“Go to crazy places — you’ll meet crazy people,” says the ever-smiling Italian Dino Bonelli, one of my tent companions and running partners. He’s talking about me, himself and the other 75 or so competitors. The place in question is somewhere in the middle of the desert in Oman. We’re halfway through a six-day race from the village of Bidiyah to the Arabian Sea: 165km (102 miles) across soft sand in heat close to 40C and carrying all our provisions on our backs. It’s hard to deny that it’s a little crazy.
“疯狂的地方——就能碰到疯狂的人。”始终面带笑容的意大利人迪诺•博内利(Dino Bonelli)说。他是我的帐蓬宿友与长跑搭档。他指的“疯子”是我与他以及其他约75名参赛者,所说的“疯狂地方”就是位于阿曼沙漠腹地。从Bidiyah村到阿拉伯海(Arabian Sea)总共6天、全程为165公里(约102英里)的赛程,我们已跑完了一半,而且是在背负所有个人物资、在近40摄氏度的高温下穿越松软的沙漠。不能否认,这实属疯狂。