信不信由你——古怪运动大盘点

by Joshua Khan

Depending on an individuals[个人] perspective[观点]， some sports outside professional leagues[联盟] can be classified as weird. North Americans arent too fond of cricket[板球] and some South Americans havent even heard of hockey.

The following sports go beyond the boundaries[边界] of unusual sports when it comes to rules and equipment.

取决于每个人的角度，一些职业联赛以外的运动堪称怪异。北美洲人不太喜欢板球，有些南美洲人连曲棍球也没有听说过。

从规则和设备而言，以下这些运动可谓比不寻常“更不寻常”。

The Ultimate[最终的] Test： Man vs. Horse人马对阵的终极测试

In Wales， theres a famous race called the Man Versus Horse Marathon. A cross country[越野赛] course[路线] is laid out， and human competitors pit their stamina[耐力] against that of a posse[一队] of chosen horses. The course is 22 miles long with many natural obstacles[障碍物] to overcome. The ultimate aim is to run the course and beat the first horse. This was recently done for the first time by a man who had been training especially for the event. He won a large cash prize—a prize thats been getting bigger every year.

威尔士有一项著名的比赛叫“人马马拉松”。在这项比赛中，人类选手要在设计好的越野赛道上和一群经过挑选的马比拼耐力。比赛全程为22英里（35.4千米），中途要克服许多天然障碍。最终目标是要跑完全程，并且击败跑在最前面的马匹。最近，终于有一名专门为这项比赛进行过特训的男子夺得了人类的第一次胜利。他赢得了一大笔奖金，因为这笔奖金每年都会累积哦。

Where Love Is the Key to Success爱是获胜的关键

First introduced in Finland， wife carrying is an actual sport where male competitors race while carrying a female teammate. The objective[目标] is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle course in the fastest time.

Talk about tough love.

背老婆比赛起源于芬兰，其实就是由男选手背着一名女队友赛跑的运动。男选手要在最短的时间内背着一位女士穿越一条特殊的障碍赛道。

爱情真是举步维艰啊。

Going for a Different Kind of Swim与众不同的游泳比赛

Even though it does seem kind of gross[令人恶心的]， bog[沼泽] snorkeling[潜泳] is a sporting event where competitors swim in a water-filled trench[沟渠] cut through a peat bog[泥炭沼]. Competitors must wear snorkels[通气管] and flippers[脚蹼] and can only complete the course by swimming with their flippers and not using traditional swimming techniques.

The World Bog Snorkelling Championships take place every August in a dense[稠密的] peat bog near Llanwrtyd Wells， in Wales.

沼泽潜水虽然看起来脏兮兮的，不过它仍是一种体育比赛。参赛者们要在泥沼里一条灌满水的沟渠内潜泳。他们必须戴上通气管和脚蹼，而且只能用脚蹼游完全程，不能使用传统的游泳技术。

每年八月，人们都会在威尔士拉努蒂德韦尔斯镇附近一个浓稠的泥沼里举行世界沼泽潜水锦标赛。

Putting Your Toe to Good Use好好利用你的脚趾

A popular activity for children， toe wrestling is now a competitive sport. The World Toe Wrestling Competition first started at a pub in Derbyshire， UK in 1976. Locals thought it would be a great idea to hold a competition where individuals lock toes together and force their opponents[对手] foot to the ground. The organizers applied in 1997 to get the sport included in the Olympics， but unfortunately， it was not accepted.

脚趾摔跤这种很受儿童欢迎的游戏，现在已经成为一种竞技运动。1976年，世界脚趾摔跤比赛诞生于英国德比郡的一间酒吧内。当地人觉得“举办脚趾摔跤比赛，让参赛者的脚趾对掰，把对方的脚扳倒在地”这个主意很不错。1997年，脚趾摔跤比赛的主办方提出申请，想让这项运动成为奥运项目，可惜未被接受。

Taking Underwater Sports to the Next Level水下运动新境界

Octopush[水中曲棍球] （also known as underwater hockey） is a non-contact sport where two teams compete to maneuver[移动] a puck[冰球] across the bottom of a swimming pool and into “goals.”Just like hockey but underwater， the game has actually become popular in countries like the UK， Australia， Canada， New Zealand and South Africa.

