北京將舉辦中國首次垂直馬拉松
Despite its reputation for harboring some of the world's worst smog, Beijing is offering up its skies to host China's first-ever vertical marathon.
北京雖有着霧霾天氣位居全球最嚴重之列的名聲，但這並無礙於該城市開放它的高空、舉辦中國有史以來第一次垂直馬拉松比賽。At 330 meters (1,082 feet) tall, the 82-floor China World Trade Center Tower 3 is a landmark office, hotel and retail behemoth jutting out of the heart of Beijing's Central Business District. On August 3, the building will take on a new identity, transforming itself into the venue for a heart-pounding foot race up its 2041 stairs.
中國國際貿易中心三期矗立在北京中央商務區的核心地段，高330米，總計82層，是一座集寫字樓、酒店和零售中心於一體的地標性巨型建築。這座摩天高樓將在8月3日承擔起一個新角色，成爲一場需攀登2041級臺階的驚心動魄的比賽的賽場。Elite vertical marathon runners have been invited from 10 countries and will compete for cash prizes. The race is also open to amateurs, with the winner earning round-trip tickets from Beijing to London and three nights stay at Shangri-La's soon-to open hotel atop the Shard in London, now the tallest building in Western Europe.
來自10個國家的專業精英選手已受邀參加比賽，他們將對現金獎勵展開爭奪。該賽事也向業餘選手開放，業餘組冠軍將獲得北京至倫敦的往返機票以及下榻位於倫敦碎片大廈(Shard)高層即將開業的香格里拉酒店的獎勵。碎片大廈如今是西歐的最高建築。
Runners will start racing from the skyscraper's lobby, climbing all the way up to the rooftop where depending on air quality they might enjoy a 360-degree view of the city.
參賽選手將從國貿三期一層的大廳起跑，然後一路爬上樓頂。如果比賽當天的空氣質量不錯，他們或許還能360度全景飽覽北京的景緻。The smog that in January filled Beijing's skies, sparking many to refer to the period as the 'Airpocolypse,' has returned in recent months. The city recorded 18 smoggy days in June, a record high over the last 50 years, the China Meteorological Bureau revealed earlier this month.
今年1月份，北京的上空時常爲霧霾所籠罩，引發衆多民衆把這段時期稱爲“空氣末日”。最近幾個月，霧霾天氣又捲土重來。中國氣象局在7月初公佈，北京6月份的霧霾天氣達到18天，創下過去50年來的紀錄新高。Northern China's smog fed by in part by the burning of coal for heat and electricity has been shown to shorten average life expectancy by more than five years, according to a recent study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and three other universities.
麻省理工學院(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)及其他三所高校近期研究顯示，受霧霾天氣的影響，中國北方人的平均預期壽命會減少五年多。使用煤炭供暖和發電在一定程度上造成了霧霾天氣。The Beijing vertical marathon is a part of a skyscraper racing circuit, the International Skyrunning Federation, that emerged in 2009 and has so far taken place in locations relatively free of particulate matter: New York's Empire State Building, the Basel Messeturm in Switherland, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, and other landmark skyscrapers across the world.
北京垂直馬拉松是國際競速聯盟(International Skyrunning Federation，簡稱“ISF”)舉辦的高樓競跑世界巡迴賽的其中一站。該賽事從2009年開始舉辦，此前一直都在相對無污染的地方舉辦，比如紐約的帝國大廈、瑞士的巴塞爾展覽中心大廈(Basel Messeturm)、臺北的101大樓以及分佈世界各地的其他地標性摩天高樓。Race organizers have their concerns about holding an event in a city that is marked by thick pewter air.
對於在一個有着濃厚灰色空氣的城市舉辦比賽，賽事主辦方也心存憂慮。'I wish for the sky to be clear on race day, so when the runners reach the top they are not disappointed,' said David Shin, International Skyrunning Federation representative and the race director.
ISF 的代表及此次比賽的總監戴維•辛恩(David Shin)說：“我希望比賽當天的天空很晴朗，這樣一來選手在登上頂樓時就不會覺得失望。”The organization has taken extra precautions, hiring a local hospital to staff the event and ensure racer safety, Mr. Shin said.
辛恩稱，ISF還採取了額外的預防措施，聘用當地醫院爲比賽配備醫生、保證選手的安全。In the run-up to the event, ISF is offering professional training for the runners and is capping race entrants at 1,000 out of safety concerns, Mr. Shin said .
他還說， ISG會在比賽前夕爲選手提供專業訓練，並且出於安全考慮將參賽選手的名額上限定爲1,000人。The fastest runner in the Taipei 101 race this year climbed to the top of 0.24-mile tower in a time of 10 minutes 52 seconds , organizers said, noting that such a time is incredible for the extreme sport.
賽事組織方稱，在今年臺北101大樓垂直馬拉松比賽中，速度最快的選手以10分52秒攀登完了近390米的賽程，如此短的時間對於極限運動來說真是令人難以置信。Racers will hope to surpass those times with a shorter distance of a fifth of a mile in Beijing ─ and they'll hope to catch a view of the city when they get to the top.
北京賽事的賽程較臺北賽事的賽程縮短了約60米，參賽選手希望能以更短時間完成比賽，而且他們也希望能在登頂之時一覽北京風光。'The reason lots of people registered is that they want to see the view,' said. 'So fingers crossed.'
希恩說：“很多人之所以報名參賽，就是爲了欣賞景觀，所以希望他們有好運氣。”
