Just moments after being confirmed on Thursday to be the United States’ top envoy to China, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said he was considering running the Beijing marathon in October. “I’ve actually got my eye on the Beijing Marathon,” he said on the floor, noting his longtime affection for running.  

Baucus likes to hoof it. He made headlines in the 1990s when he walked the length of the Treasure State, more than 800 miles. In 2003, he ran a 50-mile ultra-marathon. It was during that 2003 race that he fell and banged his head. The bruising on his face when he returned to work was ghastly. He eventually had to have surgery to fix some bleeding in his skull, which stemmed from the injury.  

Nearly 11 years later, Baucus doesn’t sound like he’ll seek out anything more than the standard 26.2 miles. He even joked on the floor that he might need to settle for the half-marathon in Beijing.

That might not be such a bad idea. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who came to the floor after Baucus was done signing off, reminded him of the horrific pollution levels in Beijing, which come from monitors “on top of the U.S. embassy.”  

Word of advice for the new ambassador: If you run, you might want to don a mask, as many marathoners there do. And watch where you step. Because of the lack of public facilities, many runners urinated on the walls of the Forbidden City last year.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymxTObS2fwo  

No shame in the half-marathon, 9K, or mini-marathon (4.2K), senator!