Forget handsome, tall, funny, and rich. Just look for the guy in the running shoes
When playing the old game, "what would the ideal man be like?" with my girlfriends, I was sadly disappointed by their cliched responses. Their lists included such classics as rich, handsome, tall, funny, and sensitive. They chose characteristics like pieces from a jigsaw puzzle with the idea that Mr. Right would be a perfectly connected balance of these features. "You are making this way too hard," I protested. "You just need to ask one question: 'Is he a runner?'"

Being smart but cynical women, my friends were not going to buy this theory without some serious explanation. Thus, for my suspicious girlfriends and my sister runners everywhere, I present my twelve reasons why your next date should be a runner.

1. Guys who run know what commitment is! If they can commit to a training schedule to prepare for an event that is anything from a 5K run to a full-blown marathon, there's hope.

2. A Saturday night dinner date with these guys is a cert - provided you're smart enough to suggest a good pasta restaurant before the big run on Sunday morning.

3. They don't think it's unmanly to be seen pushing a baby stroller. Just as long as it is a snazzy, latest-model jogging stroller, these guys will push the kids for miles.

4. Fancy fresh-baked croissants after a sleep-in on a Sunday morning? Just remember to pin a $5 bill to the inside of his running shirt and map him a course that has the home stretch past your local bakery.

5. Romantic weekends away are not a problem. Just make sure you time it to coincide with the major running event of the year at your destination. Apparently, Hawaii is beautiful in early December.

6. Want a guy who will go shopping with you? Easily achievable with the running guy. Start with the health store for a few energy bars and vitamin supplements, head over to the bookstore for the latest "how to go faster" book and this month's edition of your favorite running magazine, and end up at the sports store to road test a few dozen running shoes.

7. This guy won't shy away from going into a jewelry store either. You will probably end up over at the watch counter comparing features of digital sport watches and heart-rate monitors, but at least you will be in the vicinity of the sparkly stuff!

8. You can happily put up a sexy pin-up of your favorite sportsman without being accused of ogling. In fact, you are more likely to prompt a detailed run down of your sexy hero's latest statistics from your running guy.

9. Fancy a picnic in the park? This is easily accomplished with Mr. Runner. Just load the hamper into the car, head for a well-loved trail and enjoy a training session for two. Your reward will be a cozy brunch on your return.

10. Your running guy will understand why your first 5K/10K finisher's certificate cannot possibly be removed from the fridge door. If he does suggest moving it, most likely it will be to put it in a more appropriate place-like framed over the mantelpiece.

11. Running guys are the only straight men with whom you can discuss the physique of another male. This usually occurs on a hot summer day as a shirtless runner crosses your path during a training session.

12. The best reason to date/mate a runner? You are guaranteed the biggest, loudest, ear-shattering yell of "Come on, you can do it!" when you are 200 meters from the finish line and your legs feel like mush.

So, sisters, forget the clubs, pubs, the local cafe, and the supermarket aisles. Don't even bother with dating agencies, chat rooms, or that well-intentioned best friend with a cousin who you absolutely have to meet. Just hit the track, the trail, or the treadmill at the gym to find Mr. Right. He is easy to spot--he's the one in the running shoes!

Susan Miles does her training runs and man-spotting in Melbourne, Australia and Japan. She is still on the quest to find her ideal running man.