My condolences to the family of that man, and it's so sad that this continues to happen in our sport, with seemingly increasing regularity.

Is this a side effect of increasing popularity, or a direct result of participation in racing? Is open water swimming seeing a similar increase in fatalities?

---

-------------------------------
Ignorance is bliss until they take your bliss away.

Terrible news. Sorry to hear about this.

Is this a side effect of increasing popularity, or a direct result of participation in racing? Is open water swimming seeing a similar increase in fatalities?//

I'm pretty confident i saying that one of the big problems is the lack of a proper warm up before the swim. This race along with many, many others do not allow a good swim warm up. And most people have a lot of anxiety about the swim already. It is kind of the perfect storm, super high HR right at the start, high anxiety and adrenalin rush, and then the scrum of a pack start swim, maybe a couple missed breaths, kicks, water in lungs, and you have a recipe for disaster. I warm up no matter what the RD says, there is always room somewhere. We have talked about this for a couple years already, you would think that the national governing body would get on board, perhaps now..


Really sorry to hear about this person, i have had several calls wondering if it was me. I'm racing tomorrow in that 50+ AG that he was in, and you can bet i will be warming up somewhere in the water, i suggest everyone else racing do the same..

First, I hate that all of these swim deaths are happening. I hope they stop and I sincerely feel for the family and friends of the athletes.

Now, I can't agree with the bolded statement above. I think the greater problem is poor race execution. If you're the type of athlete who needs a deep swim warm up, then take one. If the warm up is denied, then you need to change your race plan/ execution to account for the deficit. For example, if you start the race with the full knowledge that you are cool, you need to make a decision about how to pace the first few hundred yards of the race. Backing off and building into your race is an acceptable solution to the problem.

We have no issues telling people to slow down or back off on the run when the weather is too hot. We have no problems telling people to slow down or be less aggressive on the bike when the course is wet or slippery. This same rule should be applied to the swim as well. This particular race is Nationals. People in the race *should* have some sort of experience in the sport and be able to adjust to the conditions and situations.

I can only hope that when it's my turn to go, I go out doing something I love instead of wasting away in a immobile state of nothingness. If that were to happen, I also hope that my family and friends don't blame the race or the RD. It's most likely not their fault.

---

---

---

Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

ive never been to a race where a warm up was denied. as long as youre out of the water before the first wave then i dont see what the issue would be or way anyone would try and prevent it.

---

who's smarter than you're? i'm!

Excellent points all.

Hopefully the ugly sniping about the lack of "preparedness" will not raise it's ugly head, this being Nationals.

Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of this unfortunate athlete. Nobody goes to a race even remotely thinking that something like this could happen... Such a tragedy.

---

float , hammer , and jog

My prayers are with the family.

I have been to plenty, and of course there is this race and the one in NY a couple weeks ago. Then there is the sprint race in NY, so between these 3 races, 4 swim deaths.

Listen, I'm not saying that not warming up is the cause of the deaths, but it is often a factor. It takes a lot of things to go wrong for one of these cardiac deaths in the water. If it were just one thing, then there would be dozens dying every race. One of the biggest factors is the high anxiety that folks have, and doing a warm up in the water does a lot to lessen that factor. You can tell people all you want to just take it easy, but it is nothing like biking and running. We know the highest HR's in the race are in the swim, and it is the only place where you have metered breathing. We have all known the missed breath, swallowing of water, tight swimming quarters, and the anxiety that it sparked in us. Once you are trapped in a group at the start, it is not so easy to just stop. People feel the need to fight their way out, and this is the point that many get into trouble.

And this can happen to anyone, ability is not a factor whether you are going to have one of these events. It goes up to world class professional swimmers all the way down to the 1st time newbie. I'm very familiar with it as it happened to me. In a lifeguard ocean race 11 years ago i had the perfect storm hit me. I had very low sodium and magnesium levels, was up all night on my 24 hour shift, and hit the race from the classroom without a warm up. For me i was lucky that i made it out of the water, just barley, and got to the emergency room in time for heart surgery to save my life. I was not some ticking time bomb, if i had not raced that morning i would likely be pacemaker free today. But that perfect storm of things that went wrong were in place, and the race was the catalyst for me to damage my heart. I was lucky, many folks these days are not. If this happens out in the field, it is often not noticed right away, and that delay is what causes the drowning.

