The countdown has officially begun. In 100 days, our nation’s leaders will walk, jog, run and sprint to help raise funds for young Americans at the ACLI Capital Challenge road race.
Hundreds of competitors from the three branches of the federal government plus media organizations will compete in the three-mile event on Wednesday, May 17, in Washington D.C.
Trophies and bragging rights will be at stake. Make no mistake – Washington’s leaders do like to win. They also like to compete for a good cause.
Funds raised from the ACLI Capital Challenge go to Junior Achievement USA. Last year, ACLI donated $75,000 to Junior Achievement to support its financial education and literacy programs, which serve more than 3.3 million students in all 50 states.
ACLI also hosted Zoom calls between members of Congress and Junior Achievement students from their home districts where they discussed the importance of financial education.
Through our long-standing partnership with Junior Achievement, life insurers are helping to provide students with important personal finance life knowledge and skills. This is vital because research shows that improved financial education can help close the racial wealth gap.
The ACLI Capital Challenge is a fixture in our nation’s capital, dating back to 1981. Many Washington notables have run in the race multiple times, including Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who has competed 16 times. Every person who has participated 10 times or more is honored in the new ACLI Capital Challenge Hall of Fame. The late Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) ran in the race a record 31 times between 1981 and 2012.
More recently, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) claimed the titles as the fastest members of Congress in 2022. In five ACLI Capital Challenge races, Rep. Gallagher has never lost to another member of Congress. Sen. Sinema has never lost to a female member of Congress in seven races, when healthy. The only two years she didn’t win was when she was injured and walked in a protective boot.
Sen. Sinema also had the fastest Senate team last year, while Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) had the fastest House team.
We hope they all return for this year’s race to defend their titles. We are eager to see them on May 17, along with other returning competitors and several new faces representing the 118th Congress, the Biden Administration, the judiciary and the media.
Susan K. Neely was President and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), the nation’s leading trade association determined to help families live better lives by achieving financial security and certainty. As president and CEO, Neely drove public policy and advocacy on behalf of ACLI’s member companies that represent 93 percent of industry assets and serve 90 million families. She is CEO Emeritus through December, 2024.
