I understand the foaming. But why is he bleeding from his ears? It doesn't get through the eustachian tubes to the outside unless the eardrums are perforated. Can this happen when someone is bagged during CPR, or did this guy have eardrum tubes... or head trauma?

Man, you see man, it's like the chronic cardio and the corporations are like, totally holding us down man.

They want you to chronically train, they want you to buy their overly-designed shoes man, you're just a cog in the corporate machine man.

Classy organization. Check their home page

http://www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com/

I haven't slept well since, as the brutal water conditions keep playing in my mind. I guess I'm allowing my fear to finally be released now.

Good video showing swim conditions-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smX3YKyYvHw[/quote[/url]]

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Thiose conditions were indeed tough and the cold probrably made them worse but it just goes to show that people really need to start doing some research about just what can happen in a true open water swim.Apart from slower swim times and a little extra fatigue,conditions like those should not trouble experienced open water swimmers too much and races like Alcatraz should not be open to inexperienced swimmers.Period!

The swimmer that comes into shot at 15 secs into that video is a classic example of someone who really should not be out there.

I too agree that no warm up in cold water is an issue of many but that I guess is why so few sign up for events like Norseman.

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Condolences to the family.

But all of you complaining about the conditions.... any of you done any research about air and water temp in San Fransisco before singing up or getting into the lottery?

I've always though that you have to "qualify" for this race and that it was very selective because of its difficulties, regardless if March, April, May...Unbelievable that for so many this was their first triathlon experience!

I am convinced that there is a demand for "hard, epic, difficult" races in triathlon. Such races should be labeled and marketed as such, with proper participants' qualification and experience. These races would still sell out.

It might be worth to consider to have a race difficulty label system (Beginner Friendly, Intermediate, Advanced, etc) and keep the sport appealing and challenging to a vast pool of participants. If every race has to be easy and accessible to everybody, this sport will lose its appeal, to me at least.

Pedalhead wrote:

Those unprepared for adverse conditions in future races ought to think twice the more often harrowing experiences like yours are published. Triathlon swims shouldn't provoke near-death emotions and memories that disturb sleep!

Indeed, newbies to a race like The Escape should be more fully informed of the risks. But let's not leave out of the discussion of risk factors those who have gotten prepared. Triathlon swim deaths seem more common among those with a history of participation. What are experienced participants doing that increases their risk?

Elevation wrote:

I haven't slept well since, as the brutal water conditions keep playing in my mind. I guess I'm allowing my fear to finally be released now.

Is this a good race for first-timers?
A: This race is extremely challenging and we do not recommend for first-time triathletes unless you have experience in similar disciplines, are in excellent physical condition, or have been working out with an experienced trainer or coach. We recommend attending an Escape Academy Clinic if you are training for this as a first-time triathlon or even if you are experience but have never done this particular race before.

Condolences to the family.

But all of you complaining about the conditions.... any of you done any research about air and water temp in San Fransisco before singing up or getting into the lottery?

I've always though that you have to "qualify" for this race and that it was very selective because of its difficulties, regardless if March, April, May...Unbelievable that for so many this was their first triathlon experience!

I am convinced that there is a demand for "hard, epic, difficult" races in triathlon. Such races should be labeled and marketed as such, with proper participants' qualification and experience. These races would still sell out.

It might be worth to consider to have a race difficulty label system (Beginner Friendly, Intermediate, Advanced, etc) and keep the sport appealing and challenging to a vast pool of participants. If every race has to be easy and accessible to everybody, this sport will lose its appeal, to me at least.

I did completed the swim. Escape From Alcatraz was my first triathlon and first time in rough open water. I signed up for the race only a few months ago, on whim, through a charity bid, because I thought it would be a cool way to celebrate my 50th birthday. Plus gain some serious bragging rights to complete one of the world's most challenging triathlons where 80% of the participants are male and only 1% are in my age/gender group of females 50-54. But that kind of whimsical thinking may contribute to why triathlon deaths are on the rise...recreational athletes don't fully comprehend that this is not a staged thrill ride at an amusement park. It is something to seriously think through, research and more than sufficiently train for.

