VOA常速英语2008年-Los Angeles Marathoner Celebrates 90th Birthday

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
03 March 2008

Among the 25,000 people who ran in Sunday's Los Angeles Marathon, runner Julian Myers joined in the race for five kilometers. Mike O'Sullivan reports, it was part a bigger marathon to mark his 90th birthday.

Julian Myers had a long career as a Hollywood publicist, working with stars including Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck and Dennis Weaver¹. Now retired², he devotes a big part of each day to running, and decided³ with his wife Patsy to celebrate his 90th birthday by running 90 miles, or 145 kilometers, from San Diego to Los Angeles.

"Part of that is dangerous highways," explained Myers. "So Patsy wisely said, run your 90 miles, but run it anywhere you want in San Diego, or Orange County or Los Angeles. So we saw many of the beauty spots.

He started February 22 at the Hotel Del Coronado, a resort near San Diego that he first visited as a youngster 85 years ago. Along the way, Myers and his friends ran on scenic⁴ beaches.

He finished by joining a five-kilometer leg of the Los Angeles Marathon Sunday. Myers intended to invite 90 of his closest friends to celebrate afterwards, but ended up inviting⁵ 390.

He told them the secret of staying healthy is having a goal.

"The main thing is to find something that will take you to at least 100 to achieve, preferably of some social or civic⁶ value," Myers said.

Myers says his friends have always been important, and his goal is promoting a holiday he created called Amigo Day. It comes from the Spanish word for "friend," and he says the idea is to greet anyone in a friendly way. He suggests you do it the first Sunday of each month, but says the idea is really to make new friends any time.

"And then you supplement that by every morning, for one hour going outdoors and do something physical," he said.

Myers spends at least one hour each day running. He says that staying active and surrounding yourself with friends keeps you from noticing the aches and pains of aging.

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

5 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

6 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。