Correct. I am one of those people. 46 YO male (at the time), well over 100 races, All American 45-49AG, usually near the pointy end. No known risks. No history. No warning signs. A nice training run on the big island turned into "the end"... face down in cardiac arrest. Game over. If that was a swim (which I was planning on swimming from the beach later that day)... life would be over. I was VERY fortunate that an ex-military medic was out for a walk and found me, started CPR, etc. But... for the purpose of this discussion, we can just consider me as part of the list.

There is risk in living life. Swimming, Biking and Running raise that risk slightly. Events/races can be dangerous.

Should it cause anyone to "not race" because they fear something might happen? Hell no. And if there is anyone that should fear getting in the water... it's me. But I still line up with my toes on the beach, overcome the fear, I keep pushing forward. I could just sit at home and watch TV, but that isn't the life I want to live. Do I think I am being reckless?.. No.

Should you take care of your health and be in tune with your body and keep up on relevant medical tests? Yes. Will that mean nothing will happen to you? No.

So what do we do? You wake up every day and live that day to its absolute fullest. Embrace it, live it, and have no regrets about it. Life is short.

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______________________________________________
Team Zoot

Someone in that list did a pretty reasonable amount of training heading into the race that took their life. Competent swimmer, and did a bunch of open water swims. The race itself had a warm up area and it was an in-water start.

An underlying health condition? Who knows. We simply have not been able to figure out the exact mechanism that triggers a fatal arrhythmia/cardiac arrest in the water. I do agree that warm ups and in water starts should help, at least in theory.

I wrote this article previously to specifically help athletes understand the actual risks of endurance racing (which are small) and the benefits of certain testing-most specifically, coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS).

Actual risk of dying during a triathlon event: ~2/100,000
Risk of old guys like me (>60yo M) dying in tri ~19/100,000

General population risk of dying from a coronary event: ~200/100,000


What Endurance Athletes Need to Know About Heart Health - Slowtwitch.com

I'll add that 'stress testing' is best at looking for significant blockages or to evaluate symptoms that may be due to underlying CAD but the CACS is much better to simply see if there is ANY plaque in the coronary vessels.

I did a quick Google search and found there are definitely OWS races (and practice sessions) where athletes die.

I couldn't find any studies that discussed percentages. Percentages is important because, obviously, 10 people dying in just OWS races vs 10 people dying in Tris is completely different because of the number of participants.

I did find an article from 2020 about the 10th anniversary of the death of Fran Crippen by Bonnie D. Ford. In the article she mentions that she did her own study and created her own database. I looked for an email for her, but could not find one. There's a twitter address, but I'm not on there. Maybe someone can reach out to her and ask her about her database and research.

I also found that the pure OWS participants/family/friends have the same concern Tri participant/family/friends have. That leads me to think they are concerned about it because the number is too high, like in Tris, and it's a mystery as to why it happens.

Interestingly to me, the conclusion of causes looks the same as Tris - too cold/too hot water and not enough warm up. But like Tri, the events don't all match conclusions like this. Some, in both types of races, die at races that people agree is "perfect" for the racers, and at the beginning/middle/end of the race.

Very interesting subject to me, as I agree with those who say, "Never say 'it won't happen to me.' " It might happen to me in my next event.

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Not a coach. Not a FOP Tri/swimmer/biker/runner. Barely a MOP AGer.
But I'm learning and making progress.

Thanks Brooks. Exactly how I was going to reply. I don’t swim masters meets so not sure of the requirements prior to getting on the blocks (ready room etc) but if I could I would swim right up to the start of the race. My warmup may be different depending on the stroke and race distance but I would stay in the warmup pool as long as I could. I am 64 BTW.

Thanks for sharing. This is great stuff.

I've raced Augusta 4x as well and do agree with you that there is a trend for people to target this race that have minimal swim ability. A lot of people show up praying for it to be wetsuit legal as they are banking on that to help them down the river as well.

This makes the third year of my participation in the race that a tragic event has happened during the swim. The past two years someone has tragically died during the swim and in 2019 a man had an event during the swim and survived, though he needed significant hospital and rehab time in Augusta to recover enough to go back to his home state.

I'd like to see them go to wave starts where you begin by treading water, but I just don't know that they will. There are negatives and positives for each method of starting the swim, but even jumping into 72-73 degree water can be a bit of shock to the system, especially when your heart rate is already up because of nerves. Add on to that that you know that you only have 3 seconds before another 3 racers are going to be jumping in and swimming over top of you if you find yourself struggling in front of the floating dock.

Getting back to your point about the heat at Augusta, I've actually heard racers state they are lining up in the front two groups so they get in the water earlier and that way they can avoid some of the heat on the bike and run. It's a bad idea as you are going to get pummeled by the fasters swimmers and that in itself can lead to a panic attack in the water.

