For just a few hours every year, a stretch of sand on the Irish coast transforms for perhaps the most unique event on the horse racing calendar.

每年都有那么几个小时，爱尔兰海岸的沙滩都会因为一场独特的赛马比赛而变得截然不同，

Laytown Races -- 26 miles from the country’s capital Dublin -- is the only official beach race in Europe.

莱敦沙滩赛距离爱尔兰首都都柏林26英里，莱敦沙滩赛马是欧洲唯一的官方沙滩赛马。

The 150-year-old tradition attracts more than 5000 regular visitors every year and, apart from the obvious difference, it’s like any other race meeting.

这个有着150年历史的传统赛马项目每年都能吸引来5000多名游客，除了场地有点独特以外，它和其它的赛马没什么区别。

It will be run under the same rules as the Gold Cup or Cheltenham, Joseph Collins, Chairman of Laytown Races, told CNN.

莱敦赛马节主席约瑟夫.柯林斯告诉CNN：“它的规则和金杯或切尔滕纳姆赛马节的规则完全相同。”

Organizers are in a race against time to set up the spectacle, battling against the tide to build the track and enclosures on the sand.

组织者们正抓紧时间建造场地，不顾潮水带来的阻碍，在沙滩上修建跑道和围栏。

Spectators then pack into a makeshift "grandstand," made up of steps cut into an elevated sand dune, to enjoy the historic event.

个人工搭建的一级级台阶引向高高的沙丘最终会形成一个临时搭建的“正面看台”，到时候观众会在那里欣赏这历史性的时刻。

The first recorded meeting was in 1868 and was initially in conjunction with the Boyne Regatta. It’s thought that the rowing competition was held at high-tide and the racing at low-tide.

首次有记载的沙滩赛马赛是在1868年，它最初与博因赛船会一起举行。人们推测赛艇比赛在涨潮时举行，而赛马在退潮时举行。

（来源：爱语吧）