For the past 21 years, the Ohio Republican has run in 88 marathons.
Schmidt got her daughter enthused by bribing her with promises of gifts if she completed the race. Emilie walked her first marathon in Hawaii in high school, finally finishing after six hours.
“I went to the hotel, took a shower and came back to the finish line to see her finish,” Schmidt said.
That focus on family also animates her next big goal for her marathon career: finishing her 100th. She’s planning to make it the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon so her family can watch.
Schmidt, who runs on the National Mall every morning that she’s in Washington, has also brought lessons from her marathons to her legislating.
“As frustrated as you might be by the timing of it — it might be a year or a decade to get it passed — that’s the nature of the Hill, and that’s like a marathon,” she said. “You have to have patience, and you have to have the discipline to get things finished.”
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
