Tom Cotton defends his title as fastest senator, while Mike Gallagher has House honors in charity race

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) competes in the Capital Challenge Race. (ACLI)

This year’s annual ACLI Capital Challenge three-mile race — a charity competition that brings out runners from the Hill, federal agencies and courts — was more eventful than usual.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) was rushed to the hospital after collapsing along the route — although he later tweeted a video of himself in a hospital bed saying that there was nothing to worry about, and that he’d just gotten overheated. “I’m fine … see you back on the Hill,” he said.

With the relatively fleet-footed Tillis out of contention, Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) defended his title as the fastest senator, with Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) taking the honors for fastest female senator. On the House side, Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) bested their fields. And Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost her legs while serving in the Iraq War, led in the wheelchair category (she’s also a veteran of several Chicago marathons).

Fewer administration types were lacing up than in previous years, but OSHA Chairman Heather MacDougall was the fastest agency head. Proceeds from the race benefit the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, a charity providing guide dogs to disabled people.

And in what may be our favorite category, the “best team name” award went to “Stand By For Breaking Shews,” a group made up of WUSA-9 staffers, although they had competition from runners-up “Name Sum-day We’ll Come to our Census” (from, duh, the Census Bureau) and the “Rickety Splits” from AARP Magazine.