1 . Last year, I raced the Acura Ten Miler in Toronto. With 1-2 miles left, I noticed a female runner ahead of me who was weaving (穿行) in and out of a group of people, looking pale. Realizing something was wrong, I found a police officer and told him about it, and waited until she was close enough that I could point her out. He immediately called for an ambulance. I ran off and wondered how many people passed me, but I knew I did the right thing.

This Saturday, I raced the Canada Day 5K in Burlington. I’ve raced the course many times. My friend Monica and I went together with a goal to run competitively. I wanted to finish faster than I did in June, when my 5K time was 21:57. I felt it realistic to beat that time.

When the starting gun sounded, I went out fast and happened to run shoulder to shoulder with Monica’s daughter, but I soon pulled ahead. Shortly after, though, I heard “Please help me” from behind. Monica’s daughter is athletic, but she’s learning to run faster with her asthma (哮喘). Knowing that she had trouble, I stopped.

We finished the last 2K together. It troubled me when some runners passed me, and I had to stop to walk with her for a bit. But I thought making sure she was okay was more important, so I talked to her through the rest of the race. We finished together and cheered for her mom as she crossed the finishing line.

At last, my time was a bit longer than I wanted, but I was okay with that. If I had based my time on my age group’s winning time, I would have met my goal time. But I thought I made the right decision to help this girl get to the finishing line safely. For me, that was what mattered on Sunday morning. There will always be another race.

2 . Youth Speech Competition

UNICEF is working towards a world where every child has what they need to survive and develop. But we can’t do it without big ideas from young people — young people who are brave enough to share their brilliant ideas with the world. UNICEF USA and TED-Ed invite young people to create their own talks on the rights of children and the problems young people face around the world.

One winner will be invited to UNICEF USA’s Annual Student Summit to make his/her speech on stage!

Youths aged 10-18 (if you are under 13, you must have a parent or teacher to help you register (报名)).

Must register online.

Your video must be under 2 minutes.

Winners will be announced on February 4, 2023.

One winner will be invited to make his/her speech on stage on UNICEF USA’s Annual Student Summit in Washington, D. C. on March 16-17, 2023!

UNICEF USA will pay for all travel expenses (flights and hotels). The student will be responsible for personal meals and personal expenses. If you are under the age of 18, you will need to travel with a responsible adult chaperone (监护人). UNICEF USA will pay for the chaperone’s travel expenses as well.

Create an account (账户) using this link: ed.ted.com/unicefusa.

Once your account has been created, return to the TED-Ed Student Talks page and register!

Once you’ve handed in your registration, allow 2-3 days for processing.

Once you’ve recorded your talk, upload it using the “Upload” tab in your Resource Library on the TED-Ed website.

Teamwork is an important part of the health and fitness program at Spirit Club, where most of the participants have disabilities.

Jared Ciner created the program two years ago, “Our main focus is the same thing as any other gym’s, which is to help people be active and healthy, but the difference is that we do change a little bit to make sure that it is right pace for the people we are working with, so that everybody can follow along.”

Ciner used to work as a director for a local organization aimed at helping people with disabilities and as apart-time personal trainer at gyms. “I noticed that many of the people who I was working with who had disabilities did not exercise, struggled with weight problems, and were looking for more physical methods and more social ways,” he said.

His volunteer experience in Ethiopia working with children from very poor families helped him understand the influence of organized physical activity, too. “That helped me realize how much organized physical activity can help people connect to each other and increase people’s self-esteem (自尊),” Ciner said.

Classes at Spirit Club are interactive, and students can come with parents. They participate in partnered workouts and learn balance, strength, speed and agility (灵活性). They are also encouraged to eat right.

Alan Bradshaw, who is mentally disabled, has been coming to classes for two years. “He recently lost 21 pounds,” said his mother. “He is more outgoing. When he first started, he couldn’t sit on the floor, get down on the floor. He is doing that now. Great changes have happened to him and it is an important step forward for him. He likes the gym because he can make friends easily and exercise at the same time,” she said.

5 . When Vance Hinds learned of comedian Bert Kreischer’s no-wine October challenge last year, he felt inspired. Hinds decided to prove to himself that he could also achieve something _________ he tried his best. In early 2019, he _________ it.

