Why Do People Run Marathons?人們為何熱衷于跑馬拉松？

At the 1896 Olympics in Athens， the first organised marathon involved only 17 athletes.

在1896年的雅典奧運會上，首屆有組織的馬拉松比賽僅有17位選手參加。

Marathoning has come a long way1 since. We also now understand a great deal more about the science of long-distance running， from its health impacts to the psychological motivations.

從那以后，馬拉松比賽已取得長足發展。從對健康的影響到跑者的心理動因，我們現在對長跑也有了遠多于以往的科學認知。

So， what are the benefits of running a marathon， and why are the races so popular？

那么，跑馬拉松究竟有何益處？為什么人們如此熱衷于參加馬拉松賽事呢？

With no hopes of winning a gold medal or getting one’s name etched in sport history books， some may wonder why people run marathons at all. The training requires a major commitment of time， energy and sweat， and the races can be gruelling.

或許有人不解：既然無望贏得金牌，也不會留名體育史冊，人們到底為什么要跑馬拉松？更何況馬拉松訓練需要付出大量的時間、精力和汗水，比賽亦可讓人筋疲力盡。

Yet despite that， marathon participation in the US has risen 255% since 1980， and applications for the London Marathon have grown every year since the first race in 1981， which had 7，747 runners. In 2018， the number of worldwide marathon finishers was estimated to be 1，298，725.

盡管如此，自1980年起，美國的馬拉松參賽人數仍增長了255%。倫敦馬拉松自1981年首屆7747人參賽，此后報名人數逐年遞增。2018年，全球馬拉松完賽人數估計有129萬8725人。

The most obvious reasons why people run them are the positive health and mental well-being effects. While some people worry about the harms you can do to your body if unprepared， the overall health benefits tend to significantly outweigh any risks with proper training. The benefits for weight loss and cardiovascular health are well known， but research is continually unveiling new upsides. Running marathons cuts years off your “artery age”， for example， and a study led by Astrid Roeh at the University of Augsburg showed a possible relationship between improved cognitive function and greater eye health as a result of marathoning.

人們之所以熱衷于跑馬拉松，最明顯的原因是這項運動能為身心健康帶來積極影響。盡管有人擔憂，沒有鍛煉基礎就去跑馬拉松可能會造成身體損傷，但經過合理訓練，該運動對全身健康的益處往往遠超任何風險。眾所周知，跑馬拉松有益于減肥以及心血管健康，而且不斷有研究證明該運動有更多益處——比如能夠為動脈“減齡”。此外，由奧格斯堡大學阿斯特麗德·勒主持的一項研究顯示，更好的認知功能與更健康的雙眼之間可能存在聯系，而這種聯系是跑馬拉松產生的結果。

But what about the psychological motivations？ Each runner will give you different answers.

那么，人們參賽的心理動因又是什么呢？每位跑者對此有不同的答案。

“It’s the feeling of accomplishment I get crossing the finish line that keeps me coming back，” says Matt Huff， a New Yorker and author of Marathoner： What to Expect When Training for and Running a Marathon. “There is a surge to it you don’t get from other sports， because the sheer amount of time and effort that goes into a single marathon dwarfs2 that of an individual soccer game or tennis match. ‘Can you push yourself through enough hell to finish’ is the only question.”

“正是沖過終點線那一刻的成就感不斷吸引我重返馬拉松賽道。”來自紐約、著有《馬拉松跑者：訓練和比賽時會發生什么》一書的馬特·赫夫如是說，“這種成就感之強烈，其他任何運動都難以企及，因為單是一場馬拉松所需傾注的時間與精力就足以讓一場足球賽或網球賽相形見絀。唯一的問題在于，你是否能在困境中逼自己咬牙堅持直至沖過終點。”

For other runners， rising above physical limitations is part of the appeal. Tom Eller is a deaf-born marathoner who lives in Essen， Germany， and has run 11 marathons. He ran a 2：47：11 in the 2019 Berlin Marathon， making him the fastest deaf German marathon runner. Eller， who teaches deaf and blind students， says， “I challenge my life， which has communications barriers， by running marathons around the world to show people that even disabled people can achieve great things. For my deaf kids and teenagers at school， I am a role model.”

