Mitt Romney Kicks It Up A Notch

As the Presidential primary race heads into the post-Labor Day home stretch toward the first contests in January, Mitt Romney is turning to what his campaign sees as his strongest suit: his record as a executive who turned around failing companies and a struggling Olympics and offered conservative leadership in a liberal state. And to do that, the campaign is putting Romney on the trail -- literally. In a new television ad that goes up this weekend in Iowa and New Hampshire, a sweaty Romney is shown jogging along leafy roads as an announcer intones, "At every step, he's met extraordinary challenges," and goes on to say that Romney has "the energy and experience" to turn around Washington. The choice of image is an interesting one, and not only because Romney's camera-ready good looks give it some resemblance to commercials for various hygiene and health products targeted at middle-aged men. Presenting Romney as runner also recalls one of the more memorable moments of the candidate's youth growing up in Michigan, where his father was an auto executive and governor and where Romney attended the elite Cranbrook prep school.Romney as teen was more gawky than jocky, and his jogging was not always something he'd want captured on tape: "Mitt's singular distinction as an athlete was an embarrassing one, classmates recall. He competed in a 2.5-mile race held during a football game, setting off with the rest of the runners at the start of halftime. Everyone returned before the second half of the football game began, except Mitt. He didn't resurface until about 10 minutes after the last runner. He staggered around the oval for the final lap, collapsing twice in the last 15 yards but drawing cheers from the crowd when he finally crossed the finish line. "It had to be one of those moments that made you feel good, but inadequate," [classmate Jim] Bailey says. "But those kinds of things didn't bother him." Obviously, they didn't. Today, Romney is a multimillionaire, has a plausible shot at the Republican nomination, and lists jogging as his favorite activity. And if things don't work out on the campaign trail, he might just want to get ready for some phone calls from RightGuard.