Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Candidates and the Marathon
BLUE STATES FOR BUSH ^ | October 15,2004 | John Ruberry

Posted on 10/05/2004 1:02:43 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776

One of the more tired metaphors used in political writing is "the presidential race is a marathon, not a sprint." Well, with a little more than a month before election day, it's pretty much a sprint now. But back to the marathon, in this case the non-metaphorical type. Blues States for Bush's webmaster, John Ruberry, also known as "me," will run the Chicago Marathon on October 10th.

Naturally, during my morning marathon training runs, I've thought of items to post on this blog, so it's only logical (to me at least) that I write about marathon experiences of the two major party presidential candidates.

In 1993, George W. Bush, who was then Managing General Partner of the Texas Rangers, ran a pretty quick 3:44:52 in the Houston Marathon averaging about 8:35 minutes per mile. Bush is believed to be the first president to run a marathon, although had Al Gore prevailed in 2000, it would have been his honor of being the first marathoner-president, since then-Vice President Gore completed Marine Corps Marathon in 1997 in a slower time of 4:54:26 good enough for 8260th place, which translates to an average of about 11:25 minutes per mile.

Let's be easy on Al: Anyone who completes a marathon is deserves respect, no matter the time.

I know a lot of marathon runners, and if you ask any marathoner what their goal is, and they'll answer "to qualify and run the Boston Marathon." Boston is of course Senator John Kerry's hometown.

Around the time of the Democratic National Conventions, I came across this ESPN.com article where Senator Kerry said he "Did the Boston Marathon." He thought it was in 1980. That got me curious.

I couldn't find anything solid on the Internet--despite using different search engines--regarding Kerry's Boston run..

(Excerpt) Read more at bluestatesforbush.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 10/05/2004 1:02:43 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: AmericanMade1776

The male Rosie Ruiz.


2 posted on 10/05/2004 1:04:28 PM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AmericanMade1776

Kerry, who can talk knowledgeably on everything from monetary policy to missile throw-weights, chooses a little more pedestrian issues for McCoy. "I hear you just ran the San Diego marathon," Kerry says. "What was your time?"


"4:16," McCoy says.


"That's great, great," Kerry says. "I remember my first Boston Marathon ... it's a great run. You've got to come to Boston and do it."


"I gotta qualify," McCoy says with a laugh.


"If you want to come and do it, I can get you a number if you want to run this year," Kerry says.


"Fan-tas-tic!" McCoy says. "That is dynamite."


"I mean, seriously, tell me serious if you want to do it," Kerry says. "'Cause I'll get you one."

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/simon031303.asp


3 posted on 10/05/2004 1:05:43 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776 ((John Kerry is now in full retreat))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AmericanMade1776

Kerry running the Boston Maraton as an official runner shows just how much priveledge he thinks he has. He does not have to pay (let others pay), he does not have to follow the rules (others follow rules), and he degrades the efforts of those who followed procedures.


4 posted on 10/05/2004 1:08:00 PM PDT by pikachu (The REAL script)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pikachu

I came across another article, where he got someone a number in the Boston Marathon, a senator, I believe, while he was having prostrate cancer, so it was recent.


5 posted on 10/05/2004 1:10:14 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776 ((John Kerry is now in full retreat))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: pikachu

Here is the article:

"State Sen. Matt McCoy took time off from the Iowa Legislature this year to run in the Boston Marathon and attend business meetings in Denver that were extended by a March blizzard.

"(Presidential candidate) John Kerry invited me to run in the Boston Marathon and I did that," said McCoy, 37, a Des Moines Democrat. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

McCoy's 18 absences, however, caused him to miss 104 of the 344 votes taken by the Iowa Senate this year. He was the most absent lawmaker of the 2003 regular session, according to a Des Moines Register analysis of House and Senate journals.
"
http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4780934/21363224.html


6 posted on 10/05/2004 1:13:36 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776 ((John Kerry is now in full retreat))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: AmericanMade1776

Kerry, by the way, didn't actually run the marathon with McCoy. The Massachusetts senator underwent prostate surgery earlier this year. However, he did help McCoy get in the race.


7 posted on 10/05/2004 1:15:18 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776 ((John Kerry is now in full retreat))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: AmericanMade1776
From the article:

I couldn't find anything solid on the Internet--despite using different search engines--regarding Kerry's Boston run, just a couple of offhand references by the senator. For instance, In 2002, Kerry mentioned his running the Boston Marathon twenty years ago as he fired the starters pistol for 106th running of the annual classic

And there was this: "I remember my first Boston Marathon ... it's a great run, he told Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy last year.

That's it.

