Every Saturday morning, at 9 am, more than 50,000 runners set off to run 5km around their local park.
每周六上午九点，五万多名跑步者在他们附近的公园跑五公里。
The Parkrun phenomenon began with a dozen friends and has inspired 400 events in the UK and more abroad.
“Parkrun”这一现象最初由十几个朋友发起，如今在英国却已引发四百个类似活动，在国外就更多了。
Events are free, staffed by thousands of volunteers.
活动是免费的，还招募了大量的自愿者。
Runners range from four years old to grandparents;
跑步者从四岁到祖父母辈都有，
their times range from Andrew Baddeley's world record 13 minutes 48 seconds up to an hour.
他们的用时区间从安德鲁·巴德利创造的世界记录13分钟48秒到一个小时不等。
Parkrun is succeeding where London's Olympic "legacy" is failing.
“Parkrun”在伦敦奥运会“遗产”失败之处取得了成效。
Ten years ago on Monday, it was announced that the Games of the 30th Olympiad would be in London.
十年前的一个周一宣布，第三十届奥林匹克运动会将在伦敦举行。
Planning documents pledged that the great legacy of the Games would be to level a nation of sport lovers away from their couches.
计划文件承诺、奥运会的伟大遗产将会让一个国家的体育爱好者离开他们的沙发。
The population would be fitter, healthier and produce more winners. It has not happened.
人们将身材更好、更键康，并将产生越来越多的冠军，但是这些并未发生。
The number of adults doing weekly sport did rise, by nearly 2 million in the run—up to 2012—but the general population was growing faster.
每周锻炼身体的成年人数量的确在2012年前增加了将近两百万，但总人口增长速度更快。
Worse, the numbers are now falling at an accelerating rate.
更槽糕的是，这个数字现在正在加速下降。
The opposition claims primary school pupils doing at least two hours of sport a week have nearly halved.
反对者声称，每周至少进行两小时体育运动的小学生减少了近一半。
Obesity has risen among adults and children.
肥胖的成人和儿童人数在增加。
Official retrospections continue as to why London 2012 failed to "inspire a generation."
官方仍在反思为什么2012年伦敦奥运会未能“激励一代人”。
The success of Parkrun offers answers.
“Parkrun”的成功给出了答案。
Parkrun is not a race but a time trial: Your only competitor is the clock.
“Parkrun”不是竞赛、而是计时赛：你唯一的竞争对手是时间。
The ethos welcomes anybody.
其精神在于欢迎任何人。
There is as much joy over a puffed-out first-timer being clapped over the line as there is about top talent shining.
气喘吁吁的初次参与者在冲线时会得到人们的掌声喝彩，由此产生的快乐堪比最有天赋的新星的表现。
The Olympic bidders, by contrast, wanted to get more people doing sports and to produce more elite athletes.
相比之下，奥运会申办者则希望让更多的人参与体育运动并产生更多的精英运动员
The dual aim was mixed up: The stress on success over taking part was intimidating for newcomers.
双重目标混为一谈：成功而并非参与的压力会让初次参与者望而生畏。
Indeed, there is something a little absurd in the state getting involved in the planning of such a fundamentally "grassroots", concept as community sports associations.
实际上，国家把这样一个基本的“草根”概念作为社区体育协会来参与规划是有些荒唐的。
If there is a role for government, it should really be getting involved in providing common goods:
如果政府要发挥作用，它应该真正参与到公共设施的建设之中：
making sure there is space for playing fields and the money to pave tennis and netball courts, and encouraging the provision of all these activities in schools.
确保有运动场地的空间，有资金用于建设网球和篮网球场地，并支持学校开展所有这些体育活动。
But successive governments have presided over selling green spaces,
但是历届政府都卖过绿地，
squeezing money from local authorities and declining attention on sport in education.
从地方政府压榨资金并不断减少对体育教育的关注。
Instead of wordy, worthy strategies, future governments need to do more to provide the conditions for sport to thrive.
除了口头和相应的战略内容，未来政府需要作出更多的行动来创造条件，使得体育运动蓬勃发展。
Or at least not make them worse.
或者至少不让情况更加糟糕。
