"奔逃活命"游戏 与僵尸赛跑

Daniel Smith had run over hills, scrambled through streams and climbed over walls on a recent hot Saturday here, when he came face-to-face with his greatest obstacle yet: a field full of zombies.
印第安纳州奈茨敦（Knightstown），最近一个炎热的周六，丹尼尔•史密斯（Daniel Smith）越过山岗，穿过溪流，翻过高墙，这才与他的最大障碍正面相遇：一片遍布僵尸的田野。

He dodged through about 20 groaning, glassy-eyed antagonists with oozing facial wounds and streaks of red splattered across their clothes. 'I felt like it was just nonstop sprinting for my life,' said the 18-year-old from nearby Yorktown.

他左躲右闪，避开了大约20个目光呆滞、不停呻吟的敌手，他们脸上的伤口渗滴着血液，衣服上溅满了红色血斑。史密斯说，"我感觉就像为了逃命在不停地全速奔跑。"18岁的史密斯是个高中生，家住附近的约克城（Yorktown），他在学校参加过径赛和越野赛跑。

Mr. Smith, who runs high school track and cross-country, paid $87 for the privilege, while the zombies chasing him paid $25 - and got a free makeup job and, for those over 21, a complimentary beer at the end of the race.
史密斯玩此游戏支付了87美元，而追逐他的那些僵尸则每人支付了25美元──化妆是免费的，那些年龄超过21岁的人在比赛结束后还可以获赠一杯啤酒。

Obstacle-course races and zombie-themed events - from proms to marches to film festivals - have been spreading across the country like a flesh-eating bacteria. Now, a series of races called 'Run For Your Lives' are bringing the two together.
从逍遥音乐节到游行活动到电影节，障碍赛跑和僵尸主题的活动已经像食肉菌一样在全美各地流传开来。现在，一系列名为"奔逃活命"（Run For Your Lives）的比赛把这两种游戏融为了一体。

Runners wade through pools of fake blood, duck under electrified wires and try to avoid letting zombies steal their 'health flags' worn on a belt around the waist. A runner with no flags left is ruled dead - or is it undead? - and isn't eligible for awards at the end of the five-kilometer race. Crossing the finish line alive is no small feat: Only about 20% of racers make it with at least one of their three flags left.
参赛选手要在人工血潭中涉水而过，钻电网，还要尽力避免僵尸偷去自己别在腰带上的"健康旗"。身上没有旗子剩下的选手就被判定为死亡──也许可以称其为不死一族了？──因此在五公里的赛跑结束时没有资格赢得奖品。能够活着在终点撞线可是个不小的成绩：只有20%的选手能够在最后还保留着三面旗子中的至少一面。

Mr. Smith had managed to hold on to his flags through several close encounters with zombies when he suddenly found his path blocked by a pair of female twins in checkered blue-and-white dresses, their faces bruised and heads cocked to one side. 'They looked sort of demented,' he said.
史密斯好几次与僵尸近距离遭遇，但他都设法保住了旗子。奔跑过程中，他突然发现路被一对身穿蓝白格子衣服的孪生姐妹拦住了，她们的脸又青又肿，脑袋歪向一边。他说，"她们看上去有点精神错乱。"

He dodged to the side and into a shin-deep creek to pass them, but lost his first flag to a grasping hand.
他闪到一边，?进齐小腿的河里，好从她们旁边掠过，但是还是有一只手伸过来抓走了一面旗子。

Zombies come up with their own outfits, but organizers do their makeup, including pale skin, sunken eyes and fake blood - a mix of corn syrup, cornstarch and food coloring - splashed on their clothes. Adhesive plastic molds and red goo give some zombies gaping wounds.
僵尸们都是自己携带装备，但是由组织者负责给他们化妆，装束包括苍白的皮肤、深陷的双眼和溅在衣服上的人造血液──用玉米糖浆、玉米粉和食物着色剂混合而成。有粘性的塑料模具和红色粘胶用来做成僵尸的伤口。

Zombies preparing for the race here lined up to stand in front of a hanging white sheet and have a makeup artist throw handfuls of blood on their backs and chests before they set out to populate a 70-acre course rigged with water pits, log barriers and monkey bars.
比赛筹备过程中，僵尸们在一块挂着的白布前站成一排，化妆师会在他们的背上和胸前洒上一把一把的血液，然后他们动身，分散部署在方圆70英亩赛场内的各个角落，赛场内到处是水坑、树障和攀吊架。

'That felt really good because it was hot out,' said Michael Packer, who drove 45 minutes from Indianapolis with his girlfriend and two other friends - all wearing surgical gear. 'It soaked through pretty well and it stayed wet for a long time.'
迈克尔•帕克（Michael Packer）和女友及另两个朋友从印第安纳波利斯开了45分钟的车赶来参加比赛──全都是一身外科医生的行头。他说，"这身行头感觉太好了，因为室外天气很热。这衣服吸水性很好，可以很长时间保持润湿。"

Reed Street Productions, a company based in White Marsh, Md., and formed by two friends in their 20s, is making a killing on the races. It held its first race just last year near Baltimore and unexpectedly drew 12,000 people, the company said. It will hold a total of 13 similar events in cities from Boston to Los Angeles this year. Next year, it hopes to double that. The company said it expects revenue of $18.8 million this year, but declined to disclose its profits. Between 3,000 and 10,000 people participate in the races, with about 5,000 at the event here.
由两名20出头的朋友共同组建、总部设在马里兰州怀特马什（White Marsh）的Reed Street Productions公司因为举办这种比赛大赚了一把。这家公司称，他们去年才在巴尔的摩附近举办了首次比赛，意外地吸引了12,000人前来参赛。今年，从波士顿到洛杉矶，他们要举办总共13场类似的比赛。明年，他们希望这个数字再翻一番。公司称，今年的收入可望达到1,880万美元，但利润是多少却拒绝透露。参加比赛的人数一般在3,000至10,000人之间，眼前这场比赛大约有5,000人参加。