They were almost 'within striking distance' of their goal. = Their goal was almost 'within striking distance'. [=they were close to achieving their goal]
He spotted the group 'at a distance of' one mile. [=he saw the group when they were one mile away from him]
('Brit') The book is better than the movie 'by some distance'. [=the book is much better than the movie]
(..) We can't come to the phone right now, so please leave us a message. Hello, Mr. White. This is AT&T calling. Are you happy with your current long distance service? 'Cause if you're not, I would definitely, really love to talk to you as soon as possible about... Hello? Hello. (..)2008 TvShow: Breaking Bad Title: Cat's in the Bag... Season: 1 Episode 2