America is told to start running for president

Most politicians like sport and very occasionally you will stumble across one that likes it for all the right reasons. Before the 1997 general election, Tony Blair embraced football and reminisced about watching Jackie Milburn on the terraces at Newcastle United. Never mind the little inconsistency. 'Wor Jackie' had been retired nearly a decade by the time the Prime Minister first went to St James' Park.

Front runner: President George W. Bush hopes to lead his government's drive for fitness by example

Bill Clinton loved sport and often the press were invited to watch his early-morning run though they could never quite understand why they were not allowed to witness any more than 100 yards of it. A suspicious photographer surreptitiously followed him beyond the security cordon patrolled by his Secret Service agents and rather inconveniently grabbed a shot of Clinton demolishing a large doughnut and washing it down with a Starbucks.

So, whether it's heading a ball with Kevin Keegan, which history shows probably did more for Blair than it did for the England manager, or taking part, as Jimmy Carter once did, in a 10-kilometre fun-run and collapsing beside a large oak tree, providing one of the defining images of the Carter administration, many have used sport as a way of connecting with the electorate.

Receptions are hurriedly arranged for victorious teams, even those who underachieve in World Cup quarter-finals. I am unaware of any phone call from the Prime Minister last Sunday evening to David Moorcroft, the chief executive of UK Athletics, after the British men's team emerged as European champions after two days of hard pounding against Europe's best in Annecy. Perhaps there are more votes in football than track and field. Never mind the quality, feel the width.

Harry S Truman bucked the trend. "No politician should ever have anything to do with damn fool sports," he once declaimed.

He was right and he was wrong. He was right to castigate politicians who jump on the bandwagon in the good times and would not recognise a long-term strategy from a short-term palliative. But he was wrong to suggest that the well-being of sport - a source, as we have seen in the last few weeks, of massive national pride and the real cement holding together hard-pressed communities, whether they be inner city or rural - is off limits for any serious politician.

They don't get more serious than the 43rd President of the United States, George W Bush.

A week ago the freshly appointed members to the President's council on physical fitness and sports flanked the President and the First Lady on a stage in the middle of the South Lawn of the White House. His chairman is Lynn Swann, a legendary wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his council will call on the expertise of a cluster of Olympians, other sporting role models and health experts. These are the people that Bush hopes will take his 'Healthy US' initiative into the no-go areas of his increasingly unhealthy population.

Colonel Sanders, Ronald McDonald and Philip Morris were not sharing the platform, and those are the sort of culprits all the President's men and women will have to tackle if Bush's initiative is to reduce waistlines and expand lung capacity.

"I want Americans to live longer, healthier and better lives. They have an individual responsibility and I have a national goal. When Americans are healthier the whole nation benefits, and that is a very important message. Last year heart disease cost this country $183 billion. We can reduce that figure dramatically if only 10 per cent more people walked regularly." Walking from the couch in front of the television set to the front door to collect the home pizza delivery is not his target.

Bush practises what he preaches but, given the enormity of his task, it is questionable whether his missionary zeal combined with his daily workout routine will be enough to convert the couch potatoes. "I know I'm setting big goals but just small changes to people's lifestyles can make a huge difference. I'm a good example. I was a smoker and a drinker. In 1972 I got caught up in the running boom. It saved my life. It's only when I'm exercising, particularly running, that I feel spiritually and physically sound. I'm a competitive person and running is a part of my competitive nature."

The 54-year-old Texan has the face of a more-than-occasional jogger. The tell-tale signs are there and it's more than just a healthy sheen. The serious runner often looks a little hollow-eyed and tight-skinned across the cheekbone. "I try to run four or five times a week and always between 6min 45sec and 7min 30sec a mile pace." This places the born-again runner in the top two-per-cent fitness band for his age group. His bi-weekly weight-training sessions and a bench-press of well over 200lb is not shabby either.

His long run of the week is between four and five miles and normally takes place on Sunday at either Camp David or home on the range at his Crawford Ranch in Texas. "Sunday is a good day for me. I run and then I walk with Laura for three miles and then enjoy a sleep in the afternoon."

His remaining runs are confined to a narrow band of black rubber that circles part of the South Lawn at the White House. "It's OK but when you've done it a hundred times it becomes a bit monotonous. I love just getting lost on the ranch - you're lucky when you own the land, every day is earth-day."

On September 11, life for Americans changed forever. And the President lost what little freedom the office still afforded him. "I'm only allowed to run in these three places. They won't let me anywhere near a road race or fun-run. I've even had to create and sponsor my own race this weekend on a local army base for all my staff. Would you care to join us? You could win."

When it comes to improving the nation's health, Bush does not take any prisoners. "Most people can do more to improve their health and well-being. As one of the nation's largest employers, I can do my own bit. I actively encourage my staff to work out. I don't care what time of day it is, and I want them to feel comfortable in taking enough time to exercise. I want them to get into the habit and not feel guilty."

One of the first ventures he tackled on his election was to refurbish the gym facilities in the White House. "They were not good enough. The staff all work very hard here and I want happy and healthy people around the place.

"I even like the press corps a lot better after I've run. It's an important part of a balanced life. Running clears my mind. I look and feel better. Concentrating on time and distance is a good stress relief."

And what about those brave enough to tell him they're too busy to exercise? "People who say they're too busy to exercise are often too busy to worry about their kids. Sometimes they're too busy for anything. I tell them, if the President of the United States can make time, they can."

His initiative will also focus on the ghastly drop-off in fitness of American children. "We have to do something about the third of kids that don't even get one hour's exercise a week and the 26 per cent of teenagers that are obese and have eating disorders. Teenagers fall prey to fads. Believe me, I know this from my own family experiences. Seeing children through their teenage years is tougher than I ever thought it would be but my girls now exercise because Laura and I do. Exercise has to be seen as 'cool', as a way to a better lifestyle. Television has been a huge influence on people's lives but it provides an alternative that has not always been healthy. Diet, tobacco and alcohol are major issues that my new council will want to tackle."

And steroid abuse in sport, too?

"People shouldn't abuse drugs. When I was the owner of a baseball team, I thought the players should be tested. I was the governor of the only state that forced labelling on some of these products. Yes, I am concerned about performance-enhancing drugs. They send out the wrong messages and undermine talent. As a country we have to give leadership."

Hopefully, this is a message that won't fall on the deaf ears of so many American sporting organisations, including my own, track and field, that at best cock a 'deaf 'un' when it comes to upholding the law and morality of sport.

Bush wants to see role models, like his childhood hero, Willie Mays, baseball's third highest home-run hitter of all time, and current favourite Tiger Woods, take a front-line role in fighting the good fight. The President's admiration for Woods appears to have no bounds. "I'm sure part of the secret of his domination of golf is because he's fit, disciplined and focused, and I know he works out a lot. Golf is the ultimate 'pay for performance' sport. There are no guarantees or long-term contracts."

Bush's real affection is for Nolan Ryan, a past pitcher for his beloved Texas Rangers, the club he used to own. "He made me feel great because he was still throwing a ball at 90 miles an hour at the age of 40 against 20-year-olds. I like big competitors who are a little intimidating," he said with a smile. "Never afraid to pitch inside, as they say. Nolan Ryan could do something I'd never be able to do, however much I wanted to."

The President remembers his mother, Barbara, kicking him out of the house as a young boy to exercise. "Probably because I was such a pain," he said. There is just a chance that that he could make a genuine difference to the health and well-being of his country before he's kicked out of his current house.

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