Issue date: July 30, 2000

In this article: Bush's regimen Gore's regimen Why do they do it? Also this week: Interview: George W. Bush Interview: Al Gore

By Tedd Mitchell, M.D.

As the political conventions begin: A fitness comparison
	GORE	BUSH
Age	52	54
Height, weight	6 feet, 1 inch; 195 pounds	6 feet; 192 pounds
Resting BP	110/68	104/80
Exercise of choice	Running, since 1980	Running, since 1972
Pace	9 min./mile	7 min/mile
Miles per week	Up to 36 (4-6 miles a run, 5-6 runs a week)	Up to 24 (3-4 miles a run, 6 runs a week)
Time in 26.2-mile marathon	4 hours, 58 minutes, in 1997	3 hours, 44 minutes, in 1993
Stretching	Some, mainly for back	Some, mainly for legs
Strength training	Does push-ups; lifts dimbbells(he even takes them on the road)	University of Texas gym early on weekends
Disliked exercise	Stationary cycle	Pull-ups
College sport	Basketball	Rugby, baseball
Injuries	Ruptured Achilles tendon in 1994 while playing basketball	Ligament injury to left knee required surgery in 1997
USA WEEKEND's fitness expert, Dr. Tedd Mitchell of the famous Cooper Clinic in Dallas, worked out recently with George W. Bush an dAl Gore. His Rx for both men: Continue strength training and flexibility exercises for aging muscles

One races under a stopwatch, pushing to meet personal goals. The other runs for a reflective break amid the chaos of a political campaign.

One clears midday for his run, no matter how pressing the demands. The other squeezes in morning runs, no matter how early he must rise.

My recent runs with presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush were distinctly different -- but equally intriguing -- for me as a runner, a doctor and a believer in exercise.

As the Republican National Convention is about to kick off, it's clear no pair of White House candidates in modern history has conveyed more active, athletic lifestyles. As the would-be leader of a nation where only 20% of adults exercise regularly, each strongly demonstrates how routine exercise can reward one's health, intellect and contentment.

Frankly, they gut it out. I confess I had to tap extra energy reserves to keep up with these men, each more than a decade my senior. If the race for the White House were conducted on foot, very few would stand a chance against these two.

FIRST STOP: Austin, Texas, noon. As a physician at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, I've seen Bush from time to time as part of his physical. Today, at the Governor's Mansion, he slouches disarmingly in a high-back chair, whipping off his tie and unbuttoning his dress shirt in mid-conversation. On his planner, as always, generous time is set aside for a workout. "One of the news reporters was looking at my calendar and noticed I had about an hour and a half off per day," Bush recalls. "The writer says, 'Is this an indication that you don't work very hard?' I say, 'No, it's an indication that I prioritize running.' I've given some of the greatest speeches in my life while running. The problem is, when I was stretching afterward, I couldn't remember what they were!"

We head to nearby Town Lake along the Colorado River, where tree-shaded trails abound. The Texas sun is no friend. Especially midday in summer. Bush tugs a baseball cap tightly down over his head and pulls on wraparound shades, which I assume are to make him less recognizable to fellow joggers. By the end of the 3-mile run, I realize this is no disguise. Bush wears them to improve aerodynamics. The man doesn't jog. He runs. Fast.

Catching our breath, we walk a few minutes, climb back into the car and return to the mansion. Bush chugs a 32-ounce bottle of spring water straight down.

This weekday run pales next to his weekend workout luxury: "One of my favorite things to do is to exercise hard on the weekends. Get a good nap during the day."

Next appointment: Long Beach, Calif., 6 a.m. Gore begins his usual first-thing-in-the-morning run. It's scheduled before he's had coffee, and even though he faces a long day of campaigning. Wary of being run ragged again, I plan to employ an old runner's tactic -- keep your partner talking so he loses breath, while you egg on the discussion with short statements.

It doesn't work. I introduce the subject of a mutual friend, a former Texas congressman; the vice president chats amiably but never breaks stride.

After a comfortable 4-mile run around a beautiful boat-studded bay, trailed by cameras and security vehicles, we cool down: He walks about, hands on hips -- and never even reaches for a drink of water.

In contrast to Bush's run, Gore's is a meditation in sneakers.

As with most successful, long-term exercisers, Bush and Gore sweat for reasons beyond the physical. Both candidates find exercise a stress reliever that helps them think clearly. After their runs, each seems invigorated.

Exercise helped turn Bush's habits around. He no longer smokes and, when he turned 40, Bush made his now-famous decision to quit drinking. "My running was affected when I drank too much. Exercising the next day became more of a 'Let's sweat it out.' And I got tired of that."

For Gore, fitness advantages extend into leisure. "I just hiked to the top of Mount Rainier with my son and, believe me, that is a lot harder than running. You take one step and then you breathe twice. This is a lot different than running on a flat surface." The two-day climb up the 14,410-foot mountain outside Seattle was "one of the hardest things I have ever done. It was a wonderful experience. Certainly not something I could have accomplished without being in good shape."

When it comes to the flabby state of our nation, both candidates have a plan. Gore, aiming to make exercise a habit with kids, recently announced a plan to expand YMCA and other after-school programs. Bush wants to use the White House as a bully pulpit to persuade more companies to invest in adult programs such as on-site wellness/fitness centers. "When people realize there's a correlation between exercise and less doctor visits," Bush says, "that equates to money."

An irony: The typical American cubical-dweller with a corporate gym has better access to exercise gear than either candidate has. Bush recently bought himself a state-of-art treadmill, which he uses at the Governor's Mansion. There's no deluxe gym at the vice presidential mansion, either, but Gore delights in doing laps on a neighboring 1.1 mile track, "which makes it nice. You don't feel like a gerbil, because the track is long enough." Neither can look forward to an upgrade. The White House has no fitness center, though President Clinton put in a modest track. Not all is bleak: Both Gore and Bush highly recommend the gyms they've used at Camp David.

Bottom line: Two of the busiest people in America understand and enjoy the benefits of fitness and make it a priority in their hectic schedules. Whichever man wins, he will serve as a testimony to healthy living. Both, indeed, are fit to run.

Contributing: Dennis McCafferty