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Many
of us know about Russia's Lake Baikal from our textbooks, or by listening to
Chinese singer Li Jian's hit song, Lake Baikal. But over the past decade, the
world's deepest freshwater lake has been in the spotlight for an extreme sport.
Each
March since 2005, about 150 people from around the world sign up for the Baikal
Ice Marathon. They come to explore the lake's breathtaking beauty and challenge
themselves in unpredictable conditions.
The
26-mile (41. 84-kilometers) journey starts on the lake's eastern shore. In
March, the ice is a meter thick and iron-hard. Runners cross this frozen
surface, finishing on the western side of the lake.
Known
as the "blue eye of Siberia", Lake Baikal has exceptionally clear
waters. This means its ice is almost perfectly transparent. "Seen from
above, a runner on the ice looks as if he or she is jogging through
space," The New York Times noted.
The
landscape might be beautiful, but it's also harsh. Strong winds blast (侵袭) across the lake and frostbite (冻伤) can occur within half an hour.
Runners say the cold climate is what draws them. They want to test their
limits.
"When you are in such an environment, you don't have cars around
you, you don't have the noise around. I think these extreme races allow you to
be alone with nature," Alicja Barahona, a 64-year-old runner from the US,
told ABC News.
The
location offers some strange and unique characteristics for this marathon. The
finish line is visible from the start. But the endless white offers no progress
markers. The race also ends with little fanfare (喧闹). Tourists crowding the ice are mostly
addicted to snapping series (自拍) and just ignore the runners.
For
some runners, the absence of spectators makes the race more challenging,
because it's lonely. They must fight with themselves. "You are alone on
Baikal. It is your race. You are alone with yourself. All you need to do is to
defeat yourself," Veronique Messina, a French runner, told the Telegraph.