner. But very soon the American team made a protest. Their runner, Johnny Hayes, came in just after Dorando. The Americans said: “People helped Dorando. That is against the rules.”
The judges agreed. They disqualified Dorando, and Johnny Hayes got the gold medal.
But that was not the end of the story. Everyone in London talked about Dorando. The newspapers wrote about him, and the famous writer Arthur Conan Doyle described the race. The next day, Queen Alexandra gave Dorando a special silver cup. Someone wrote a song about him. Later, he ran in exhibition races in other countries.
The rule was clear, and Hayes kept his gold medal. But today, more than a hundred years later, many people remember Dorando, not Hayes.
1. Why did the American team protest?
2. What did the judges decide?
3. What happened to Dorando after the race?
1. They said people helped Dorando to finish, and this was against the rules.
2. They disqualified Dorando. Johnny Hayes got the gold medal.
3. He became famous. The Queen gave him a silver cup, people wrote about him and a song was written about him.
To tell a good story you need two kinds of past: what happened (the events) and what was happening (the scene around the events). Look at the story.
Put the verb in brackets in the correct form. Read the whole sentence first.
1. The sun (shine) and it was very hot when the race started.
2. Dorando (come) into the stadium, and the people (cheer).
3. While the doctors (help) him, the crowd (shout).
4. He (fall) five times before he reached the line.
5. When the Americans (protest), the judges (listen) carefully.
1. was shining (a scene, in the background)
2. came / were cheering (an event, then the scene)
3. were helping / was shouting (two actions going on at the same time)
4. fell (a finished series of events)
5. protested / listened (one event, then the next event)
Each sentence has one mistake with the verb. Write the sentence correctly.
1. While the leaders got tired, Dorando passed them.
2. The judges were deciding that he broke the rules.
3. Dorando was lying on the track when someone was taking his arm.
4. The crowd shouted when Dorando was entering the stadium.
5. The Queen was giving him a silver cup the next day.
1. While the leaders were getting tired, Dorando passed them.
2. The judges decided that he broke the rules.
3. Dorando was lying on the track when someone took his arm.
4. The crowd was shouting when Dorando entered the stadium.
5. The Queen gave him a silver cup the next day.
Write one sentence for each note. Use the past simple or the past continuous. Then say the whole story aloud.
1. (scene) the day / be / very hot →
2. (event) Dorando / come into / the stadium →
3. (scene) 75,000 people / cheer →
4. (event) he / turn / the wrong way →
5. (event + scene) the Americans / protest / while / the crowd / still / cheer →
1. The day was very hot. (or: It was a very hot day.)
2. Dorando came into the stadium.
3. 75,000 people were cheering.
4. He turned the wrong way.
5. The Americans protested while the crowd was still cheering.
Now tell the Dorando story out loud in about one minute. Use the past simple for events and the past continuous for the scene.
This story is not only about one runner. It asks a question about fairness. It also explains the distance of the races people run today.
After the 1908 Games, the marathon distance became 42.195 kilometres — about the same as the route from Windsor Castle to the stadium. A half marathon is half of this: 21.0975 kilometres, or 13.1 miles.
Today the half marathon is one of the most popular races in the world. Many ordinary people train for a few months and run it.
1. How long is a half marathon in kilometres?
2. Which race made the marathon distance famous?
3. Say it in the past simple: “Dorando falls.”
1. About 21 kilometres (21.0975 km, or 13.1 miles).
2. The 1908 Olympic marathon in London.
3. Dorando fell.
People still talk about the decision. Both sides have a good reason.
These phrases are useful for any race. Complete each sentence, then reveal.
1. We set ___ at nine o'clock. (the word that means “started the journey”)
2. I ___ a personal best today. (made / set)
3. The last kilometre was very hard. I was ___ (hang on) to the end.
1. off — “set off”.
2. set — “I set a personal best”.
3. hanging on — meaning “I was only just able to continue”.
Now it's your turn. Choose a task, start the timer and talk. Try to use both the past simple and the past continuous.
Tell me about a time you wanted to stop but kept going. What was happening? What did you do?
Tell the story of a race, a match, a trip or another event you took part in. What happened first? Next? Last?
Tell me about something you practised for weeks or months. What did you do? Did it go well?
Was it fair to disqualify Dorando? Give your opinion for two minutes. Then argue the other side.