Just because you've never been to one doesn't mean they don't exist. I can think of a few, Alcatraz being one.

Very sad and condolences to the family.

---

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I turned 53 today and am starting to get afraid to race anymore..................

of course not, i wasnt claiming they dont.

---

who's smarter than you're? i'm!

Plenty of races don't allow a swim warmup. Nations Tri and Florida 70.3 were both like that the year I raced.

---

__________________________

I tweet!

Monty - Good to see you in this thread. I saw the original post just before going off to a swim and was thinking who I know in our AG out there. You, Russ, Scott, maybe some others. Haven't heard from them, but glad one of us locals is OK. Agree with everything you said - swimming poses special challenges unlike any other sport. Stay safe, race well. Condolences to family and friends of the man.

---

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Dan, thanks for keeping this front of mind and for reporting on this issue from your perspectives as a journalist, race director and triathlon enthusiast. My sincere condolences to the family.
-Doug

---

It is the mind itself which builds the body.
-Joseph Pilates

We had just walked over to swim start when he was loaded and taken away. When we walked over to watch bike out they called over the PA for the family of athlete 262 to come to the medical tent. Not sure if it was related but both happened within about 15 minutes of each other. It was the only med tent announcement I heard.

Your logic makes no sense. If a swim warmup area is not offered, athletes simply can't choose to start "at their own pace". It is impossible to know the speeds of athletes around you even after you ask. In a run race, you can start at your pace. In a swim start, people swim over your backs. So the only solution is a proper warmup area or no sanction for your race. All you have to do is put the start line 200m out into deep water....how tough is that?

That is just so sad and heartbreaking, my prayers are with the family

---

Train Harder...Race Faster!
http://www.dbmnutrition.com

this is very sad. is there any data out there that shows what the trend/increase is? or is it that more people are using social media, so we are just more aware of these unfortunate incidents?

I agree warmups will help to an extent. There is also something else about the swim that is stressful. I'm a competent swimmer and am normally a very calm person. I never panic about anything, yet I've felt panicky in at least 4-5 swim starts (some mass, some waves). Take someone who is more prone to panic and is slightly less comfortable in the water and their stress level will be significantly higher than mine (which was super stressed). The people who swim my pace (1:05+ over 2.4 miles) are not fast enough to clear the main pack, but are fast enough to be super aggressive/intense. There are also usually many people in that group who are not competent enough to swim straight, so you can get swum over a lot in random places where you are not expecting it.

to add to the no warm up list the 3 biggies that stick out in my mind all with swim deaths
IM Louisville
IM NY
NYC Tri

---

---

Dynamic Athlete ProgrammingVIP Endurance Racing | Like us on Facebook Get Your Training Plan Here

Dev, I really want to agree with you but there are a plethora of different swimming abilities in a race. Not everyone gets swum over because they are slower. Not everyone holds the same pace in the water. People are not forced to start off in the first line. Ir right in the middle of the group. We have a lot more control over our swim strategies than your post suggests.

---

---

---

Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

I raced there today. I wasn't aware of the death until seeing this thread. My deepest condolences to the family.

Just to add some facts, athletes could get into the water 13 minuts before their wave went off. I felt there was plenty of time for a proper warmup, however, others may have chosen to spend more time on the pier.

The conditions, especially in the first several waves, were pretty rough. Big swells, lots of chop, tough to see buoys, much less navigate. There were several strokes where I went for water, only to find it wasn't there as I was being tossed around. I saw multiple athletes holding on to kayaks or buoys.

I don't know if the conditions got easier after that, though a few spectators I spoke with thought so.

My heart goes out to family and friends grieving over this. I really don't know what to say.

---

M
-----
'tri or tri not, there is no du' - yoda

Terrible news on all accounts, I hope the triathlon community can get to the root of the problem to try & prevent this...

Very sad .

Thom

---

Slowtwitch bitchist place on planet earth

My condolences to the family.

There, however, was a swim warmup offered and while it was only ~ 10 min I found it acceptable with a run before hand so the HR is already up a bit. On the other hand the swim was very tough and it's a rare day that I consider a swim difficult.

Good luck tomorrow monty.

Cheers,

---

Michael J. Pelechaty
Brewer, Black Box Brewing Co.

"Yeah, I was depressed for a little while, but then I remembered how awesome I am."