Bush, Kerry the latest to 'run' for president (But did Kerry really run the Boston Marathon?)

Philly Burbs.com ^ | September 30, 2004 | Wayne Fish

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

Not a day goes by when you don't think about running, right?

How many pass this fall when the all-out media blitz doesn't lodge the presidential race in your frontal lobe?

So why then were we a little surprised when the latest issue of Runner's World magazine hit the mailbox with Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards on the cover.

There was an informative Edwards profile/interview inside, but the article which caught my eye was headlined "Capitol Gains: Why Runner-Politicians are Better at Running the Country.''

That's news to me.

It turns out that both presidential candidates, President Bush and Democrat John Kerry, are runners.

Each has run a marathon. Bush had a treadmill installed on Air Force One. Kerry spent $8,000 on a Serotta race bike (triathlon, perhaps?).

But does this sort of avid physical fitness behavior make for better leaders?

According to the article, yes.

The magazine contends that all our national leaders, including the 75 members of Congress who consider themselves runners, benefit from the sport by having better drive and focus than their non-exercising counterparts.

As we know, leading a country can be a stressful job. Most runners have found running to be a great stress manager. After a good, hard, long workout, we're thinking a little more clearly ... or ready to take a nap, whichever comes first.

Carter Eskew, a consultant for the Democrats, claims that the brief break (often midday) running allows from the daily grind can result in better judgment and decision making.

"It allows them to step out of that [stressful environment] and into something more contemplative and reflective,'' Eskew told the magazine.

Isn't that what a lot of us common folk derive from running, too?

With the exception of Ronald Reagan, every president since the mid-'70s has been a runner. George W. ran a 3:44 marathon at Houston a decade ago. Kerry says he completed a Boston in the '70s but forgets his time (Question: Did he forget his qualifying time, too, or didn't he have to qualify?).

Even 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore finished a marathon once.

But it's Eskew's belief that George W., who was running six times a week during the 2000 campaign, did a better job of holding his weight down while Gore couldn't find time to run and puffed up.

Hanging chads or 20-pound weight gain? You be the judge.

Anyhow, just about any way you cut it, running can be good for a politician's career. Even if Bill Clinton did finish his daily run at McDonald's, it still sent out a positive message.

"The very act [of running] is one of determination,'' Democratic National Committee communications director Jano Cabrera told Runner's World. "That's a quality you look for in a leader. Running says that person is focused on an objective and has discipline, both physically and mentally, to get it done.''

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

The print edition of the November Runners World has this interesting nugget (the online Runners World hasn't posted this article yet).

"Though Kerry recently was spotted buying running shorts, he's usually engaged in other sports--lots of them. This indicates vitality, open-mindedness, versatility, and enough confidence to be photographed in wetsuits and cycling shorts."

(But)" His dabbling shows he can be indecisive, and his custom Serotta bike, which reportedly cost $8,000 doesn't exactly fit his populist pitch. Even some Democrats may wish his biggest running achievement--the Boston Marathon--was backed up by some solid documentation. "

[hyperpoly8]

I'd give a lot to see Sen. Kennedy and Rep. Nadler in a 100 yard dash (well dash may be too strong a word).

[rdcorso]

Kerry's chicken legs and bird chest aren't strong enough to carry the load.If the pressure becomes too much he will fold like an accordian.He looks like he could fall out of his ass if he strains too hard taking a dump.Well maybe his big bowling ball head might get stuck depending on how big his boyfriend is.

[kabar]

It should be fairly easy to check and see if Kerry actually did run in the Boston Marathon. The results should be available if he finished and he had to register for the race. I don't know if Boston had qualifying times for entry during the 1970s. As a marathoner myself (only 5), I remember my times in all of them. I suspect that Kerry never ran in the Boston Marathon, or at least didn't complete it.

[uncbob]

says he completed a Boston in the '70s but forgets his time (Question: Did he forget his qualifying time, too, or didn't he have to qualify?).