In my 4 year experience at Augusta, they seem to be pretty fair about water temp. 2018 and 2019 were borderline and they went with wetsuit optional. 2021 and this year have been well below the 76 degree cutoff. What water temp you find a wetsuit uncomfortable is very individual, though I imagine there are a lot of first timers at the race who have never swam in open water nor in a wetsuit. That gets back to your most important point of personal responsibility. 1.2 miles is a long way, even with the current. You can stand on the bridge over the river and look out at all the buoys placed out and get an idea of just how far it is. At the end of the day we all have to be honest with ourselves regarding our own abilities and our own health.

It was the warmup? I thought it was during the actual Olympic distance race.

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

I went off in the first 2 or 3 minutes. I lined up in the 27 min or less corral.

What are said is 100% valid. There were people in that group who had NO business being up there. So much so, a fellow competitor and I joked about who we saw next to us... They were a 35-minute swimmer on the day, easy.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Sorry, it wasn't race day warm up. I believe it was the previous day before the race during a swim practice. I'm guessing thats why it doesnt show up on this list https://en.m.wikipedia.org/...triathlon_fatalities. I can't remember if it was an official swim practice time slot or if was just unofficial group swim. That Lake Erie swim was probably the worst wave conditions I've ever been in. Only race where I've considered DNF-ing in the swim portion

I did a 70.3 (Chatt), IMMD, an Olympic and a Sprint this year. I am competent but slow AF as a swimmer. (3 times a week in pool (both 25 and 50) and did 6-10 OWS on my own this summer) Chat I was 39 (ish), Maryland 1:27, Olympic I think I went 28 (ish) and I fell apart in the sprint and did somewhere around 25. 100 Yards into the sprint, I was constricted and started to not be able to breathe and then panic set in . I had to engage in some self talk, grabbed a raft for 3-4 minutes, loosened the neck of my wetsuit, and then finished up. The other three races, I got in, I swam, I finished. I still do not know what got me other that the Sprint was the only race that I had my tri-suit ON rather than rolled at my waist inside my wetsuit, I felt constricted, tight etc. and basically struggled mightily. If I was not experienced, and knew deep down with confidence that I can absolutely swim the distance, it might have gone from bad to way worse because I was hyperventilating. I could draw on my experience and had previous PROOF (from the weeks prior Olympic swim) that I was ok. My point is, if you do not have a base or evidence that you are capable, you can get in trouble quickly in the swim. Warm up etc definitely can help, however confidence in one's self is much more powerful.

my .02

It's scary how it can affect anyone, despite fitness level. I remember listening to Joe Skipper discuss being pulled from a pretty cold swim in a race because he had a panic attack. He discussed it again, somewhat briefly, on the September 13th episode of the Triathlon Mockery podcast. If an accomplished pro such as Joe can fall victim to it, I imagine we all can.

And does addressing it here make it more likely to occur next time?

I’m definitely more nervous these days than I was just a few years ago. I have a bit of a history with panic attacks, but I’ve learned to get myself through them. Even in training I try to put myself in that state to practice calming myself down. Is de-escalating the negative self talk death spiral a skill that can be trained?

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

What are the odds of Ironman allowing people to use a Swim Buoy? Maybe start at the end of the race and not be eligible for awards. It would certainly give people peace of mind.

What about aTekraPod? Are they legal?

I’m swimming *almost best ever for me, and after twenty years in a full sleeve with zero issues I’ve decided at 50 (two weeks ago) to go back to a farmer John.

Can’t really describe it, no races this year but at camp and in a race a few years ago just this uncomfortable feeling of constriction and claustrophobia that I’ve never had before.

A friends dad “retired” from triathlon in his eighties and I ended up with his farmer John….what a change in perspective/feelings etc…love it, only issue is no one makes a top end farmer John anymore.

Heart health fine, fitness fine, training load fine, know how to put on a wetsuit fine …give up a couple of minutes over IM in exchange for comfort and enjoyment…all good.

Maurice

I did that same Rev3 race! It was memorable!

I was in the 27 min and under as well and said the same thing to my boyfriend after the race...I passed quite a few people in the first few minutes that had no business being in the 27 min and under group.

Well said

There is an unofficial practice swim at Augusta 2 days before the race that is a good idea for people to do to familiarize themselves with the water ahead of time...IM does threaten in the Athlete guide that anyone swimming in the river before the race is subject to a DQ but there are literally hundreds of people that do the practice swim...I don't see them DQing that many people and I don't see how they can prevent people from using a public waterway...I think they should tone down the message in the Athlete guide and just say there is no official swim before the race and you swim at your own risk.

If an event implies not to swim in the waterway before the event, it's a good idea not to swim in the swim area. Race organizations have all kinds of agreements with cities, etc and so if it's not "allowed" don't do it.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

The liability couched in that idea is insane. The only play for Ironman (to have a reasonable defense) is to 100% prohibit any swimming outside the event. That goes for the bike course, too. Ironman saying "swim at your own risk" is implying that they condone swimming outside of race day.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

I'll chime in here..

