Around the World in 26.2 Miles26.2英里环游世界

In 2012， shortly after crossing the finish line of the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon， Laurel Butterfield filled up on oysters and bloody marys. Her strategy was simple： “I’ll commit two hours or less to running around. I’ll get to see interesting parts of the city， and then when I’m done， I will eat everything in the city and have a great time.”

2012年，在冲过新奥尔良摇滚半程马拉松的终点线后不久，劳雷尔·巴特菲尔德大啖牡蛎，豪饮血腥玛丽鸡尾酒。她的计划很简单：“我用两小时或更短的时间跑比赛，乘机看看这座城市有趣的地方。等跑完，我就把当地美食吃个遍，好好享受一番。”

Runners who love to travel—and travelers who love to run—have been getting passports stamped and bucket lists checked one race at a time. For many， the destination race serves as an impetus to travel somewhere new and stick with a training regimen.

无论是喜欢旅行的跑步爱好者，还是喜欢跑步的旅行爱好者，他们每跑一场比赛，护照上就多盖一个章，人生心愿就又完成一项。在目的地举办的比赛成为很多人去新地方旅行和坚持执行训练计划的推动力。

The first time I ever set foot in Vermont was ostensibly to run the 2012 Mad Half1， but I didn’t care so much about my performance in the 13.1 miles as I did about visiting the Green Mountain State2.

我第一次去佛蒙特州，表面上是为了参加2012麦德半程马拉松，但我对自己在13.1英里的比赛中跑出什么成绩并不太在意，我主要是来“绿岭之州”观光的。

For me， post-race indulgence—local beer is almost always on the menu—and bragging rights （after all， it’s kind of cool to run a marathon outside your hometown） were part of the charm， more so when the BQ （Boston qualifier） I’d been chasing eluded me time and time again.

对我而言，马拉松的部分魅力在于赛后的纵情享乐（当地的啤酒基本必不可少）和吹牛的资本（在外地跑马拉松毕竟还是有点酷的）。每当想到我一次次去争取的波士顿马拉松参赛资格一次次与我擦肩而过，马拉松对我的吸引力就更大了。

Alisa Cohen， founder of Luxe Traveler Club， a boutique travel agency， said that most of her marathon-traveling clients are novice runners who like the athletic component such a vacation affords. Planning a trip around a destin-ation race “adds to the whole excitement of marathon training，” and is a great way to see a city and build a trip around it， Cohen said， noting that Paris has become a popular destination in this regard.

洛克斯旅行者俱乐部是一家精品旅行社，创始人阿莉莎·科恩说，她的马拉松旅游客户大多是跑步新手，他们喜欢此类行程提供的竞技元素。科恩表示，围绕目的地的马拉松比赛来安排旅游行程，“增强了马拉松训练的兴奋感”，也是进行城市观光并以此为中心规划行程的好方法。科恩还指出，巴黎已成为此类旅行的人气目的地。

Spencer Farrar’s first international race， in Scotland in 2006， hooked him on race travel. “A lot of my races are quite honestly determined based upon location，” said Farrar， who works for a private equity firm and splits his time between Hawaii and New York City. More and more， he said， the majority of his travel is running-related.

斯潘塞·法勒2006年在苏格兰第一次参加国际马拉松赛事，从此迷上了“赛事游”。他说：“坦白讲，许多赛事都是我看地点决定参加的。”法勒在一家私募股权公司工作，平时往返于夏威夷和纽约市。他说自己大部分的旅行安排越来越多地与跑步有关。

Farrar’s favorite race destination is South Africa， where he has run nine times and is about to run his 10th. The itinerary changes with each visit， although Farrar said he’s planning to stay in Cape Town again， one of his favorite cities， which he called a “foodie paradise，” before venturing to wine country.

法勒最喜爱的比赛目的地是南非，他已经在那里跑了9次比赛，即将迎来第10次。每次造访南非，行程都有所不同，不过法勒说他打算重返开普敦，然后去探访酒乡。开普敦是法勒最喜欢的城市之一，他称其为“吃货天堂”。

Two of New York attorney Ruth Gursky’s most memorable race travel experiences took place in Sydney and Amsterdam， respectively. “It’s fun to meet other athletes from other countries and visit new countries. I never would have gotten to Sydney， otherwise. It’s a long trip，” Gursky said.

纽约律师鲁思·古尔斯基记忆最深刻的两次“赛事游”体验分别发生在悉尼和阿姆斯特丹。古尔斯基说：“结识其他国家的运动员、游览没去过的国家，都很有意思。要不是因为比赛，我根本没机会去悉尼。路途太遥远了。”

David Killian， officer of site selection for a sports game organization， said a lot goes into choosing the games’ location. In addition to ample city support and the ability to put on the games， Killian said， “having the right destination is an important part of it.” Although his organization is not so concerned about whether the location meets the vacation criteria of participants， Killian said， “it’s been pretty hard to get people from all over the world excited about going to a small city.”

戴维·基利安是一家体育赛事组织机构的选址员。他说，在挑选比赛地点时，要考虑诸多因素。基利安表示，除了充分的市政支持和赛事承办能力外，“目的地是否合适也是一项重要因素”。他所在的机构虽然没有特别在意比赛地点是否能达到参赛者的度假标准，但基利安指出：“要激起世界各地的参赛者对前往一座小城市的兴趣，那可是相当困难。”

Doug Thurston， race director of Big Sur International Marathon， which draws runners from more than two dozen countries and all 50 states， said “building in running as kind of part of your vacation experience is more popular than ever.”

大苏尔国际马拉松吸引了二三十个国家及美国全部50个州的选手参赛。赛事总监道格·瑟斯顿说：“把跑步作为度假体验的一部分，从来没有像现在这么流行。”

Most established big-city marathons—New York， Boston， Houston， Chicago， Berlin， Tokyo， London3—take participants on a 26.2-mile tour of the city’s streets. Local restaurants will often rally behind runners， offering special pre- or post-race meals， and the communities tend to be supportive， coming out to cheer and hold signs with phrases such as， “Smile. You paid for this，” and， “This is a lot of work for a free banana，” designed to make runners smile through the miles and， often， the pain.

大城市举办的著名马拉松赛事，如纽约、波士顿、休斯顿、芝加哥、柏林、东京、伦敦的马拉松，大多会安排参赛者在26.2英里的路线中穿越城市的大街小巷。当地餐馆通常会合力支持选手，提供特制的赛前或赛后餐食。当地居民一般也很支持，他们走上街头给选手加油打气，还手举标语牌，上面写着“开心点儿，你可是花了钱的”“为了吃一根免费香蕉可真够辛苦的”等，为的是让选手心情愉悦地跑完全程，忍住常常伴有的身体疼痛。