Mud Runs

Mud Runs. Written by Keith and Sarah Quartermarten. Focus question.

《泥地跑》。作者：基思·夸特马滕与莎拉·夸特马滕。核心思考问题。

a messy race. Imagine that you're running a race. People ahead of you and behind you are running too. Everyone is tired, sweaty, and covered in mud. You're all having a great time. Welcome to the mud run.

一场脏兮兮的赛跑。 想象一下你正在参加一场赛跑。 你前后的人也都在跑。 每个人都累得满头大汗，浑身沾满了泥。 但你们所有人都玩得超级开心。 欢迎来到泥地跑的世界。

Mud runs are just what they sound like. Races run through mud. People have been doing mud runs for about 30 years in the United States. These popular races are held all over the country.

泥地跑顾名思义，就是在泥地里进行的赛跑。 泥地跑在美国已经有差不多30年的历史了。 这种广受欢迎的赛跑在全美各地都有举办。

Every mud run is a little different. Some are serious races with trained athletes. Others are just for fun. Some are for children only, and others let whole families run together. All mud runs have one thing in common though. People get very muddy.

每场泥地跑都略有不同。 有些是专业运动员参加的正式赛事。 有些则纯粹是为了好玩。 有些只允许小朋友参加， 还有些可以全家一起上阵参加。 不过所有泥地跑都有一个共同点。 大家都会变得浑身脏兮兮，满是泥巴。

They don't make it easy. Running through mud isn't easy. The mud sticks to your shoes and slows you down. It's hard to move forward. The people who plan mud runs know this. They use mud to make parts of the course hard to get through.

主办方可不会让你轻轻松松完赛哦。 在泥地里跑步本来就不容易。 泥巴会粘在你的鞋子上，拖慢你的脚步。 往前走特别费劲。 泥地跑的策划者们很清楚这一点。 他们会特意用泥巴设置部分难通过的赛道。

Mud isn't the only thing that makes a mud run hard, though. Different obstacles test your strength and bravery. You'll need to be strong to climb over nets and walls. You'll need to be careful to get past obstacles like the balance beam. You'll need to get right down into the mud to crawl under walls or through tunnels. You'll need to be brave enough to slide down a steep hill or even jump over fire.

不过，让泥地跑变难的可不只有泥巴哦。 各式各样的障碍会考验你的力气和勇气。 你得力气够大，才能爬过防护网和高墙。 你得格外小心，才能通过平衡木这类障碍。 你得整个人钻进泥巴里，才能从墙底下或者隧道里爬过去。 你得足够勇敢，才能从陡峭的山坡滑下来，甚至还要跃过火堆哦。