對其他跑者而言，跑馬拉松的部分魅力源自超越自身極限。來自德國埃森市的湯姆·埃勒是位先天失聰的馬拉松愛好者，他已經參加了11場馬拉松比賽。在2019年的柏林馬拉松比賽中，他以2小時47分11秒的好成績成為德國最快的聾人馬拉松跑者。作為聾盲學生的老師，埃勒表示：“我通過在全球各地參加馬拉松比賽來挑戰自己充滿溝通障礙的人生，以此向世人證明，即便是殘障人士也能成大事。對學校里的失聰兒童和青少年來說，我是一個榜樣。”

And for Kailey Bennet， a faculty assistant at Harvard University， marathons help her transcend her epilepsy. But mainly she runs because it is a way to experience other cultures. “It’s how I explore the world，” she explains. “I firmly believe one of the best ways to experience a new city is on their marathon day.”

對哈佛大學的助教凱莉·貝內特來說，跑馬拉松幫助她掙脫了癲癇病的枷鎖，但她跑馬拉松主要是因為這是一種體驗其他文化的途徑。“這就是我探索世界的方式。”她解釋道，“我堅信，參加一座城市的馬拉松比賽是體驗城市文化的絕佳途徑之一。”

However， while every runner has different personal reasons， there are some general trends that researchers have observed underpinning people’s attraction to racing over long distances. A study from researchers at the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Poland found that “proving the ability to run a marathon race constituted an important life event for a person” and that it could impact their beliefs about the successful execution of potential future achievements.

盡管每位跑者的初衷不盡相同，但研究人員注意到，支撐人們喜愛長跑的有幾種普遍趨向。波蘭卡托維茲體育學院的一項研究表明，“證明自己能夠跑完一場馬拉松對個人而言是一件人生大事”，而且跑馬拉松的經歷還能影響他們的信念——相信自己未來可能會取得某些成就。

Carys Egan-Wyger at Sweden’s Lund University found that aspects of daily life are tangibly and measurably mirrored in marathon running， such as the tracking of progress， along with the necessity of productivity and efficiency. Across her interview subjects， runners tended to cite three primary motivators： freedom， achievement and competition.

瑞典隆德大學的卡里斯·伊根-威格發現，日常生活的方方面面都切實而顯著地體現在馬拉松這項運動中，例如對進度的跟蹤，以及對生產率和效率的要求。在她的采訪對象中，跑者普遍提到三個主要動因：追求自由、實現自我和享受拼搏。

But less obviously， Egan-Wyger also suggests endurance running can also be a way of gaining social status. Showing you are capable of a long-distance race projects qualities of health， productivity and efficiency to others， she argues， akin to cultivating a personal brand. This effect is only supercharged through social fitness apps that allow runners to share their achievements.

伊根-威格還指出，耐力跑也可成為獲得社會地位的途徑，但這個動因不那么顯而易見。她認為，通過展示自己具備參加長跑比賽的能力，跑者可以向他人展現自己的健康、生產率和效率，這類似于打造個人品牌。社交健身軟件為跑者提供了分享成就的平臺，這類平臺會大大增強跑者的個人品牌效應。

This may dovetail with research by Jenna Gilchrist at the University of Toronto and colleagues about the role of pride during training and races. Those who experienced greater pride about their running tended to put greater effort and time into their training.

這可能與多倫多大學詹娜·吉爾克里斯特及其同事的研究不謀而合。他們研究了自豪感在訓練與比賽過程中所起的作用，結果發現：對自己的長跑經歷更加自豪的人往往會在訓練中投入更多的精力和時間。

There is， however， also some evidence that motivations differ between the sexes. In one study of runners in Poland， researchers concluded that “female marathon finishers were more motivated than men by weight concern， affiliation， psychological coping， life meaning， and self-esteem， but less motivated by the competition.”

