北京精诚文化学校接到北京奥组委的一项任务——境外媒体的参观和采访，精诚学校是一所民办校，该校所建的中国首家奥林匹克教育博物馆是其一大特色和亮点，精诚奥林匹克教育博物馆由奥运之旅文化长廊、奥运火炬广场、奥运图片核心展览区、奥运教育书店、奥运教育实物展陈室五部分组成。我作为一名精诚双语小记者，有幸被选上参加这次境外媒体的参观和采访的培训。我负责的板块是马拉松项目，要求用英文讲解。我在奥运官方网上查到一些资料，做成了英文的解说词，并通过了老师的修改和认可，接下来就是要好好背下来了。虽说这次采访不知会不会到来，也不知会在哪一天，但我们都要认真对待，好好准备，这是一次锻炼自己、展示自己的机会。   

Dorando Pietri 

Participation comes first.

To join is more important than to win.

Dorando Pietri attended the marathon of the 1908 London Olympics . When he appeared at the entrance to the track, the crowd cheered him vigourously. The effort took its toll and with only two kilometres to go, Pietri began to feel the effects of extreme fatigue. When he entered the stadium, he took the wrong path and when umpires redirected him, he fell down for the first time. He got up with their help, in front of 75,000 spectators. Officials directed him in the right direction, but he collapsed. Helped to his feet, he collapsed again…and again and again. Finally another runner, John Hayes of the United States, ran into the stadium. The officials lifted up Dorando and helped him across the finish line. He was disqualified for receiving outside aid, but his plucky effort touched Pennsylvanian Archbishop Peter who first proposed ‘ In Olympic Games, to join is more important than to win’. The sentence was revised by Pierre De Coubertin into the current famous saying ‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to participate.’

Abebe BIKILA

The Barefoot Marathoner

Abebe Bikila was born in Ethiopia on 7 August 1932, the day of the Los Angeles Olympic marathon. Twenty-eight years later, he entered the marathon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Bikila successfully pulled away from other athletes and won. When the reporters went to interview him, they found that Bikila had run barefoot . Though no one had ever won the marathon twice, Bikila returned to the Olympics in 1964. This time he ran with shoes and socks. Bikila won again. His time, 2 hours 12 minutes 11.2 seconds, was a world best for the marathon.

John Stephen Akhwari

the greatest last place finish ever

John Stephen Akhwari entered the marathon at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.Out of the cold darkness he came. John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania entered at the far end of the stadium, pain hobbling his every step, his leg bloody and bandaged. The winner of the marathon had been declared over an hour earlier. Only a few spectators remained. But the lone runner pressed on.As he crossed the finish line, the small crowd roared out its appreciation. Afterward, a reporter asked the runner why he had not retired from the race, since he had no chance of winning. He seemed confused by the question. Finally, he answered:"My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish."