North Carolina Senator Collapses During D.C. Race

Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP

A North Carolina senator collapsed while running a race in Washington Wednesday morning, but said he was "doing well" after being hospitalized.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, was seen on the ground about 20 minutes into the ACLI Capital Challenge, an annual three-mile race in the southeast part of D.C.

Washington, D.C. fire officials told WUSA that Tillis, 56, never lost consciousness, and was breathing when taken away by an ambulance. Early media reports said he received CPR but in a video statement posted at 9:45 a.m., he said he did not.

"Hey everybody, I'm fine," said Tillis, from a hospital bed. "Just running, and about two and a half miles in, got overheated. No CPR, no special measures.

"See you back on the Hill."

Tillis was elected in 2014, after unseating Democrat Kay Hagan in the most expensive senate race in U.S. history. He sits on the Senate Armed Services, Judiciary and Veterans' Affairs Committees, and is an avid mountain biker.

Several senators, including Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, were planning to run the race, which also includes members of the House, and the press.