On the night he was elected Governor of South Carolina six-and-a-half years ago, Mark Sanford threw his security detail the first of many curve balls to come.

Hankering for a “Mexican Pizza,” the quirky new governor-elect decided to make a “run for the border” with his family - driving the family van himself.

Informed that it was no longer necessary for him to drive himself around, Sanford bristled.

“You guys can follow me if you want, but we’re going to Taco Bell,” Sanford flatly told the agent-in-charge.

So began what we’re sure has been the most interesting chapter in SLED’s distinguished history of protecting South Carolina governors - a chapter that anyone who drove Sanford during his campaign could have told the SLED agents was going to be “different.”

Prior to injuring his back, Sanford used to take long runs and bike rides without his security detail present, and his ability to evade his security guards has always been legendary among his staff.

“He’s a ‘don’t fence me in’ kind of guy,” said a source familiar with Sanford’s protection.

Once in West Virginia, a startled State Police officer assigned with guarding the governor was shocked to discover that Sanford had “gone for a run” without bothering to tell anyone.

So where did the governor run off to this time?

There are several theories …

[link to www.fitsnews.com]