Politician

George W. Bush

43rd President of the United States

All evidence

10 records, newest first. Strength changes with age and weight class, so check the date and context before you compare.

1. 2005

   • Treadmill stress test (duration)26:00

     Official testSitting US President, age 59Bodyweight 191.6 lbPresidential physical, National Naval Medical Center

     “Bush had a treadmill test for more than 26 minutes and achieved a heart rate of 183 beats per minute.”

     Bush pronounced 'fit for duty' after physical (NBC News / AP)News report2005-07-30medium confidence

     'More than 26 minutes', so 26:00 is a floor. Protocol not stated (earlier exams used the Balke protocol). Weight 191.6 lb and body fat 15.79% from the same article.

   • Bench press185 lb × 5

     Effort unknownSitting US President, age 59Strength training as president

     “Bush can bench press 185 pounds five times, and, before a recent knee injury, he ran three miles at a 6-minute, 45-second pace.”

     Who is "out of touch"? (American Thinker, quoting the Los Angeles Times)News report2005low confidence

     Blog quoting a 2005 Los Angeles Times opinion piece (Jonathan Chait); no named source and no date for the lift. Dated from the 2005 piece. The 6:45 pace for three miles is not added as a separate record.

2. 2004

   • Mountain bike ride (18 miles)1:20:00 1140479.9 in

     Working setSitting US President, age 58; switched from running to mountain biking because of knee painMountain bike ride, Prairie Chapel Ranch, Crawford, Texas

     “burning about 1,200 calories over an 18-mile ride that lasted an hour and 20 minutes”

     Bush Takes Tumble on Bike (Fox News / Associated Press)News report2004-07-26medium confidence

     AP reporter rode along. Off-road trail ride (average about 13.5 mph); he crashed once during it. Dated from 'Monday' in the AP story of Tuesday July 27, 2004.

3. 2002

   • 3-mile run20:29

     CompetitionSitting US President, age 55President's Fitness Challenge 3-mile race, Fort McNair

     “The 55-year-old president was clocked by a chip in Bush's running shoe at 20:29.”

     Bush leads by example in call for fit America (Lawrence Journal-World / AP)News report2002-06-22

     Chip-timed race at age 55. A CNN transcript gives 20:28.

   • Mile6:20

     Effort unknownSitting US President, age 55Training before the President's Fitness Challenge 3-mile race

     “I'm told he's clocked in something like six minutes and 20 seconds recently. So well under seven minutes a mile.”

     CNN Saturday Morning News transcript, June 22, 2002News report2002-06low confidence

     Unnamed sources via CNN's Kelly Wallace on race day; approximate ('something like'). Dated from 'recently' in the June 22, 2002 broadcast. Could be a per-mile pace in training.

4. 2001

   • Treadmill stress test (duration)26:00

     Official testSitting US President, age 55Bodyweight 189.75 lbPresidential physical, National Naval Medical Center (Balke treadmill test)

     “He exercised for a total of 26:00 minutes, 100% maximum predicted heart rate, and calculated MVO2 of 52.5.”

     Summary of the President's Physical Examination, August 4, 2001 (White House archive)Official result2001-08-04

     Balke protocol treadmill test to exhaustion; MVO2 52.5. Same summary gives weight 189.75 lb and body fat 14.5%.

   • Mile7:30

     Working setSitting US President, age 55Training runs as president

     “About a seven-and-a-half-minute mile, in fact. The president jogs three to four times a week, normally, on a treadmill”

     CNN Saturday transcript, August 4, 2001News report2001-08low confidence

     CNN's Kelly Wallace on his usual running pace, no named source; a training pace, not a timed mile. The White House physical the same day says he ran 3.0 miles 4 times a week.

5. 2000

   • Treadmill stress test (duration)24:00

     Official testGovernor of Texas and presidential candidate, age 53Bodyweight 194.5 lbAnnual physical, Cooper Clinic, Dallas (Balke treadmill test)

     “(Previous ETT: 24:00 minutes, maximal heart rate 174, MVO2 49.6)”

     Summary of the President's Physical Examination, August 4, 2001 (White House archive)Official result2000-06

     Balke protocol treadmill test to exhaustion. The 2001 summary says the previous exam was at the Cooper Clinic in June 2000; weight 194.5 lb is the 'previous' weight on the same page. MVO2 49.6.

6. 1999

   • Mile7:30

     Working setGovernor of Texas, age 52Midday training runs, University of Texas track

     “when he runs three to five miles at the University of Texas track at a pace of seven and a half minutes a mile”

     A June 1999 Texas Monthly profile of George W. Bush details his work schedule as governor (Workbench)News report1999low confidence

     Habitual training pace (7:30 per mile over 3 to 5 miles), not a timed mile. Blog post quoting a June 1999 Texas Monthly profile; texasmonthly.com blocks the checker. Dated from the profile (June 1999).

7. 1993

   • Marathon3:44:52

     CompetitionAge 461993 Houston Marathon

     “Former President George W. Bush ran a not-too-shabby 3:44:52 in 1993.”

     Popp Culture: Marathon tidbits (CultureMap Houston)News report1993-01medium confidence

     Same time listed in Slate's 2012 politician marathon table. Official 1993 result page not found.