Washington D.C.— Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) retained their titles as the fastest members of Congress at the 38th ACLI Capital Challenge road race on Wednesday.

Sen. Sinema’s time of 20:45 for the three-mile course at Anacostia Park set a new record for a female member of the Senate, breaking the mark of 24:52 set by former Senator Kelly Ayotte (D-N.H.) in 2012. It was also faster than Sinema ran last year, when she set the record for a female member of the House of Representatives with a time of 22:05. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) was the fastest female representative this year, finishing in 25:19.

Rep. Gallagher was the fastest man in Congress for the third straight year, finishing in 18:37. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was the fastest male senator with a time of 30:32.

Among the more than 600 competitors was Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who finished in 22:17. Justice Kavanaugh, who had competed in the ACLI Capital Challenge the last nine years while he served as a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, joins retired Justice Anthony Kennedy (1990) as the only other sitting Supreme Court Justice to participate in the race.

This year’s ACLI Capital Challenge benefitted Junior Achievement and its financial literacy program. Junior Achievement will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2019. Its interactive educational programs reach nearly 4.9 million students per year in all 50 states. 

“I was honored that so many of Washington’s leaders could join us for the ACLI Capital Challenge,” said ACLI President and CEO Susan Neely. “Thanks to the support from the participants, ACLI is able to help Junior Achievement teach the next generation of American workers the importance of planning early for retirement.”

Added Jack Kosakowski, President and CEO of Junior Achievement USA: “The support from this race will significantly benefit our financial literacy programs across America.”

The race featured more than 130 five-person teams from Congress, the executive and judicial branches of the federal government and news media organizations. Also, three-time Olympian and American marathon record holder Deena Kastor served as the official “whistle blower” for the race. She then joined the race at the back of the pack.

“It is an honor to participate in this great Washington tradition,” said Kastor, who participated courtesy of John Hancock’s Elite Athlete Ambassador program. “I’ve run in some amazing races in my career with competitors from all over the world. It is a great privilege to be at a race that features so many of our nation’s leaders.”

A complete list of participants and race results is available www.CapitalChallenge.com. Additional information about the race is available www.acli.com/capitalchallenge and on Twitter at @ACLINews and via the hashtag #CapChallenge.

Supporting race sponsors included ACLI member companies: AIG, Boston Mutual, Guardian, Hannover Re, Jackson National, John Hancock, MetLife, Nationwide, New York Life, OneAmerica, Pacific Life, Prudential, RGA, Transamerica, USAA, UTG, Voya and Western & Southern.

The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) advocates on behalf of 280 member companies dedicated to providing products and services that promote consumers’ financial and retirement security. 90 million American families depend on our members for life insurance, annuities, retirement plans, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, reinsurance, dental and vision and other supplemental benefits. ACLI represents member companies in state, federal and international forums for public policy that supports the industry marketplace and the families that rely on life insurers' products for peace of mind. ACLI members represent 95 percent of industry assets in the United States.

To learn more, visit acli.com and our blog, ACLI Perspectives, at acli.com/perspectives.

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