The annual ACLI Capital Challenge(R), a three mile race, takes place on Wednesday, May 11th at 8:00 a.m. in Washington, DC's Anacostia Park. Competitors will lay aside talk of social security reform and nuclear options to address the serious task of determining who is the fittest: the Legislative, Executive, Judicial branches of government, or the media who cover them.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Richard Lugar (R-IN) will compete for the 24th straight time, never having missed a race. He will be joined by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R- TN) and Senate Finance Chair Charles Grassley (R-IA), as well as 30 other Senators and Representatives from 25 states. Texas, with four, has the most members of Congress entered. Defending champions Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN), fastest man in Congress; Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), long-time female Senate champ; and Senator John Sununu (R-NH), last year's fastest Senator are entered. In addition, former congressional champ Jane Harman (D-CA) is returning in an attempt to regain her title as fastest woman in Congress. Scores of presidential appointees, judges, and many media representatives are also entered. Senator John Ensign (R-NV) will be attempting to win back his Senate Championship from incumbent Senator John Sununu. IRS Commissioner Mark Everson filed his entry late but will be leading his team sporting the number 1040.

On hand to start the runners on their way as official "whistle blower" will be Alan Webb, who in 2001 broke Representative Jim Ryun's 36-year-old high school mile record of 3:53:43. Webb was the top ranked US miler in 2004. Team captains in this event are not honorary positions. Each must finish the three-mile course for their team to score. The event shows even the busiest people can take time out to stay physically fit. All entry fees go to DC Special Olympics as does an additional donation from the title sponsor ACLI (American Council of Life Insurers) and other sponsors John Hancock Financial Services, Northwestern Mutual, Swiss Re, Fannie Mae, Roll Call, Running Times and Chubb.

The course is an out and back, riverfront course in Anacostia Park (just over the Souza Bridge- Pennsylvania Aveune).

Competition for the prestigious Best and James B. Kenin Worst Team Name honors remains intense.

Some noteworthy entrants are:

Teams					Captains
Follow the Leader				Senator Bill Frist (R-TN)
The Kay Team				Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Rhode Kill					Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
The "Earl"y Birds				Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
Rogue Runners Redux			Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Army of Run					General Guy Swan (US Army)
Squids Out of Water				Admiral Nancy Lescavage (US Coast Guard)
Suns of Baltimore				Karen Hosler (Baltimore Sun)
Running 'Til It Hearst				Jennifer Dlouhy (Hearst Newspapers)
The Global War On Tendons			Cynthia DiPausquale (insidedefense.com)
Women of Mass Distraction			Tara Copp (Scripps Howard)
Don't Fox with Us				Teri Schultz (Fox News)
Hard Ball and Chain with Kathleen 
Mathews 					Kathleen Mathews (WJLA)
Rather or Not Here We Come			Bill Plante (CBS News)
Shins Splinterviews 				Art Silverman (NPR)
Snails of Justice		Chief Judge Paul Michel (US Court of Appeals for the
						 		                Federal Circuit)

Editors Note: For media information, call Jeff Darman at (610) 925-1976 or (703) 875-8717 (May 7-11). The ACLI Capital Challenge starts at 8:00 a.m. in Anacostia Park near the Roller Rink. Directions to the site may be downloaded from wwww.capitalchallenge.com. (Entries are closed.)