VOA标准英语2010年-Racing into Adventure

Pam Riehl Szakal and Sue Segel trek¹ through the sand dunes² during the Stark³ Raving⁴ Mad adventure race.

Related Links
United States Adventure Racing⁵ Association

If you're looking for an endurance race to compete in, there are plenty of choices out there: marathons, biathlons, triathlons.

And then there's adventure racing.

This multidisciplinary team sport sends competitors out with a map and a goal, relying on their own strength and abilities to traverse great and challenging terrain⁶ for several hours or a few days.

Hundreds of local adventure races take place all over the globe every year.

Pam Riehl Szakal and Sue Segel are participating in Stark Raving Mad, a six-hour event near Lake Michigan. This is their first adventure race together.

 

Pam, a life-long outdoorswoman, is a ten-year veteran of the sport, while Sue, a self-described physical fitness enthusiast⁷, is competing in just her second race. "You have no idea what you're going to be up against," she says. "That's what I think makes it exciting."

Strategy and surprises

Adventure Racing began in New Zealand with core events in cycling, paddling, and trekking⁸, any sort of on-foot segment. However, it quickly spread to become a worldwide sport with local clubs springing up from Germany to Jamaica.

Race directors often add surprises such as mountain climbing, white water swimming, or horseback riding to the challenge.

Pam says expecting the unexpected is part of the appeal of the event. "It's really about what I would call almost the intellectual side of it, which is the strategy," she explains. "You've got to think. Unlike a triathlon - where it's just do, do, do and you know exactly what you're going to do - every adventure race is different."

But the key element of every adventure race is orienteering, navigating⁹ by map and compass.

So, as Stark Raving Mad Director Scott Campau explains, there is no preset course. "Racers are given maps with checkpoints on them and racers have to navigate¹⁰ themselves using a compass and their own sense of direction to these different check points." In fact, courses are kept secret and revealed only minutes before the beginning of an event.

Off and running, and biking, and…

Pam and Sue, who call themselves Team Two Non-Blondes, take their place at the starting area alongside teams with names like Lost in the Woods, Hemorrhoids, and Comfortably Numb¹¹.

 

In the third leg of the competition, participants trade their bikes for canoes and head out on the water for a 15-kilometer long paddle against the wind.

While teams can physically¹² prepare, Pam says mental preparation is difficult. "Sometimes you try to strategize ahead and think, 'Oh, I can figure this out, there's only this piece of water and this,' and you find out you're completely wrong," she says with a laugh. "So it's all about trying figure out the best way to take the course and how you can get the best strategy out of what they've given you."

The first leg of Stark Raving Mad begins with a short run through the woods. But there's a twist. Teams must carry all their biking gear with them and stay within 91 meters of each other or face disqualification.

Sue says this is where she relies on Pam. "You can work off of each other, like Pam is more of a runner, I'm more of a cyclist, so hopefully we would help each other out."

Next the teams quickly hop¹³ on their bikes for a several kilometer long off-road trek.

Team chemistry

While a few races allow soloists¹⁴, adventure racing is primarily a team sport. Teams can be made up of anywhere from 2 to 15 people depending on the race.

Pam says finding the right chemistry among members is vital. "I've watched teams fall apart because they don't get along and I've seen other teams very successful because they just click together."

In the third leg, participants trade their bikes for canoes and head out on the water for a 15-kilometer long paddle against the wind. Then it's time for a hike through mountainous sand dunes.

All along the route are check points. Racers carry passports, which they punch at each station to prove they were there, and gain one point.

Unlike most competition, where the fastest time wins, in adventure racing, the team with the most points before the cutoff time is the winner.

Unfortunately, Sue lost Two Non-Blondes' clear plastic passport on the trek through the sand dunes. Though this disqualified them, they continued the race for fun.

Finishing with flair¹⁵

As the racers orienteer their way to the finish line, race director Scott Campau has one last surprise for them. "We're really happy to be able to utilize¹⁶ the only wheeled luge track in North America. It just opened up at Muskeegon Winter Sports Complex."

Participants are given a quick course in roller luging - which is like the more familiar Winter Olympic sport, except on wheels. Then they whisk down the hundred plus meter long tube, slamming into two large airbags for a grand finish, and bragging¹⁷ rights for the winners.

"You're not going to make money on it," Campau admits, "but it's not about the prizes. It's just about you going out there and challenging yourself."

Though the Two Non-Blondes couldn't officially finish, they did unofficially come in with the best time and most points for a female team. Sue says she can't wait to take on an even longer race. But next time, she insists, Pam will be in charge of the passport.

 

1 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

2 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

4 raving   

adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地

参考例句：

• The man's a raving lunatic. 那个男子是个语无伦次的疯子。
• When I told her I'd crashed her car, she went stark raving bonkers. 我告诉她我把她的车撞坏了时，她暴跳如雷。

5 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

6 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

7 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

8 trekking   

v.艰苦跋涉，徒步旅行( trek的现在分词 )；（尤指在山中）远足，徒步旅行，游山玩水

参考例句：

• She can't come pony trekking after all because she's in a delicate condition. 她结果还是不能坐小马车旅行，因为她已怀孕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We spent the summer trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas. 我们整个夏天都在喜马拉雅山的山麓艰难跋涉。 来自互联网

9 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

10 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

11 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

13 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

14 soloists   

n.独唱者，独奏者，单飞者( soloist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The soloists were ably supported by the University Singers. 这些独唱歌手得到了大学歌手的大力支持。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Summer music festivals feature leading orchestras, soloists and opera companies. 在夏季举行的各音乐节，有著名的交响乐团、独唱和独奏者及歌剧团表演。 来自互联网

15 flair   

n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design.他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• He had a natural flair for business.他有做生意的天分。

16 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

17 bragging   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话

参考例句：

• He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
• Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口，亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句