Of all the presidents of this grand ol' country, which 5 would you pick for a XC team. I was thinking of going to seven but five would make it more limited. We will say it is at the time they were in office and not in their prime.
Here are mine:
1.) Abe Lincoln
2.) JFK
3.) Barack Obama
4.) Thomas Jefferson
5.) Bill Clinton
Wow you must be a history major to have picked such an obscure group of presidents. Some real deep cuts there!
Jimmy Carter ran XC for the Naval Academy. He's gotta be on there.
Obama is no. 1. He's a blathlete. But, he smokes?
Clinton was always jogging around.
I remember reading about a significant gym session that GWB would do.
Prior to these guys I'm not sure but I'd guess presidential xc contenders would drop of significantly until you get far enough back where physical labor was part of the lifestyle- even then, you'd have to give those type 6-12 months of running specific work.
bill clinton was kind of a fatty when he was in office, especially the early years.
i'll take obama, grant, jfk (youth), carter (did not know that), and madison.
Carter would be team captain then.
Can the dude in the wheelchair get a headstart and compete on a road equivalent course?
Andrew Jackson. Maybe not the fastest on the track, but he'd sure tough it out on the cross country course. If I remember right, he survived a bullet merely inches away from his heart. Plus, while the Kenyans are talking big about tactics, he'd say "They have made their decision; now let them enforce it."
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Ulysses Grant
Theodore Roosevelt
Jimmy Carter
Kunihicko Terasawa wrote:
Of all the presidents of this grand ol' country, which 5 would you pick for a XC team. I was thinking of going to seven but five would make it more limited. We will say it is at the time they were in office and not in their prime.
Here are mine:
1.) Abe Lincoln
2.) JFK
3.) Barack Obama
4.) Thomas Jefferson
5.) Bill Clinton
Lincoln had Marfan syndrome and was probably very uncoordinated. Despite being relatively thin he would be a poor choice.
Clinton was fat and slow.
James Polk would have made a good runner.
Obama is Kenyan so you have to have him.
Taft would be the kid getting the pity claps at the end.
Carter was a good runner.
George Bush was a fairly good runner too.
Kunihicko Terasawa wrote:
Of all the presidents of this grand ol' country, which 5 would you pick for a XC team. I was thinking of going to seven but five would make it more limited. We will say it is at the time they were in office and not in their prime.
Here are mine:
1.) Abe Lincoln
2.) JFK
3.) Barack Obama
4.) Thomas Jefferson
5.) Bill Clinton
JFK?? He had serious health issues - back and Addison's Disease
Clinton - He stopped at every fast food restaurant along the way - no wonder he has had serious heart issues
Obama - I don't think he has ever been known as being particularly fast or even athletic. Have you seen him attempt to pitch a baseball or even throw a bowling ball? (
Lincoln - I have read he was very athletic - good swimmer, wrestler, among other sports. Whether he was a good runner - not sure.
Jefferson - not sure about his athletic abilities.
Jimmy Carter and both Bush Sr. and Jr. ran quite a bit.
Carter
Obama
GWB
Coolidge
Jackson
HM
Eisenhower
Polk
GW Bush was in 20 minute 3 mile shape while in office.
At least.
Obama smokes and Clinton just puttered around. They'd struggle in XC.
How are you guys overlooking Theodore Roosevelt and George Washington? Both renowned for athleticism. John Quincy Adams wouldn't be a bad pick either - known to frequently swim naked in the Potomac while in office.
Teddy was a self promoter and it is doubtful he could really walk and chew gum at the same time.
AS far as GWB running 3 miles in 20 minutes........I'm calling bulls&%t on that.
(1) Teddy, though outwardly somewhat portly, was an endurance outside explorer. He was also tough as nails and a competitor. You want runners like that on your team. He'd make my top five.
JFK - more just an image of an athlete but really hobbled by addison's. (Also could be a distraction with all the partying and hot chicks that gravitate around him to the other team members)
(2) GWB - good runner, I'd keep an eye on the drinking and partying, but he makes the team.
(3)Carter - he's on team, I wouldn't make him captain, he'd be writing out everyone's eating, sleeping, and social schedules to the minute.
(4) Thomas Jefferson - he looks fast, and every team needs that one nerdy asperger's guy.
(5) Obama - no explaination needed, I'll really have to make sure he doesn't smoke, ever.
(Alternate) Nixon - you need the runner on the team with the killer instinct, who will do what ever he needs to do to win.
Obama is a sissy p^ssy - why would you want him on your team?
I did forget about George Bush Sr. I guess he could do a run off against Teddy to see who makes the team. I'd be worried about George Senior. He might be one of those runners who were great in training runs but didn't do as well during the actually race.
Conundrum wrote:
(1) Teddy, though outwardly somewhat portly, was an endurance outside explorer. He was also tough as nails and a competitor. You want runners like that on your team. He'd make my top five.
JFK - more just an image of an athlete but really hobbled by addison's. (Also could be a distraction with all the partying and hot chicks that gravitate around him to the other team members)
(2) GWB - good runner, I'd keep an eye on the drinking and partying, but he makes the team.
(3)Carter - he's on team, I wouldn't make him captain, he'd be writing out everyone's eating, sleeping, and social schedules to the minute.
(4) Thomas Jefferson - he looks fast, and every team needs that one nerdy asperger's guy.
(5) Obama - no explaination needed, I'll really have to make sure he doesn't smoke, ever.
(Alternate) Nixon - you need the runner on the team with the killer instinct, who will do what ever he needs to do to win.
I love how people think "toughness" is going to be a big factor here.
Do you guys realize that there are likely to be huge differences in performance between these men. Someone with 24:00 5k ability can't beat someone with 20:30 5k ability regardless of toughness, and it would take a lot of training to make up that sort of fitness gap which I'm presuming we don't have.
It's more reasonable to choose the presidents with the probable best active ability during their presidency
my picks
1) obama; has 20:30 5k credentials
2) Bush: sub 4 marathon credentials
3) Carter: reasons previously stated
4) Lincoln: thin, known to be an athletic wrestler
5) Eisenhower: one tough son of a bitch; 5 star general
ray wrote:
Teddy was a self promoter and it is doubtful he could really walk and chew gum at the same time.
AS far as GWB running 3 miles in 20 minutes........I'm calling bulls&%t on that.
Call whatever you want. His running during his early years in the White House was well documented. He also ran the Houston Marathon in 3:40-something before being president. Then his knees got the best of him, and now he cycles.
GWB would definitely be on the All-Presidential cross country team. I think he's the only U.S. President to ever finish a marathon.
I'd probably put George Bush Sr. on the team, too. He was always thin, and played college baseball at Yale. I figure he could have been at least a semi-decent runner had he been so motivated.
Others:
Jimmy Carter
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington