Riordan’s Risky Run Is No Ad for L.A. Fitness

On the surface, Mayor-elect Richard Riordan’s sit-and-jog with President Clinton on Wednesday was as harmless as deflating an ego.

By jumping in and out of a Secret Service van during a five-mile run in Washington, Riordan, 63, did nothing to support Los Angeles’ claim as the fitness capital of the world.

But the activity also was risky because of strain on his heart, said Tom Allison, an exercise physiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Riordan’s age and physical condition, combined with the high-stress campaign he recently won, place him in an at-risk category for a heart attack, Allison said.

Mark Plaatjes, a past winner of the Los Angeles Marathon who is a Boulder, Colo., physical therapist, said Riordan needs to ease into an exercise regimen. He suggested that the mayor-elect walk first before tackling running again.

Next time, Riordan might simply stay in the van. As it was, running aficionados could explain away what he did as a form of interval training, a discipline in which athletes run short distances at a fast pace then walk or jog for a given period before repeating the cycle.

“Interval training is good, but you want to do more running than resting along the way,” said Don Kardong, a senior writer at Runner’s World magazine and the fourth-place finisher in the 1976 Olympic marathon. “Most runners don’t use a car as part of the rest phase.”

Considering Riordan represents Los Angeles, it is not surprising that an automobile was worked into the scene.

“I understand he’s a good businessman,” Kardong said. “Perhaps this is something he can market. Maybe in the future we’ll see events where people start by driving, periodically stopping and running a little bit, and getting back into the car.”

Allison suggested it could be a politically astute move for Riordan to start training. He said Riordan could improve to the point of not only staying with President Clinton on jogs but speaking to him as well.