北京虽有着雾霾天气位居全球最严重之列的名声，但这并无碍于该城市开放它的高空、举办中国有史以来第一次垂直马拉松比赛。中国国际贸易中心三期矗立在北京中央商务区的核心地段，高330米，总计82层，是一座集写字楼、酒店和零售中心于一体的地标性巨型建筑。这座摩天高楼将在8月3日承担起一个新角色，成为一场需攀登2041级台阶的惊心动魄的比赛的赛场。
Despite its reputation for harboring some of the world's worst smog, Beijing is offering up its skies to host China's first-ever vertical marathon.
来自10个国家的专业精英选手已受邀参加比赛，他们将对现金奖励展开争夺。该赛事也向业余选手开放，业余组冠军将获得北京至伦敦的往返机票以及下榻位于伦敦碎片大厦(Shard)高层即将开业的香格里拉酒店的奖励。碎片大厦如今是西欧的最高建筑。
At 330 meters (1,082 feet) tall, the 82-floor China World Trade Center Tower 3 is a landmark office, hotel and retail behemoth jutting out of the heart of Beijing's Central Business District. On August 3, the building will take on a new identity, transforming itself into the venue for a heart-pounding foot race up its 2041 stairs.
参赛选手将从国贸三期一层的大厅起跑，然后一路爬上楼顶。如果比赛当天的空气质量不错，他们或许还能360度全景饱览北京的景致。
Elite vertical marathon runners have been invited from 10 countries and will compete for cash prizes. The race is also open to amateurs, with the winner earning round-trip tickets from Beijing to London and three nights stay at Shangri-La's soon-to open hotel atop the Shard in London, now the tallest building in Western Europe.
今年1月份，北京的上空时常为雾霾所笼罩，引发众多民众把这段时期称为"空气末日"。最近几个月，雾霾天气又卷土重来。中国气象局在7月初公布，北京6月份的雾霾天气达到18天，创下过去50年来的纪录新高。
Runners will start racing from the skyscraper's lobby, climbing all the way up to the rooftop where depending on air quality they might enjoy a 360-degree view of the city.
麻省理工学院(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)及其他三所高校近期研究显示，受雾霾天气的影响，中国北方人的平均预期寿命会减少五年多。使用煤炭供暖和发电在一定程度上造成了雾霾天气。
The smog that in January filled Beijing's skies, sparking many to refer to the period as the 'Airpocolypse,' has returned in recent months. The city recorded 18 smoggy days in June, a record high over the last 50 years, the China Meteorological Bureau revealed earlier this month.
北京垂直马拉松是国际竞速联盟(International Skyrunning Federation，简称"ISF")举办的高楼竞跑世界巡回赛的其中一站。该赛事从2009年开始举办，此前一直都在相对无污染的地方举办，比如纽约的帝国大厦、瑞士的巴塞尔展览中心大厦(Basel Messeturm)、台北的101大楼以及分布世界各地的其他地标性摩天高楼。
Northern China's smog fed by in part by the burning of coal for heat and electricity has been shown to shorten average life expectancy by more than five years, according to a recent study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and three other universities.
对于在一个有着浓厚灰色空气的城市举办比赛，赛事主办方也心存忧虑。
The Beijing vertical marathon is a part of a skyscraper racing circuit, the International Skyrunning Federation, that emerged in 2009 and has so far taken place in locations relatively free of particulate matter: New York's Empire State Building, the Basel Messeturm in Switherland, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, and other landmark skyscrapers across the world.
ISF 的代表及此次比赛的总监戴维•辛恩(David Shin)说："我希望比赛当天的天空很晴朗，这样一来选手在登上顶楼时就不会觉得失望。"
Race organizers have their concerns about holding an event in a city that is marked by thick pewter air.
辛恩称，ISF还采取了额外的预防措施，聘用当地医院为比赛配备医生、保证选手的安全。
'I wish for the sky to be clear on race day, so when the runners reach the top they are not disappointed,' said David Shin, International Skyrunning Federation representative and the race director.
他还说， ISG会在比赛前夕为选手提供专业训练，并且出于安全考虑将参赛选手的名额上限定为1,000人。
The organization has taken extra precautions, hiring a local hospital to staff the event and ensure racer safety, Mr. Shin said.
赛事组织方称，在今年台北101大楼垂直马拉松比赛中，速度最快的选手以10分52秒攀登完了近390米的赛程，如此短的时间对于极限运动来说真是令人难以置信。
In the run-up to the event, ISF is offeringprofessional training for the runners and is capping race entrants at 1,000 out of safety concerns, Mr. Shin said .
北京赛事的赛程较台北赛事的赛程缩短了约60米，参赛选手希望能以更短时间完成比赛，而且他们也希望能在登顶之时一览北京风光。
The fastest runner in the Taipei 101 race this year climbed to the top of 0.24-mile tower in a time of 10 minutes 52 seconds , organizers said, noting that such a time is incredible for the extreme sport.
希恩说："很多人之所以报名参赛，就是为了欣赏景观，所以希望他们有好运气。"
Racers will hope to surpass those times with a shorter distance of a fifth of a mile in Beijing
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