Since Kerry's run took place in the pre-Internet era, I finally figured I wasn't going to find much online, so earlier this week I called the Boston Athletic Association--organizers of the Boston Marathon since it's inception in 1897--and spoke with their media contact, Jack Fleming. who said that after the ESPN.com article was posted, they got a lot of calls about Kerry and the Boston Marathon.

Jack was very friendly to this blogger when we spoke on the telephone, (Memo-gate has given our ilk a bit of respect) he told me according to Kerry's aides, the senator was an unofficial entrant who, again--according to those aide--Jack emphasized, ran in "the late 1970s, or perhaps, 1980." Oddly enough, 1980 was the year of the infamous " Rosie Ruiz Ruse."

But that's the story for another blog, by another blogger...

An "unofficial entrant"? Say what? Like they'll let anyone on the course who just shows up. This guy Kerry is a real piece of work...

8 posted on 10/05/2004 1:16:13 PM PDT by macbee ("Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napoleon Bonaparte)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AmericanMade1776

Greetings, fellow Freepers, lurkers, Patriots, and all USA-loving folks!

This is the new media speaking, and we are growing faster than a pond full of guppies. The old media is dead—they just don’t know it yet. But they are starting to sense it, and are panicking.

The genie is out of the bottle. The internet now has hundreds of millions of fact-checkers, lie detectors, and cool brainiacs in their pajamas, laughing our butts off at the lame attempts of the “journalism majors” on TV to spin things their way.

The media wing of the democrat party is dying. CBS, ABC, NBC, all except FOX are tanking in their ratings, losing money, and dying a slow, welcome death.

Who broke the Dan Rather phony document story? One of our braniacs here, in pajamas, Buckhead. The “th” heard round-the-world ignited blew Dan out of the water in a couple of hours.

For those of you new here, this is not uncommon. Free Republic has over 100,000 registered users, and a whole lot more than that come here every day. We have scientists, brilliant PhD’s, gun owners, good-ole-small business owners, Capitalists, meat-eaters, and some of the most brilliant in the media. Yes, they lurk here, too. They know that Free Republic breaks stories faster, and more accurately, than any site, or any media, in the world.

Thanks to Jim Robinson, the founder. He was sick of the Clinton lies and crimes, and did something about it. He started this site. At first it barely survived, and Jim put his money where his mouth is. He almost lost his house. Some of us early folks here remember mailing checks in, to keep it running. We knew how important this place is, and now the world knows.

Feel like throwing a brick through your TV every time you watch CNN? Do something about it. Don’t just lurk, jump in with us. Become part of history, and tell your grandkids you were one of the early supporters. Yes, this is early. Very early. Believe it or not, this site is only 6 years old. When you look back in 20 years, you will be proud to have been a part of the founding.

Please join us, and contribute. Do it by credit card. Become a monthly donor—just send $3 a month. That’s all it takes. Think your $3 a month won’t make a difference? You are wrong. It makes all the difference in the world. Just like this site. And when you see your name on the monthly donor list, you will feel so proud! It’s amazing how it lifts you up, to know that you are making a difference.

I know that for some of you, even that small amount hurts. I’ve been there, believe me. But when you see that line item in your credit card bill every month, you will smile from ear-to-ear, and know that you are actually making a difference in this screwed-up world.

Come on in, and join us, and let’s change the world!


9 posted on 10/05/2004 1:21:24 PM PDT by MonroeDNA (Kerry is a traitor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AmericanMade1776

So, I have to bust my butt training to run a 3:10 marathon in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon, but Kerry just gets people in with no qualification, and he himself just walks on "unofficially", without paying, whenever he wants???


10 posted on 10/05/2004 1:30:03 PM PDT by NMR Guy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AmericanMade1776

"That's great, great," Kerry says. "I remember my first Boston Marathon ... it's a great run."

Key word, in my opinion is "first". It implies multiples. I smell a BS'er.


11 posted on 10/05/2004 1:37:15 PM PDT by sbelew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NMR Guy

errrrr...I am afraid so.


12 posted on 10/05/2004 1:44:40 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776 ((John Kerry is now in full retreat))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: NMR Guy
IMUS: Senator Kerry says he ran the Boston Marathon in the ‘70s, but he can’t recall his time and there’s no record of it. And my question is, a guy runs one marathon in his life and he can’t remember the time, and I was talking to my sportswriter friend Mike Lupica and he said, “Are we looking at a Boston Marathon Veterans for Truth ad situation here?”

Maybe it is time for a Boston Marathon Runners for Truth AD here.

13 posted on 10/05/2004 1:46:05 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776 ((John Kerry is now in full retreat))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson