Running with Tom Kaufman

Imagine if Brett Favre took up running

I may have hit upon a new approach to slowing the onslaught of obesity in our state: All we need to do is convince Brett Favre to become a runner. With the amount of publicity this would garner, nearly every man, woman and child in Wisconsin would follow suit.

Just imagine kids wearing Brett Favre running singlets and shorts to school. Nike already has green and gold shoes on the market. The Packers and the University of Oregon- the latter famed for its running programs - share the same color scheme. Instead of driving a lawn tractor, people could use a push mower to do interval training just like Brett would be doing in Mississippi. There is no doubt that convincing Brett to scratch his competitive itch in a road race or two would give new meaning and importance to every local fun run.

Are you skeptical of the power of Brett Favre? One needs look no further than Madison's Wisconsin State Journal or the cover of Sports Illustrated. The same week the greatest track meet of the year - the U.S. Olympic Trials - was held, the headlines shouted out the nonstory of Brett Favre allegedly telling a former teammate he still had "the itch"to play.

Meanwhile, the Olympic Trials produced many scintillating races. Tyson Gay ran not only an American record in the 100 meters but also the fastest 100 meters ever recorded under any conditions. Amy Begley qualified to run 10,000 meters in Beijing by hammering the final half of the race and achieving the Olympic "A" standard in her final opportunity. The men's 800-meter final produced one of the greatest races ever witnessed at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Bernard Lagat, the defending world champion in both the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter events, won handily the top spots to run both at the Olympics.

Want more? Sanya Richards overcame an autoimmune illness to easily win the 400 meters. Sixteen-year-old high school junior Jordan Hasay broke the 1,500-meter national high school record to qualify for the women's finals. This is the stuff of legend.

On the local front, the men's 5,000-meter final featured three runners from Madison, Wisconsin. Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky and Jonathan Riley all competed. Solinsky held the lead with 100 meters to go. Although neither Solinsky nor Riley would make the top three to represent their country, Tegenkamp - the fourth-place finisher in the 2007 World Championships- will have a chance to earn an Olympic medal as a result of his second-place finish at the trials.

No fewer than 11 Madison residents competed at the trials. While their exploits were well reported in the sports sections of local newspapers, the Brett Favre rumor garnered a front page headline and story.

I am not so naive to believe that track and field, running, cycling, paddling or any other silent sport will ever replace the NFL in our local or national psyche. But how cool would it be if our heroes could come close to the likes of Favre in recognition? It would not be unprecedented. In the 1950s, Roger Banister, John Landy and Wes Santee were known around the globe as they each tried to be the first to break the four-minute mile barrier. More recently, Lance Armstrong became nearly a household name as he won seven straight Tour de France titles while fighting cancer. Yet across the country and particularly in Wisconsin, Brett Favre reigns supreme.

When Armstrong dominated the Tour, the popularity of cycling in the U.S. increased dramatically. When Favre dominated the NFL, the sale of green No. 4 jerseys increased dramatically (as I also assume did the consumption of chips, dip, salsa, brats, and beverages required for watching Brett lead the Pack). If we could just get Brett to trade his pads and cleats for shorts and running shoes-with just the right amount of medial posting and cushioning for a guy his size - we could start a statewide running boom. Former Vikings lineman and Minnesota State Supreme Court Justice Alan Page ran several marathons after his playing days were over. Why not Brett?

I have nothing against football. Actually, I love watching the Packers and Badgers on the weekends. It's just that I, like most of you, would rather go for a run than sit and watch a game. Therein lies the rub.

The athletes who garner the most attention play games that almost none of us are able to participate in for very long. Few play football past high school and almost no one plays past college. Basketball players last a bit longer but few still actively playing past their 30s. A few adult soccer leagues have cropped up but it remains a game for the young. The silent sports, however, can be played for decades.

The problem facing our community is attracting new young athletes. If we could convince young people of the fun and sense of accomplishment experienced by running, bicycling and cross-country skiing, we could get them off the couch. For a while anyway.  Eventually they'd want to settle in again to watch their grid-iron heroes.

This is why we need Brett Favre to take up running. He has the opportunity to become the face of the next running boom. Nothing could scratch that competitive itch he feels like hammering the final mile of a 10K, working past the 23-mile mark of a marathon or pounding out six 800s faster than race pace with 90 seconds recovery between them.

There would be no huge lineman trying to rip his head off. There would only be wonderful groups of runners trying to emulate Brett, and in the process help themselves achieve new levels of fitness and improved health. Brett has already left a legacy with the Packers. Just think what he could do for the health of the entire state of Wisconsin.

Go get'em Brett! And good running to the rest of you.

Tom Kaufman of Madison, Wisconsin, has run more than 40 marathons in his more than 38 years of running. He teaches high school phys ed and coaches high school track and cross-country as well as community and masters athletes. He has a master's degree in physical education with a specialization in exercise physiology.