That is sad.
Seems like this has gotten more frequent.
Just kind of a bad-news summer.

(not that there's no good news, just that there seems to be more bad news than normal).

God be with her and her family....Link

oooof. Our hearts go out to her and her family.

Would it be possibly to knock someone unconscious accidentally during an OWS? This is one of the things I think about as I'm swimming 2:00 per hundred...

This is sad and very alarming as a newbie, i have been keepin track and there have been a lot of deaths this year and they are all durring the swim!!!!
My thoughts are with her family

So now it's Devil's Lake, Pewaukee, Elkhart Lake, and Oshkosh.

Is there something about WI tris?

Wasnt there one also about a month ago in NY ??

Sad sad news.
Thom

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Slowtwitch bitchist place on planet earth

That sucks heart goes out to her family.

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This is beyond tragic! So sorry for kids who are now without their mother.
I did a race in May where a guy clocked me pretty good in the back of the head on the swim. Didn't faze me, but it was enough for me to believe that if an arm/fist were to connect with the back of someone's head in just the right spot at the wrong time, someone could DEFINITELY get knocked unconscious, and then it's all over. I think many of these cases turn out to be heart issues or undiagnosed pre-existing health problems, and many newcomers get very panicky in the swim with all the commotion and arms/legs flying and their heart rates soar through the roof, exacerbating that pre-existing condition.
Either way, this poor family must be in total shock. My heart goes out to them...

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Add another one in a VT spring tri in June....heart condition during swim.

Very sad to hear this and my thoughts are with her family as well.

I think that's four in Wisconsin this year and I think it is the second for Midwest Sports that puts on a series of triathlons here.

I had to work this weekend so I could do the race, but did one in the same lake earlier in the year and I know it can get pretty choppy out there.

Here's the article in the Appleton paper....

http://www.postcrescent.com/...PC0101/90809018/1979

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"Life is fragile - we are all just a slip or a car crash away from being a very different person."

Three in WI this year. The fourth was last year.

Pewaukee Tri and Oshkosh Tri are both put on by Midwest Sports. Very tragic and very unfortunate, but, please note that the Pewaukee Tri tragedy was caused by heart attack and preliminary reports say the same regarding the Oshkosh Tri, so, should not be taken as an indictment of Midwest Sports. They put on excellent races.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

I didn't mean for it to sound like anything bad about Midwest Sports. I am just curious what the general reaction will mean for them. Or for that matter how any company reacts and responds to a tragedy like this.

As an RD...

how can someone react? We do our best to be sure that everyone is safe, even the people who are in way over their heads. We try to think about every possible scenario. We try to be sure that if we need 10 life guards there are 11.

Bad things happen to good people, both the RD and the person who did not make it past the day. I am VERY VERY lucky that no one has been hurt at any of my events. We have had storms and all kinds of other "kinks" in the mess....we do try our best and I dont know of any RD who does not miss sleep night after night in worry about the "what if's".

I am sorry for them all...and hope the best for everyone involved.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

You guys may remember that we asked for your help there:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...rch_string=;#2037338

This was mentioned by Scott Tinley in a Triathlete Mag in 2008, and there is at least one case of SIPE-related death reported in the literature:
Undersea Hyperb Med. 2005 Jan-Feb;32(1):39-44.LinkOut
Pulmonary edema in scuba divers: recurrence and fatal outcome.

Now, nothing tells us that this was indeed a case of swimming-induced pulmonary edema, but it is a possibility. I'm not able to discuss the details of our findings but the paper we wrote, with lead author Trey, and co-author Katwoman was accepted for publication in a medical journal (so, thanks for your help by the way). After publication, we'll be able to discuss the results.

What would be interesting to know in all these swim-related deaths in triathlons, is if the victims had history of high-blood pressure, were using any type of supplements, or aspirin...

Stay tuned...

Unfortunately, I think it may have an adverse impact. It should not, but, I fear it will. I know Gloria West (RD for Midwest Sports) and know this is exceptionally difficult for her. I had drinks with Sean Ryan (Door County Tri, Green Bay Marathon, etc.) last night and we were talking about the tragedies in WI this year. It is every RD's nightmare and keeps him up at night.

I gave an interview to Tom Held at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal after the death at the Pewaukee Tri. Unfortunately, these tragic deaths are being a bit sensationalized and races are getting some difficult press. Triathlon races are being portrayed as "unnecessarily" dangerous. That is unfortunate. It would be foolish to say there is no risk. However, (and unfortunately) far more athletes suffer catastrophic incidents during training than racing. These training tragedies could be avoided (in many cases), but, they simply get no attention.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

Very bad news, my heart goes out to the family.

A thought on helping to avoid this. I feel the process of throwing a wave of athletes in the water 4 minutes before the start is a problem. I am amazed at how many people swim directly to the line and wait. I make some effort to warm up in the small amount of time available. I still experience an excessive HR in the first 200 meters. All of the athletes should be required to swim around the last buoy or a point 100 meters away prior to the start. Everyone will get to the start warmed up and better prepared for the start. If someone is not ready they will know it if it isn't obvious to the lifeguards.

My 2cents

But there is no guarantee that this will fix the problem. Actually, it's pretty certain that this will not fix it.

Francois, I'm very interested in your research.

Best thoughts to the family, a tragic loss.

As an event director myself, I understand that it's only a matter of *when*. We plan for as much as we can, but there's no training manual for how to deal with the emotional end of things when something like this happens.

Support for the RD...

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http://www.PatGriskusTri.com USAT Certified Race Director
2024 Races: USAT State of CT Age Group Championship/State of CT HS Champs/ CT Club Championship - Sat June 15th (Oly/Du/Sprint) Hopkins Vineyard Tri at Lake Waramaug Saturday July 13th http://www.HopkinsVineyardTri.com

The lead on this research is Trey, not me, although I'm very excited about it, because it's the first time I get a chance to get involved in research that combines my expertise with my passion...nice way to make it non-work :)

can you share your unofficial thoughts at this point, or would that be out of line with protocol?

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http://www.PatGriskusTri.com USAT Certified Race Director
2024 Races: USAT State of CT Age Group Championship/State of CT HS Champs/ CT Club Championship - Sat June 15th (Oly/Du/Sprint) Hopkins Vineyard Tri at Lake Waramaug Saturday July 13th http://www.HopkinsVineyardTri.com

We've looked at a rare disease called swimming induced pulmonary edema and the main goal was to identify key factors. A lot remains to be done and the details can be discussed when the paper appears.

Nothing at this stage can let us affirm that these deaths were SIPE deaths though.