Man runs across Australia in record time for charity

William Goodge broke a world record by running across Australia in the fastest time yet. He explains how – and why – he did it to the BBC.

Words:

• The width of Australia is the distance from one side to another, in this case: from the West of Australia to the East. 
• Length is the measurement of how long something is. This can be different things, for example a distance (from the top to the bottom of something) or a time (from start to finish). 
• A task or project that is large, difficult, or important is called an undertaking.
• Pace is a word for the speed at which someone or something moves or happens.
• Something that is gruelling, makes you very tired and costs a lot of energy. 
• The equivalent of something means that it is the same (or equal), for example the same distance or the same amount. 
• An achievement is something important or difficult that you succeed in doing.
• To verify means to check that something is true, correct, or real.

Video:

Watch the video until 01:15.

1. Which of these statements about William Goodge’s run is false?

A: William Goodge ran across the width of Australia.

B: William Goodge started the run in Perth.

C: William Goodge broke the record by one day.

D: William Goodge ran in difficult conditions.

2. William Goodge explains that the Nullarbor area was one of the hardest parts of the run. Why was it so hard?

A: The temperatures changed from very hot to very cold.

B: He had to run 2.5 marathons a day.

C: There was no available food or drink for 1200 km.

D: It was the last section of the run.

Watch from 01:15 to the end of the video.

3. What happened in 2018 that inspired William to start doing ultra-endurance challenges?

4. William says when he was 23, he very nearly got into drugs and alcohol. Why didn’t he?

A: He got help from a charity to avoid bad habits.

B: He didn’t want to use his mother’s death as an excuse to start doing things that were bad for him. 

C: He didn’t want to ruin his running career and focused on his health instead.   

D: His mother took him running with her instead.

5. The video also mentioned William has broken another record. Which record is that? Fill in the missing details.

He is the fastest person to run from […] to […].

6. Watch the whole video one more time. Match the numbers to the correct descriptions.

A: Nearly 2,500

B: 35

C: Two and a half

D: 31

1: William Goodge’s age now. 

2: The number of miles he ran across Australia.

3: How many marathons he ran every day. 

4: How many days it took his to run across Australia. 

7. William Goodge is called “the real-life Forrest Gump”. Look up the film Forrest Gump if you don’t know it. Why does William Goodge have this nickname?

Van de makers van All Right!, Of Course! en Taalblokken Engels