水中曲棍球是一种非接触式运动，由两支球队争夺操控游泳池底的冰球，把它送进球门。它和曲棍球差不多，只是换成在水下进行。在英国、澳大利亚、加拿大、新西兰和南非等国家，这项运动已经风靡起来了。

Ironing Shirts the Hard Way高难度熨烫衬衫

Extreme ironing was invented in 1997 by Phil Shaw. The sport basically involves doing the most boring chore[家务杂事] in the world—ironing—in a remote[偏僻] or dangerous location. Those who participate in extreme ironing are called ironists and spend their free time lugging[拖，拉] their ironing boards and irons around the world， whilst their loving partner carries a camera （and hopefully a first aid kit[工具箱]） in an attempt[企图] to capture their ironing stunt[绝技]. Some of the best ironists have been snapped[拍照] pressing their clothes up a mountain， in a waterfall， on top of a cow and strapped[用带缚住] to the back of a New York City yellow cab.

1997年，菲尔·肖发明了极限熨烫。这种运动基本上就是在偏远和危险的地点做世界上最无聊的家务活——烫衣服。参加极限熨烫运动的人叫做“熨烫玩家”，闲暇时就拖着自己的烫衣板和熨斗到处跑，他们的爱侣则会扛上照相机（或许还有一个急救箱），以期拍下他们的熨烫特技。一些最厉害的熨烫玩家已经在照片中留下了他们在山上、在瀑布里、在一头奶牛上或是绑在纽约黄色出租车车尾上熨衣服的英姿。

Combining[结合] Brains and Brawn手脑并用

If youre looking for a sport that combines using your strength as well as intelligence， then chess boxing is for you. The sport is a combination of boxing and chess with the different games alternating[交替，轮流] after each round. A match between two individuals lasts up to 11 rounds， starting with a four minute chess round and followed by two minutes of boxing.

The sport is governed by the World Chess Boxing Organization whose motto is： “Fighting is done in the ring[拳击场] and wars are waged[进行] on the board.”

如果你正在寻找一种既需要力量又需要智慧的运动，那么象棋拳击正是你要找的东西。这项运动结合了拳击和国际象棋，每轮比赛之后两项赛事要轮换。两位选手之间共需进行11轮比赛，首先进行一轮四分钟的象棋赛，再进行一轮两分钟的拳击赛。

这项运动由世界象棋拳击组织进行管理，其训言是：“争于拳场，战于棋盘。”

Finding out Whos Faster： You Or Cheese比比你和奶酪谁更快

Cheese rolling is probably one of the simplest sports out there. From the top of a hill， a round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled and competitors chase after it. The first individual across the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins （the cheese of course）.

Competitors aim to catch the rolling cheese but this rarely happens， since it has a one second head start and can reach speeds up to 112 km/hr. In 1997， the cheese took a wrong turn down the hill and accidentally injured a spectator[观众].

滚奶酪比赛大概是世界上最简单的其中一种运动吧——首先是让一轮圆盘状的双层格洛斯特奶酪从山顶滚下来，然后让选手们在后面追赶，以第一个冲过山下终点线的人为胜（奖品当然是奶酪了）。

选手们的目标是要追上那块滚动的奶酪，但这种情况鲜有发生，因为奶酪比人“起跑”的时间要早一秒，然后速度可以达到每小时112公里。1997年，奶酪在滚下山时意外转向，误伤了一名观众。

Surfing with Your Dog和狗狗一起冲浪

Owners surf while dogs get a free ride. Originated in San Diego， dog surfing is often more of a leisure[闲暇]/ bonding[形成亲密关系] activity between dog and owner， but competitions are not uncommon in California.

当主人在冲浪的时候，狗狗也可以搭一搭顺风车。起源于（美国）圣迭戈的狗狗冲浪多是作为一种休闲活动或是狗和主人之间的情感联络活动。不过，在（美国）加利福尼亚也经常可以看到狗狗冲浪比赛。