Man who died in Pewaukee triathlon had lost 100 pounds in training
By Ryan Haggerty and Tom Held
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_12832591?nclick_check=1
Daniel J. Murry prepared so hard for a triathlon in the Village of Pewaukee that he lost 100 pounds from his 400-pound frame.
He swam and biked nearly every day for about eight months, said his father, Lee.
Murry, 33, was only a few minutes into Sunday morning’s quarter-mile swim in Pewaukee Lake when lifeguards saw him struggling in the water, Village of Pewaukee police and Murry’s father said.
Murry grabbed a flotation device but then lost consciousness and slipped under water, police said. Lifeguards and other rescuers pulled Murry from the water, but he was later pronounced dead at Waukesha Memorial Hospital.
Autopsy results were not available Monday, but Murry’s father said a doctor who worked on his son at the hospital said he suffered a heart attack.
At least seven of Murry’s relatives attended the triathlon, and his sister-in-law also competed in the race, Murry’s father said.
“He was just the kind of son anybody would love,” Lee Murry said. “He was there for you all the time.”
Murry said his son had put on weight while playing football in high school and college and had trouble losing it before shedding 100 pounds in recent months. Pewaukee police said the family had told them Daniel Murry weighed about 400 pounds before starting to lose weight in preparation for the race.
The swimming portion of triathlons tends to be the most dangerous for participants. According to news accounts, more than two dozen competitors have died in triathlons across the country in the last four years, and nearly 80% of the deaths occurred during the swimming portion.
The risk of drowning is compounded by the sudden spike in a competitor’s heart rate at the start of the race, the potential shock from cold water and, in some cases, pre-existing heart problems, said Elaine Gonya, an athletic trainer with the Aurora Sports Medicine Institute.
Last month, Julie Silletti, 54, collapsed and died after finishing the 400-meter swim in the Elkhart Lake Triathlon, her first attempt in a swim-bike-run event. Last September, Daniel Eimermann, 55, of Madison died during the swim portion of the Devil’s Challenge near Baraboo.
Murry was the general manager at the Culver’s restaurant on County Line Road in Menomonee Falls, said Kim Nelson, who owns five area Culver’s restaurants and hired Murry about 15 years ago.
Former employees who worked for Murry called Nelson on Monday after hearing of his death, and regular customers gathered in the Menomonee Falls restaurant to share their memories of him, Nelson said.
“He was so kind and just very caring,” she said. “He was like a brother to all of us. . . . We’re going to miss him a lot.”