然而，也有證據表明男女馬拉松跑者在動因上存在差異。在一項針對波蘭跑者的研究中，研究人員得出結論：“相較于男性，女性馬拉松完賽者更多地受體重問題、歸屬感、心理素質、人生追求及自尊心的影響，較少受到競爭因素的激勵。”

Running high

跑步的興奮感

A final commonly cited motivation for running long-distance is the feeling that follows—the so-called “runner’s high3”. It’s commonly thought that hormones called endorphins play a role， but the calm， relaxed feeling that some people report may instead be due to a rise in endocannabinoids in the bloodstream. Unlike endorphins， these can pass into the brain.

最后一個常被談到的長跑動因便是隨長跑產生的感受，即所謂的“跑者高潮”。人們普遍認為是內啡肽這種激素發揮了作用，但有些人所感受到的平靜與松弛，則可能源于血液中內源性大麻素水平升高。與內啡肽不同，內源性大麻素可以進入大腦。

During long-distance running， the brain may also dilute the memory of pain. In 2019， Dominika Farley of Jagiellonian University in Poland and colleagues drew parallels between the pain from giving birth and from marathon running. Both tend to be underestimated when later recalled， which may be explained by the release of oxytocin in the brain which influences how the memory is encoded， say the researchers. The way pain is remembered is also viewed through the context： if a marathon medal or a baby is on the other end of the pain endured， one may regard the extent of the pain differently.

在長跑的過程中，大腦也可能會淡化人們對疼痛的記憶。2019年，波蘭雅蓋隆大學的多米妮卡·法利及其同事發現，分娩的疼痛與跑馬拉松的疼痛存在相似之處。研究人員指出，人們日后回顧時往往會低估這兩種疼痛，原因可能是大腦中分泌的催產素影響了記憶的編碼方式。人們記憶疼痛的方式也受特定情境的影響：如果忍受疼痛后可以收獲一枚馬拉松獎牌或迎接一個新生命的到來，那么人們對疼痛程度的感受也會截然不同。

This may help to explain why “repeat marathoners” are common. An 18-time marathoner and teacher， Erin McBride， ran her first marathon in 2005 when she turned 18. “I was convinced I’d be a one-and-done runner. Tick it off the bucket list and never look back. But that November day in 2005 changed my life forever. And since then I’ve committed to running at least one marathon a year， and many have been with a family member by my side.”

這或許可以解釋為什么“馬拉松常客”如此常見。已跑完18場馬拉松的教師埃琳·麥克布賴德在2005年年滿18歲后首次參賽。“我當時確信自己跑一次就夠了，只是為完成愿望清單上的一個目標，之后就會將其拋之腦后。但是，2005年11月的那一天竟永遠改變了我的人生。自那以后，我堅持每年至少跑一場馬拉松，而且很多次都有家人作伴。”

But few people exemplify this willingness to repeat the challenge than 58-year-old Liverpool runner Andy Glen who has completed 176 marathons in 42 different countries. His current target is to run 200 marathons in 50 different countries. He isn’t immune to struggle， though. “I am often asked whether running a marathon after all this time becomes easier，” he says. “The simple answer is no. The last six miles4 are just as challenging as they were when I ran my first.”

然而，很少有人能像58歲的利物浦跑者安迪·格倫那樣樂于反復挑戰，以至成為典范——他已在42個國家跑完176場馬拉松。如今，他的目標是在50個國家跑完200場馬拉松。不過，他也難免遇到困難。“人們常問我，跑了那么多場馬拉松，再跑是不是就沒那么費力了。”他說，“當然不是。最后6英里始終和我初次跑馬拉松時一樣難跑。”

（譯者單位：天津理工大學）

1 come a long way 取得巨大進展。

2 dwarf 使相形見絀；使顯得矮小。

3跑者高潮指跑步時突然出現的欣快感，表現為強烈的健康幸福感和時空障礙超越感等。

4 6英里約為9656米。

Marathon Facts （2）

● The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon.

Established in 1897， the Boston Marathon holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest annual marathon. Held on Pat-riots’ Day （the third Monday of April）， the event attracts elite runners and enthusiastic participants from around the globe. The challenging course and rich history of the Boston Marathon make it one of the most prestigious and iconic races in the world.

● The New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world.

The New York City Marathon， first held in 1970， has grown to become the largest marathon globally in terms of the number of participants. With its expansive route through all five boroughs of New York City， the race showcases the city’s diversity and energy while drawing massive crowds and international attention.