If I had known the valuable info in Oleander's post, I would have never put myself through the Escape's already challenging swim in these Winter conditions. After the race, I learned about the tragic death of a 46 year old participant. I haven't slept well since, as the brutal water conditions keep playing in my mind. I guess I'm allowing my fear to finally be released now. Somehow I kept from seriously panicking out there in the Bay. If I had known that someone died at the start of the swim, I would have never jumped off that boat. About 150 swimmers were plucked from the water and repositioned, 3 times the normal amount. 10 decided not to continue, whereas on a normal year only 3-4 make that call.

I'm not a strong swimmer, only having started Masters Swimming sessions a couple of months ago, and a month before that I couldn't even swim two pool laps without gasping for breath. If I was the race director, I wouldn't let someone like me get on the boat. But I figured that my mental and physical endurance training from marathon running would be sufficient to get away with only 3.5 months to learn how to ride a road racing bike with clipless pedals and swim in rough open water.

But swimming laps in a pool can not prepare you for being shoved around by the strong outgoing currents from the left and then slammed by the 6' swells formed by the 11 mph ocean winds coming in on your right. This information should be provided to the participants that morning so they were fully aware of what was out there and then make an informed decision about whether to continue or not. But the only thing we knew was that the water temperature was 51 and the air temp 52 (last year's race in June the water was 60 and air 70). I had no real idea what "rough" truly entailed under these unusually harsh conditions due to the race being held in winter instead of summer.

I'm sure that Ross Ehlinger initially thought the Escape was a fun and cool challenge, too. He probably planned to proudly show his finisher's medal to his three young boys. Instead, his wife had to witness his lifeless body on the dock while she cried "He said he could do it...", as first responders averted their eyes from the heart breaking scene. This could have been me and my family. Or yours.

So, can another tragedy like this be prevented? Perhaps requiring a signed certificate from your doctor saying that you have cleared a basic physical and appear to have the mental and physical ability to undergo such a demanding undertaking? Maybe a commitment from race organizers to not schedule races during the Winter's harsh swells and immobilizing cold? Proof that you've completed at least "x" amount of triathlons that involved open water swims? If this is your first tri, then a certificate from a swim program/workshop showing that you successfully engaged in an open water swim with currents and swells? The ability to clear a lottery and hand over $400 should not be the only firm requirement to engage in a potentially life threatening activity.

While my previous post in this thread was not directly in response to your post, it certainly was influenced by it. While I can sincerely appreciate both your honesty and your perspective on the topic, it's hard not to point out the immense difficulty in that closing statement.

There are countless potentially life threatening activities or situations I could engage or insert myself into in a daily basis. My commute to work is a potentially life threatening situation. Every single time I head out the door for a bike ride, I'm participating in a potentially life threatening activity.

Consider the waivers that you have to 'read' and sign before registering for races, consider the 4, or was it 5 separate waivers that you had to sign at packet pickup for this race? Consider the mandatory athlete briefings, the multiple, and I stress multiple newsletters that were sent out for weeks prior to this race explaining the course and challenges. How can anyone possible argue that the risks associated with triathlon are less communicated to you than the literally countless more statistically dangerous activities that we participate on a daily basis?

Could the sport as a whole do a better job to communicate risks? Certainly, and as these deaths continue to happen I'd think it inevitable that they eventually will.

However, I will never concede on the point of personal accountability. No amount of education or warning in the world will help if people simply ignore it. Sure, some form of compulsorily medical examination might help by removing the personal choice from the matter, but how is the absurdity of that statement not self-evident? We have to force people to look out for their own well-being? Is self-preservation not the most basic and universal of all instincts?

Any death is a tragedy, and this is no different. But life is full of measured risks, and it's my responsibility to decide which ones I'm willing to take or potentially suffer the consequences.