This very topic has been on my mind for quite some time, and I feel (finally) it is gaining the traction it deserves. I, too suffer from swim panic attacks on race day that I cannot emulate any other time. I've been racing since 2016, now in my late 40's and am an average swimmer (:35 half; 1:14 full race day PR's). I'm definitely faster solo and can usually beat these times if I'm not surrounded by hundreds of other swimmers thrashing around me. In fact, that's usually when the panic begins - I find myself jumping in, taking a few strokes and suddenly there I am trying to get around slower swimmers right in front, thus causing me to breathe not to my side but straight ahead and sort of "galloping" in order to move forward. There's just too many bodies in the water. I hate running into people, (and I don't like my feet slapped either) and when I do it throws off my swim rhythm. Furthermore when I gallop while maneuvering around swimmers in order to find clean water I end up hyperventilating, and that's when the panic usually starts. From here I end up swimming a makeshift butterfly, and naturally I'll look behind me back at the start line (not recommended) and all you see are swimmers en masse coming toward you. Not good. Throw in the cold water, a constricting wetsuit and it can be a recipe for a DNF. So realizing I have a problem, I began to research how to mitigate these panic attacks. Naturally the mammalian dive complex came up and my plan was to simply train in cold water. Didn't really help. I even began early this season open water swimming in the Pacific on Feb 1, with a water temperature of about 54F. Neoprene cap, ear plugs, wetsuit and a running start right into the water. Yes, the cold took my breath away, but never anything CLOSE to what I've felt on race day in much warmer water temps.

During my first-ever 70.3 (Santa Cruz, 2016) I suffered my first real panic attack that almost caused a DNF. After about 200 yards I simply couldn't breathe, felt like I was gasping for air and I had to turn on my side and sidestroke in order to continue. Eventually I calmed down and found my groove, but this was truly an eye-opener. I tacked it up as being "inexperienced" and went on to compete again next year in Santa Cruz with no panic attack (although the swim was shortened) as well as three subsequent Santa Rosa 70.3's and two full IM's also in Santa Rosa. I recall there was a swim warmup one year in Lake Sonoma for the Santa Rosa 70.3 and I took full advantage of that. Water temp was just below the wetsuit cutoff and I felt the combination of the warmer water plus the swim warmup helped incredibly. Fast-forward to 70.3 St. George last year (May 2021) and I once again suffered a mild panic attack in the water. Sand Hollow Reservoir was pretty dang cold last year and again I found myself in familiar territory sidestroking after about 200 yards until I calmed down enough to finish the swim. The worst was this year at IronMan St. George when something else developed. It seems I may have had SIPE but didn't realize it until after I finished the race. The day prior to the race I practiced on the southwest side of the reservoir (we were not allowed to swim near the start) and had a very nice and comfortable 1:42 pace for about 1,000 yards. The water felt amazing and I was calm and relaxed. Come race day it was another story and I again found myself galloping around slower swimmers and burned my matches way too early. I panicked, sidestroked for maybe 300 yards and finally calmed down enough to finish the swim in 1:16 but was not happy at all with the way this turned out. I wore my buddy's faster BlueSeventy Helix that day and a neoprene cap with the chin strap and felt early on I was being choked by not only the chin strap but also the tighter wetsuit (I was constantly pulling it away from my neck). On the bike portion I began to lightly cough and the mild cough continued well onto the run - and that is when I started to taste that metallic taste when I coughed deep enough. The cough wasn't enough to develop any sputum so I continued and had a pretty good race despite the adverse conditions (hot and windy). It was not until I got back to my parent's house later that night when I began to cough up blood. I continued to cough up blood for a couple more hours and let everyone in my family know and then went to sleep. I never felt out of breath or winded, but this did concern me. The next morning I was completely fine. Now I'm wondering if this was indeed SIPE or simply a long day in tough conditions. I have one more full IronMan in three weeks (IronMan California) and am trying to figure out how to not go through this panic debacle again.

This is how I've always understood it. They usually have an area around the dock marked off with yellow tape. As long as you don't interfere with their efforts to get set-up, you're good to go. As you said, its a public waterway so thy can't really prevent you from accessing it. The unofficial practice swim has been going on for 5-6 years now and I've never heard of anyone getting a DQ for taking part in it.

I see the swim buoy as more of a negative than a positive. All that does is encourage poor swimmers to continue to consider 70.3 and 140.6 events. It also opens up the possibility of people becoming entangled in the ropes/tethers of others. I swam over a number of people Sunday and if they had a buoy in tow then I, or both of us, possibly end up in a bad situation.

I believe the races do allow for the emergency flotation devices that you can wear around your thigh/leg. If you deploy it during the race, you are DQ'd, but it gives you the option of having a buoy on you that has less of a chance of causing issues for other athletes.

The SwimIt is the one I'm more familiar with:
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/...in-depth-review.html