Surprise!

Every year Congress challenges the Executive Branch, the Judicial Branch and the Press to a 3-mile race in the District along the banks of the Anacostia River. Last year my Agency's team won the Second Place Team Plaque for the Executive Division, a big deal because our division has all the service teams (Army, Navy, the Coast Guard etc.).

Our Captain took the First Place Medal for Sub-Cabinet Head, Female. We kicked butt, in other words. (Left: The team in April.)

The winning team, Army, placed two runners in the top five, finishing in second and fifth in the division. Our two top runners got between these two stars and finished third and fourth in the division. (Right: Half a year later. Our rock star Greg, second from the right, was third in the race, next to him is Andy who was fourth.)

What a battle royal that must have been. I was too far back to observe it but it must have been exciting as it played out.

A bonus from last year's race was that American marathoner Meb Keflezighi ran in the race, only three days after he PRed with a sub-2:10 at London. Meeting him after the 3-mile race last year was cool.

Six months later Meb ran away from a world-class field and won New York. (Left: Our Team Captain holds our Runnerup Plaque.)

Meb has been a hero of mine ever since he silvered in the marathon at the Athens Olympics. Now he is the first American male to win a major in decades. (Right: Adrian Fenty on the left, the world's fastest mayor, poses at the 3-mile race with America's current world-beater marathoner.)

Three years earlier our team had done well and finished seventh, when our Team Captain took the Third Place Medal in his age category. We asked the bemedaled Captain from that earlier team to present the current Team Captain with the hardware we we received from the race administrators. (Left: Our former Team Captain on the right, who medaled in the 2006 race, stands with our current Team Captain.)

In a little surprise ceremony today, he presented the Captain with her individual medal and the team plaque. Although surprised, she was very collected and appreciative that we all came by to bestow the swag. It was very cool. (Right: Can't touch this. The first place medal earned last year by our Team Captain.)