【精英翻譯】的部落格

精英翻譯轉自https://paper.udn.com/papers.php?pname=POH0054

A marathon is a running race that covers exactly 42.195 km. Other long races may be called marathons, but the term is used incorrectly if these races are longer or shorter than 42.195 km.

馬拉松是一項明確規定距離為42.195公里的路跑比賽。或許也有其他長途路跑賽稱為「馬拉松」，但倘若其路跑距離並非42.195 公里，即誤用了此名詞。

Many big cities now host marathons, which are very popular tourist attractions. Every year, thousands of people travel from all over the world to watch or compete in marathons in London, Berlin, and Boston. Around the world, more than 800 marathons are held annually, with many athletes competing in more than one marathon each year.

現今許多大城市皆舉辦馬拉松活動，使其成為十分熱門的觀光景點。每年均有來自世界各地的上千名旅客前往倫敦、柏林和波士頓觀賽，或參加馬拉松比賽。全世界每年舉辦的馬拉松賽事超過八百場，許多選手每年參加不止一場。

According to legend, a Greek soldier and messenger by the name of Pheidippides once raced from the town of Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 42 km. Pheidippides ran without stopping because he carried important news that the Greek army had defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. When he arrived in Athens, Pheidippides exclaimed, "We have won." Then he dropped to the ground and died from exhaustion.

傳說從前一位名為費迪皮迪茲的希臘士兵兼信差，從馬拉松鎮跑到42公里外遠的雅典。由於費迪皮迪茲身負傳達希臘軍隊在馬拉松之役戰勝波斯人的重要捷報，因此他馬不停蹄地奔跑。費迪皮迪茲在抵達雅典後，大喊「我們贏了！」，旋即因體力透支而倒地不起。

Thankfully, few modern marathon runners die from exhaustion. Today’s runners prepare properly and drink enough water while they are competing.

幸好現代馬拉松路跑賽選手鮮少因體力無法負荷而不支倒地。現在的選手都會於賽前充分準備，參賽時亦會補充足夠的水分。

In 1896, when the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, officials decided to recall the ancient glory of Greece by hosting a marathon. Since then, the Men's Marathon has traditionally been the last event of the Games, with the finish line inside the Olympic stadium. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, the traditional route from Marathon to Athens was used for the race, and it ended in Panathinaiko Stadium.

1896年，雅典舉辦第一場現代奧運會，當時大會決定以舉辦馬拉松賽的方式，重現古希臘的榮耀。自此之後，奧運的傳統即以男子馬拉松閉幕，並將終點線設於奧運體育場內。2004年的夏季奧運路跑賽即採用馬拉松鎮往雅典方向的傳統路線，而終點就是帕那辛納克體育場。

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the winner of the Men's Marathon was Samuel Wanjiru from Kenya, who set an Olympic record with a time of 2:06:32. At the 2012 London Olympics, Ethiopian runner Erba Tiki Galana won the gold medal in the Women's Marathon, finishing the race with a new Olympic record of 2:23:07.

2008年夏季舉辦的北京奧運，男子馬拉松賽的冠軍是來自肯亞的塞謬．瓦吉魯，他創下2小時06分32秒的奧運紀錄。2012年的倫敦奧運，來自衣索匹亞的蒂基．格拉娜贏得女子馬拉松賽金牌，她以2小時23分07秒的成績刷新奧運紀錄。