rep. adam Schiff completes inaugural D.C. Triathlon

By Christina Wilkie - 06/21/10 07:52 PM ET

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) took part in a very different kind of race this weekend than you’d typically figure a politician would: He competed in the inaugural D.C. Triathlon. 

The lawmaker, who turns 50 on Tuesday, completed a half-mile swim, 12-mile ride and four-mile run all in less than two hours, placing 535th out of a field of 1,136 total contenders. 

Schiff had been training for the competition since February, and all the hard work apparently paid off. “The triathlon was a blast — I really enjoyed it,” he said. 

The former high-school swimmer particularly reveled in the aquatic leg of the race. “The swim ... was organized chaos, with people swimming over me and me swimming over them! I didn’t break any records, but I’d hoped to finish in less than two hours, and it went a lot quicker than I thought — 1 hour, 46 minutes. It’s a very cool sport!”