The Georgia native began his weight loss journey weighing in at 475 pounds. To make sure he stayed on_________, he recorded the weekly weigh-ins and _________ his progress on Youtube. While his aim was admirable, one of the most special aspects came from his friends’ consistent _________.

From the very beginning of his decision to change his life, Hinds’ friends willingly _________ him for a walk around the park. As the weeks went by, not only did he _________ strength, his walking group grew as well. After a while, he was _________ to walk around the park once without stopping. It’s a milestone, and he _________ recorded it on video with his supporters __________ behind him.

Day after day, Hinds made his __________ a priority (优先考虑的事), completing some form of exercise six times a week. Not long after __________ to lose pounds, he received a tweet from a fitness instructor and motivational speaker, Diamond Dallas Page. He __________ to help him take his progress to the next level.

With Page’s help, Hinds __________ to lose weight every single week. The pounds __________ and as 2019 began approaching, he became closer and closer to __________ his goal.

When he weighed himself one year after beginning his challenge, he felt really __________. The number on the scale (秤) read 277 pounds. He had lost __________ 200 pounds in one year, gained significantly more __________, and kept his spirits high.

Hinds’ excitement and __________ attitude are obviously a heartwarming reminder that all you need to realize a goal is a healthy mentality and continuous efforts.

6 . Four Fun Runs Even Non-Runners Will Enjoy

Even people who swear they hate running will manage to enjoy these races that somehow make the sport fun.

Hot Chocolate 5K

Do you want a steaming cup of cocoa and lots of chocolate on a cold morning run?At the Hot Chocolate 5K series those are exactly what await you at the finish line.There are prizes given to the top three male and female finishers,but casual participation is encouraged.The events are scheduled in the cooler months in major cities around the country.

The Color Run

The Color Run，also known as the Happiest 5K on the Planet, is an event where runners wear white clothes and are painted from head to toe in different colors at each kilometer, crossing the finish line in a variety of colors.The runners are not be timed, which removes runners’ pressure of keeping a specific pace or worrying about the placing.

Disney Running Series

Why not combine a trip to the happiest place on earth with a little exercise?Run Disney offers a number of half-marathon and marathon weekend packages, many of which also feature the more accessible 5K distance.On Disneyland’s Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend, Friday features a Spiderman-themed 5K, while the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend runs a family-friendly 5K through Epcot.

Running with the Balloons

This cross-country 3.1-mile race in Reddington Township, New Jersey, aims to create a new challenge.But，the highlight is the launch of more than 100 hot air balloons during the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America. The motivation? The top male finisher and the top female finisher will each win a free ride in a hot air balloon!

7 . The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.

Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "

For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.

A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.

These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.

"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.

8 . Standing at the finish line, 70-year-old Bob Long spent a while reflecting on the achievement he’d just made. Behind him was the wild, endless Mongolian grassland extending into the distance. This American had just become the oldest person ever to complete and win the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest horse race.

Long, a rider all his life, entered the race after being inspired by All the Wild Horses, a movie based on the grueling event.

Fearing that he wouldn’t be able to complete it, he set about preparing his mind and body for this “hardest, toughest, most demanding thing you can do on a horse”, an annual 1,000-kilometer race that was recognized as the world’s longest horse race by The Guinness Book of Records in 2011.

Although Long had been riding horses for many years, the hardship and uncertainty of the task pushed him to his limit and forced him to depend entirely on his own will. The race organizers had provided an extensive support network to keep an eye on the participants from afar. Despite that, the physical strain of riding such a long distance made simple things like squatting (蹲) down at the end of the day almost impossible.

Along the vast race course there were unpredictable circumstances beyond Long’s control, however well prepared he’d been. Weather was one of them, which could switch from heavy rain to burning sun unexpectedly.

Above all else, the biggest obstacle was the state of mind. Without a living soul in sight, Long was desperate for interaction, guidance, and comfort. This feeling of loneliness accounted for his hope that one of his fellow competitors would catch up.

Regardless of the hardship, Long felt a sort of spiritual adventure while traveling through the wilderness. He was provided with some memorable moments while connecting with nature. Still holding the passion for riding, Long never dismisses the idea of competing in another Mongol Derby.