Running for President

Which of the presidential candidates is fittest? Judging by the White House's current occupant, an impressive athletic resume shouldn't exactly be a deciding factor. Still, I can't stand when people like NYT's Gail Collins writes op-ed articles that equate pursuing exercise to wasting time. Anyway, of the current crop of contenders, the most accomplished Republican runner appears to be Mike Huckabee, who turned to running after becoming utterly gargantuan and diabetic. He has three marathons under his belt and is oddly enough planning to run Boston in April. (I can't imagine running for president and training for a marathon at the same time.) The other Republicans are a sorry lot. Giuliani spent his time in NY hurtling through the city in an SUV, not pounding out miles. Romney probably plays squash. McCain has too many injuries from being in a cage for years, so I'll give him a pass. Fred Thompson seems to have a very low resting heart rate, but not from running. Ron Paul's strange enough to be an ultra guy. For the Democrats, John Edwards is by far the most Pre-like. He's a longtime runner and self-described 'addict" who has done five marathons, including one in the respectable neighborhood of 3:30. Probably something about keeping the hair looking nice. I would think Obama would be a runner because of his lanky physique. It turns out he's a smoker. Hillary takes walks. Richardson doesn't look like he's doing many miles.

It might do some good for Transatlantic relations if we do have a runner in the White House. French president Nicholas Sarkozy is fond of going for runs, and so too is Italian prime minister Romano Prodi.

5 miles, 36:40