A Race Like No Other 挑戰極限－－世界四大極地超級馬拉松賽

 Kevin Lin knows a thing or two about running. He is Taiwan's first ultramarathon1 runner and has faced some of the world's most intense courses ever. In 2006, Lin won Racing the Planet's 4 Deserts championship2. Having bragging3 rights after this race is definitely impressive. Racing the Planet started in Hong Kong in 2002. The idea was to blend a challenging footrace4 with an unforgettable international experience. The first race was the Gobi March in China with 43 runners competing. Since then, all the runs have been based on that first event.
說到跑步這件事，林義傑懂得還真不少。他是台灣首位超級馬拉松賽的跑者，而且還挑戰過一些全世界最嚴峻的賽道。在2006年，林義傑贏得了Racing the Planet機構所舉辦的世界四大極地超級馬拉松賽的冠軍。有資格誇耀自己完成這項賽事確實是很了不起的事。Racing the Planet在2002年成立於香港。背後的發想是要結合一場極富挑戰性的賽跑與一次難忘的國際體驗。第一場賽事就是有四十三名跑者參賽的中國戈壁超級馬拉松賽。自當時起，所有的賽事都是以這場首屆的比賽為範本。
　　A Racing the Planet race takes seven days and is 250 kilometers long. In addition, runners must carry their own supplies as they compete. What they gain is a cultural experience like no other. The 4 Deserts championship is a series of races across the world's four largest deserts—the Atacama, Gobi, Sahara, and Antarctica. The series in progress now started in March 2011 and will end in November 2012.
一場Racing the Planet的極地超級馬拉松賽為期七天，賽程長達兩百五十公里。此外，選手競賽時都必須揹負自身所需的各種補給品。他們所得到的是一種獨一無二的文化體驗。四大極地超級馬拉松是一系列的賽事，這些比賽橫跨世界的四大沙漠－－阿他加馬寒漠、戈壁大沙漠、撒哈拉沙漠以及南極洲。目前正在進行的這一系列賽事於2011年三月開始，並且將於2012年十一月結束。
　　The Atacama Desert is in Chile. It is a 1,000-kilometer strip5 of land that gets absolutely no rain and is regarded as the driest place on Earth. Its high elevation6 and average daytime temperature of 40 degrees Celsius7 make it one of the most difficult races in the series. The fastest anyone has completed the Atacama Crossing was just slightly less than 24 hours.
阿他加馬寒漠地處智利。這塊一千公里長的狹長地帶完全不會降下任何雨水，因此被認為是全球最乾燥的區域。此處的高海拔以及攝氏四十度的白晝均溫使其成為此系列比賽中最困難的賽事之一。最快完成阿他加馬寒漠超級馬拉松賽的跑者也要耗時將近二十四小時。

@Building Your Vocabulary
1. intense　a. 激烈的；劇烈的
No one could get near the burning house because of the intense heat.
由於四周劇烈的高溫，沒有人能接近那棟失火的房子。
★2. impressive　a. 令人印象深刻的
Ricky's impressive audition got him a major part in the movie.
瑞奇在試鏡會上令人驚豔的表現替他在電影裡掙得一個重要角色。
　3. blend　vt. 融合，混合
This exciting novel blends fact and fiction perfectly.
這本精采的小說完美地揉合了史實與虛構故事。
★4. compete　vi. 競爭
A total of eight players competed in the final round of the tournament.
共有八位選手在錦標賽的最後一回合一較高下。
★5. slightly　adv. 稍微地，有點，有些
Only Greg noticed that Sandy's hairstyle was slightly different today.
只有葛瑞注意到珊蒂今天的髮型略有不同。





@Phrases for Learning
1. know a thing or two about...　　對……有一定程度的瞭解∕熟稔
Tim knows a thing or two about marketing because he has been working in the field for 10 years.
提姆對行銷瞭若指掌，因為他在這行已經工作十年了。
　2. in progress　　進行中
Repair work on this part of the highway is in progress and will continue until the end of the month.
高速公路的這個路段正在進行整修，並且會持續到本月底。
★3. regard A as B　　認為 A 是 B，把 A 看作 B
I regard Monica as my best friend because we share everything with each other.
我把莫妮卡看作是我最好的朋友，因為我們什麼事都會互相分享。




@Extra Words

1. ultra-　prefix 超，極；外
　 marathon　n. 馬拉松賽跑
2. championship　n. 冠軍地位∕稱號
3. brag　vi. 吹噓（本文中以現在分詞作形容詞用）
4. footrace　n. 賽跑；競走
5. strip　n. 狹長的一塊土地；條狀物
6. elevation　n. 海拔高度
7. Celsius　n. 攝氏溫度