The 2nd District: all about running

Howard Wilkinson reports:

Democratic congressional candidate Victoria Wulsin, as part of a push to get incumbent Republican Jean Schmidt to commit to a series of debates, challenged the congresswoman in her own sport Monday, suggesting they take each on in a 5-K charity race next month.

“If she whips me in a foot race, then I want to totally whip her in the debates,’’ said Wulsin, who said she has run in a 10-K race and crossed the finish line.

Schmidt, a marathoner who runs at least six miles a day, declined the 5-K, a run of a little over three miles, and upped the ante – challenging Wulsin to run with her in a half-marathon later this month in Morrow, a run of about 13 miles.

Barry Bennett, Schmidt’s chief of staff, said the 2nd District congresswoman can’t run in the Sept. 10 Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, a charity event raising money for breast cancer research, because she will be running 20 miles that day to train for an upcoming Columbus marathon.

He said Schmidt suggested Wulsin enter the half-marathon event in Morrow Schmidt will be running in on Aug. 27.

The Wulsin campaign passed on that suggestion.

“Vic will be running to end breast cancer in the 5-K while Jean Schmidt is out training for a marathon,’’ said Ady Barkin, communications director for the Wulsin campaign.

The Wulsin campaign issued the challenge to call attention to their earlier demand for public debates in all of the 2nd Congressional District’s seven counties – a proposal that the Schmidt campaign says is impractical.

Bennett said he expects that there will be “several” debates between the two in October, after Congress has gone into recess.