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A marathon in the midnight sunshine
午夜日光下的马拉松
A look of horror comes across friends’ faces when Itell them the grand plan for my second marathon.Fired up with enthusiasm after triumphantlycollapsing over the Virgin London Marathon finishline in April, I was determined not to kick myrunning shoes off and leave them gathering dust forthe rest of eternity, so signed up for another onehappening two months later. In the Arctic.
当我对朋友们谈到第二个宏伟的马拉松计划时,便看到了他们脸上恐惧的神情。在我得意洋洋地倒向四月伦敦处女马拉松终点线之后,从便满怀激情,因此也决定注册参加两月后在北极的另一场马拉松,而不是将跑鞋丢弃一边,放任它永久的埋上尘土。
Now, firstly, I should make it clear that I’m not a natural runner. While I feel like a gazellesprinting gracefully through the streets of London, when I catch my reflection I am hunchedlike Quasimodo, dragging my feet through puddles and panting a lot.
现在,首先,我要清楚地指出,我并不是一名天生的赛跑运动员。我感觉自己像是羚羊一样地穿过伦敦的街道,当我看见我的倒影时,感觉自己就像是卡西莫多,拖着脚步气喘吁吁地穿过水坑。
But what I lack in grace and ability I more than make up for in enthusiasm and nervousenergy, which is what I was hoping would pull me through as I stepped off the plane in theNorwegian city of Troms? two weeks ago for their annual Midnight Sun Marathon.
而我却愿意用满怀的激情和集中的精力弥补我所缺少的天赋和能力,这也是我在两个星期之前所希望的,当我在挪威城特罗姆瑟下飞机,参加每年的午夜太阳马拉松时,能够帮助我通过的地方。
It’s the middle of the night. The sun is shining. There are more than 4,000 runners from 56countries – 300 from the UK, but others from as far afield as New Zealand, Brazil and China –signed up for either a 10K, a half marathon, or the full 26.2 miles, and making a Lycra-cladinvasion on the city whose position 200 miles north of the Arctic circle means the sun doesn’tset for a nine-week stretch during the summer.
午夜时分,日光烂漫。这里有来自56个国家的4000多名跑步爱好者,其中300名来自英国,其他的分别来自新西兰,巴西和中国。他们这些人要么是报名参加一个10000米,半个马拉松,要么是参加26.2英里,使得莱卡入侵城市,这些城市在200英里以北的北极圈境内,在夏日期间太阳将直射长达九周。
Most of the city is located on the island of Troms?ya, surrounded by calm waters andspectacularly rugged snow-topped mountains, which – thankfully – we’ll be avoiding by followinga route that sticks close to the water. But the scenery and terrain is already marking outTroms? as something of a sports haven, with the Polar Night Half Marathon being held inJanuary and the Sky Race Ultra Marathon in August.
大多数的城市位于特罗姆瑟雅岛境内,四周环绕着平静的水域和巍峨险峻白雪皑皑的山脉,谢天谢地的是,我们会在一条靠近水面的路线上躲避。但风景和地形也同时凸显出特罗姆瑟作为一处体育圣地,正如一月份举行的极地夜半马拉松和八月份的天空跑马拉松。 |
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