Shaking off the jet lag from his trip overseas, Gov. Matt Blunt announced this week that he’s ready to go the distance again in the St. Louis Marathon.

As reported earlier in our Jog Blog, Blunt and his staff, for the second year in a row, will participate in the marathon’s relay competition, where four runners divide up the 26. 2 mile route.

In addition to the governor, the “Running With Blunt” team includes:

• John Russell, deputy chief of staff
• Rich Chrismer, communications director
• Mary Craven, an aide to Melanie Blunt

Last year, we’re told, the governor’s team finished with a time of 3:29:32, giving them a pace of just under eight-minute miles.

Team Blunt at last year’s marathon