Noun:

1. any long and arduous undertaking

2. a footrace of 26 miles 385 yards

3. a battle in 490 BC in which the Athenians and their allies defeated the Persians

racen.赛跑；竞争n.人种；种族；血统v.赛跑；竞赛

contestn.竞赛；比赛vt.驳斥；争取vi.奋斗

relayvt.转播；转达；中继；接力；接替n.继电器；接力赛；替班

lengthyadj.冗长的；漫长的

epicn.史诗；叙事诗adj.史诗的；叙事诗的；宏大的；壮丽的

long-drawn-outadj.持续很久的；拖长的

long-windedadj.气长的，不易气短的；罗嗦的，冗长的

gruellingadj.繁重而累人的

gruelingadj.折磨人的；令人精疲力竭的=gruelling（英）.

difficultadj.困难的；艰难的；(人)难对付的；不易相处的

1. It takes stamina to run a marathon.
   跑马拉松要有耐力。
2. He can hardly run a mile, much less the marathon.
   他连一哩都跑不了，更不用说马拉松了。
3. Towards the end of the marathon several runners showed signs of distress.
   马拉松赛接近终点时，有些参赛者显出极难受的样子。
4. My job interview was a real marathon.
   我那次求职面试简直是马拉松式的长谈。