马拉松热 The Marathon Craze

最近zuìjìn几jǐ年nián，国内guónèi的de马拉松mǎlāsōng比赛bǐsài越来越yuèláiyuè多duō，报名bàomíng的de人rén常常chángcháng是shì名额míng'é的de十shí几jǐ倍bèi。

In recent years there have been more and more marathons at home, and the number of people signing up is often more than ten times the available places.

我wǒ第一次dì yī cì参加cānjiā是shì三sān年nián前qián，跑pǎo到dào第dì三十sānshí公里gōnglǐ的de时候shíhou，我wǒ认真rènzhēn地de想xiǎng过guo放弃fàngqì。

My first race was three years ago, and when I reached the thirtieth kilometer I seriously thought about quitting.

让ràng我wǒ坚持jiānchí下来xiàlai的de不是bú shì决心juéxīn，而是érshì路边lùbiān一yí个gè陌生人mòshēngrén递dì过来guòlai的de半bàn瓶píng水shuǐ。

What kept me going was not determination, but half a bottle of water handed to me by a stranger at the roadside.

现在xiànzài很多hěnduō人rén跑pǎo马拉松mǎlāsōng，其实qíshí并bìng不是bú shì为了wèile成绩chéngjì。

Many people who run marathons today are actually not doing it for their finishing time at all.

有人yǒurén为了wèile减肥jiǎnféi，有人yǒurén为了wèile在zài网上wǎngshàng发fā一yì张zhāng照片zhàopiàn，还有人hái yǒu rén只是zhǐshì想xiǎng找回zhǎohuí一点yìdiǎn对duì生活shēnghuó的de控制kòngzhì。

Some run to lose weight, some to post one photo online, and others just want to get back a little control over their lives.

也yě有人yǒurén批评pīpíng这zhè件jiàn事shì：城市chéngshì把bǎ比赛bǐsài当成dàngchéng广告guǎnggào，参加cānjiā的de人rén把bǎ成绩chéngjì当成dàngchéng面子miànzi。

Some people also criticize all this: cities treat the race as an advertisement, and runners treat their times as a matter of face.

这些zhèxiē批评pīpíng未必wèibì没有méiyǒu道理dàolǐ，可kě我wǒ总zǒng觉得juéde，能néng让ràng几jǐ万wàn人rén愿意yuànyì早起zǎoqǐ训练xùnliàn的de事情shìqing，本身běnshēn就jiù不bù多duō。

These criticisms are not necessarily unreasonable, but I always feel that things able to make tens of thousands of people willingly get up early to train are rare in themselves.

马拉松mǎlāsōng真正zhēnzhèng难nán的de不是bú shì那nà四十二sìshí'èr公里gōnglǐ，而是érshì在zài没人méi rén看见kànjiàn的de早上zǎoshang，一yí个gè人rén穿上chuānshang鞋xié出门chūmén。

The truly hard part of a marathon is not those forty-two kilometers, but putting on your shoes and stepping out alone on a morning when nobody is watching.

那nà一yí步bù走zǒu出去chūqu了le，比赛bǐsài的de结果jiéguǒ反而fǎn'ér没méi那么nàme重要zhòngyào了le。

Once that step is taken, the result of the race no longer seems so important.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

马拉松mǎlāsōngmarathon

报名bàomíngto sign up; to register

名额míng'équota; available place

坚持jiānchíto persist; to hold on

陌生人mòshēngrénstranger

批评pīpíngto criticize; criticism

Grammar note 语法点

未必 — not necessarily

未必 denies an assumption gently; 未必没有道理 means it may well make sense.

人多的地方未必好玩。 — A crowded place is not necessarily fun.

把 A 当成 B — to treat A as B

把 + object + 当成 + role says what something is taken to be: 城市把比赛当成广告。

他把这里当成了自己的家。 — He has come to treat this place as his own home.

并不 / 并没有 — emphatic negation

并 before a negative rejects an expectation the listener may hold: 其实并不是为了成绩。

这件事并不像你想的那么简单。 — This matter is really not as simple as you think.

Check yourself 小测验

1. At which kilometer did the writer think about quitting?

2. What actually kept the writer going?

3. According to the writer, what is the truly hard part of a marathon?

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马拉松热Mǎlāsōng rèThe Marathon Craze

Key words 生词

Grammar note 语法点

Check yourself 小测验

Reading is the easy part. Speaking is where you get stuck.

More HSK 5 reading practice