Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has Adele to thank for his successful finish at the Chicago Triathalon on Sunday morning. The former White House Chief of Staff to President Obama credited the British singer for fueling his work out sessions while training for the three-leg race, which includes a .75 kilometer sprint, a 22-kilometer bike ride and a 5-kilometer run. He came in ninth for his age group, completing the swim portion in one hour and 36 minutes.
Speaking to Chicago rock radio station WXRT on Monday, Emanuel, whose brother Ari Emanuel is co-CEO at William Morris Endeavor, revealed that Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” was his biggest motivator when it came to training for the grueling race and hearing the song play on the station at 4:40 a.m., as he made his way to the 6 a.m. race, felt like a positive omen.
“We do what my security and I call ‘the blowup,’” he explained to morning host Terri Hemmert (via RAMP). “The windows and sunroof go open, we crank it up, and we sing along with Adele. It was a moment of fate for me.” Hemmert asked what would have happened if the Mayor hadn’t heard the song that morning. “I would have been in the bottom 10,” joked Emanuel.
More than 10,000 people participated in the triathalon, held August 26 to 28 in the vicinity of the city’s famed Lake Shore Drive. The 51-year-old Emanuel competed against 80 in his age group.
