By Chris Goldrick

Today former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley revealed he no longer has the burning political ambition necessary to mount a leadership campaign, and he’s decided he won’t be seeking the leadership of the Liberal Party.

Manley's disclosure reminded me of a somewhat humorous misunderstanding I had with him last week.

Mr. Manley is an avid marathon runner who has completed several grueling competitions over the last several years. When I bumped into Mr. Manley last week in the CBC building in Ottawa I asked, “Are you still running?"

Well, with a somewhat surprised look on his face and after a very long pause, Mr. Manley replied, “What do you mean? I haven’t said anything about that yet.”

Not quite understanding his response, I said, “Wasn’t your first marathon the New York marathon and didn’t you run it shortly after September 11th?"

At that point, with a smile on his face, and clearly some relief at realizing we weren't talking politics, Mr. Manley said, “I love running but I’m beginning to feel marathons take too much time to prepare for."

Obviously, Mr. Manley has now reached the same conclusion regarding marathons of the political kind.