The Fast & the Furious: Illinois Marathoner Rob Blagojevich

Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich is no stranger to running.

He's run for public office.

And he's run three marathons over the last two dozen years.

According to his official state web site:

"Governor Blagojevich has been an avid runner for over 25 years.  The Governor has run three marathons, the 1984 Chicago Marathon, the 1989 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. and the 1997 Chicago Marathon."

And in 2005 he was the first Illinois governor to complete the 80-mile River to River Relay:

" Governor Rod Blagojevich became the first governor to ever run in the River to River Relay, a one of a kind, 80-mile relay race that stretches across Southern Illinois, from the Mississippi to the Ohio River.  Governor Blagojevich ran the anchor leg for his team—“The Blue Suede Running Shoes,” which finished in Golconda near the Pope County courthouse.

Teams of eight runners competed on an 80-mile course. Each runner completed three sections that range in length from 2.5 to 4 miles. Gov. Blagojevich took the eighth position for his team, running the longest total distance (10.95 miles), and covering the 8^th, 16^th and anchor leg of the relay.  The race starts at Pine Hills, on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River Valley. The course follows country roads through the Shawnee National Forest to its finish at the Ohio River in Golconda."

And unlike some politicians of the past who stuffed their running resume to help get elected, Blagojevich is the real deal. He's a pretty fast runner and politician----but you probably already suspected that.

According to Winding Citizen:

Blagojevich has completed multiple marathons, with relatively fast times, and an 80-mile relay race in the past 25 years:

• 1984 Chicago Marathon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Office was NOT able to confirm that Blagojevich ran or finished this race.

• 1989 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., finishing time 3:03:47.

• 1997 Chicago Marathon, finishing time 3:22:36.

• 2005 River to River Relay in Southern Illinois, ran the longest leg of 10.5 miles.

Thanks to Kick Asphalt blog for digging up a lot of this information.