And no record can be found verifying his claim

[kabar]

Just checked the Boston Marathon site and found the following in terms of qualifying standards:

Monday, April 20, 1970

Qualifying standards were introduced. The official B.A.A. entry form stated, "A runner must submit the certification...that he has trained sufficiently to finish the course in less than four hours…"

[speekinout]

I know people who entered marathons, but didn't complete them. They for sure remember every detail of how long they ran, where they quit, and why they quit.
Not finishing seems to be more memorable than finishing.

We know he never ran a marathon, don't we?

[singfreedom]

Isn't it unusual for a marathoner to forget his finish time? My brother was a marathoner and he remembered his finish time from every marathon he ever ran.

[kabar]

YEAR ENTRANTS

1970 1,174
1971 1,067
1972 1,219
1973 1,574
1974 1,951
1975 2,395
1976 2,188
1977 3,040
1978 4,764
1979 7,927

[dennisw]

Back in the 1970s many ran the Boston Marathon without registering. But if he ran it legitimately, then his time and entry was recorded and archived.

IIRC: To run it unofficially you wait for the initial crowd of serious runners and registered runners to make their start. Then you go.

[kabar]

I agree. You just don't forget your times or the dates, especially your first one.

[dennisw]

Monday, April 20, 1970

Qualifying standards were introduced. The official B.A.A. entry form stated, "A runner must submit the certification...that he has trained sufficiently to finish the course in less than four hours…"

That's for the serious registered runners. The 26 mile course of the Boston Marathon is kept clear of traffic for about 6-7 hours. Some run-walk the marathon in that time. You would be surprised

[kabar]

I would never run a marathon unofficially. I still have my numbers, medals, etc showing I participated and finished.

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

In the mid 1970s, the qualifying time for men (you have to qualify to run in the Boston Marathon in another marathon) was 3 hours--the per-mile pace is slightly less that 7 minutes per mile....for a 26.2 mile race. Around 1980, the BAA, which organizes that race cut that to 2 hours 50 minutes, about 6 minutes and thirty seconds per mile.

Found this in my Boston Marathon book by Tom Derderian.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" Kerry says he completed a Boston in the '70s but forgets his time "

I'm a runner and not only does this not pass the smell test, it's a further indication of Kerry's ongoing and probably untreated , mental pathology .
Anyone who runs a marathon, especially a big one like the Boston or NYC, will remember their time- for ever.
Especially if you only run it once.
This is like a golfer playing a dream round at St Andrews in Scotland and then saying they can't remember their score.

How much evidence does it take before people other than bloggers and Freepers,
will acknowledge that Kerry has major psychological problems which render him unfit to be anywhere near the Oval Office ?
Or is it that to be a Democrat nominee for president, one of the prerequisites is that you be a psychopath ?

[kabar]

I never did Boston, but I ran the Berlin Marathon four times and they shut much of city down there as well. They were held on a Sunday morning so traffic was not too bad. My best time was 3 hours 33 minutes and I was 43 years old at the time.

Boston had over 20,000 runners this year. Berlin had over 35,000 runners this year with 28,000 plus finishing.

[kabar]

The qualifying times also vary by age. Three hours would be for the elite or younger crowd. I believe the Masters qualifying was 3:30

[kabar]

Maybe Kerry is confused. He meant to say that he ran the PHNOM PENH Marathon. They hold it on XMAS Eve.

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

These days, you start getting breaks after age 35. Not sure what the situation was then. Kerry was turned 35 in 1979. Now you get only an extra five minutes of cushion when you turn 35.

[VadeRetro]

Isn't it unusual for a marathoner to forget his finish time?

It is if you only ran one. I ran in Honolulu on Dec. 7 (Pearl Harbor Day) 1980. Time: 4:05:15. Place: 2929th. Still have the t-shirt, retired from wear because about one more wash and it falls to pieces.