[originaltext]W: Hello, Mike. I’m from the local newspaper the "Daily post" and

W: Hello, Mike. I’m from the local newspaper the "Daily post" and I’d like to ask you a few questions about the marathon race that you’ve just finished.
M: That’s all right. What would you like to know?
W: Firstly, for the benefit of our readers, exactly how long is the marathon?
M: It’s 26 miles 385 yards, or if you’d like it in metric, it’s 42. 195 kilometers.
W: Thanks. Now how many runners were there altogether?
M: More than ever. This year--there were 18,254.
W: My goodness, that’s a lot! What position did you finish in the race, Mike?
M: Well, I’m quite pleased with my performance. I came 1,539th.
W: That’s better than last year, isn’t it?
M: Yes, I finished 2,625th then, but it was my first effort.
W: And how long did you take?
M: Three hours and three quarters, but I know I can do better. Did you know that the record is 2 hours 10 minutes?
W: I didn’t know. That’s fantastic! And how long the slowest runner took?
M: Oh, he hasn’t finished yet!