The Catoctin Mountain Park Run was a 10K run (6.2 miles) organized by the Jimmy Carter administration in September 1979. The event was set up by the White House to give Carter a chance to run a competitive road race without the security risk of a third-party organizer. The Catoctin Mountain Park course was hilly, and due to over-exertion Carter collapsed after about four miles, leading to concerns about his health and questions about his re-election campaign.[2][3]
Professional runner Herb Lindsay won the men's race in time in 30 minutes 0.1 seconds, about two minutes slower than his personal best over the distance. Marilyn Bevans won the women's race in 40 minutes 25.8 seconds.[1][2]
Nike, Inc., Anheuser-Busch Natural Light, and Track Master sponsored the race, with Nike inviting some of their professionally sponsored runners like Lindsay to compete.[1][6] There were also a host of amateur runners invited, ranging from an 11-year old boy to a grandfather in his 70s.[7]
Carter's previous best time on the course in training was 50 minutes, and he was aiming for a 46-minute time (7 minutes 24 seconds per mile) on race day.[7] Lindsay thought the course was particularly challenging for a beginner, although the Washington Post wrote, "The weather was cool, and the race was not considered challenging for a runner in training".[6][2][4] Race day weather was officially recorded as 70 °F (21 °C) with nominal wind and clear skies.[1] The course included two hills that altogether rose more than 350 feet (110 m) in less than half a mile.[8]
The race
Carter started near the front of the pack, splitting his first mile in 8 minutes 25 seconds uphill. His second mile was even faster in 7:45, but he started to slow after that.[2]
The race was held on an out-and-back course, allowing the professional field to see Carter running down the hill as they ran back up it. Carter acknowledged Lindsay as he passed, calling out, "Give him room" to the other lead runners in the tight pack.[6]
Carter collapse
Approximately four miles into the race, Carter started to appear fatigued, with those around him commenting on his ashy face and drooping form. He had been running for about 52 minutes, and he was about 100 yards (91 m) away from the Camp David entrance.[9] He wanted to continue running even as his doctor William Lukash urged him to stop. After Carter finally gave in, Lukash measured his heart rate as about 130 beats per minute, far above his resting heart rate of about 45 bpm. Carter was given smelling salts and at least 1 liter (0.22 imp gal; 0.26 U.S. gal) of salt water intravenously through his arm.[10]
Hours after his treatment, Carter returned to the course to present awards in good health.[6]
The event was noted by some as an analogy for Carter's poor political polling ahead of his 1980 re-election campaign. Some suggested he should drop out of the presidential race just as he dropped out of the footrace in favor of Democratic primary challenger Ted Kennedy.[11]
One White House lieutenant said after the race, "I hope this will replace the rabbit stories".[7]
A second race was proposed for September 13, 1980 at the same location, but it was ultimately not continued.[1]
Results
Though 898 runners were registered, only 750 started the race.[1] Lindsay won the men's race in 30 minutes 0.1 seconds, followed by Dan Rincon.[12][13] There was also an inter-departmental team race scored between the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service, which the FBI won. Carter blamed himself on the Secret Service's last-place team finish, saying that the agents had to follow his pace.[6][14]
About 47 runners did not finish the race, including Carter.[1][3]