Announcement from the race director. I couldn’t find any other primary sources.
I’m really shook up about this. I know there’s been a few discussions about this in the past, and why so many folks have heart attacks during the swim vs a run, or ride- but Saturday was basically perfect conditions. Warm air, warm water.
I’m only 33, but is there anything I can do to proactively minimize something like this happening? Is there something innate to open water swimming that puts you at an increased risk of heart attack as opposed to other forms of cardio? Or am I creating a spurious correlation where isn’t any?
Anyhoo, I’m gonna go on a run now, try to process this and hope nobody drives through a red light while checking their phone…
Announcement from the race director. I couldn’t find any other primary sources.
I’m really shook up about this. I know there’s been a few discussions about this in the past, and why so many folks have heart attacks during the swim vs a run, or ride- but Saturday was basically perfect conditions. Warm air, warm water.
I’m only 33, but is there anything I can do to proactively minimize something like this happening? Is there something innate to open water swimming that puts you at an increased risk of heart attack as opposed to other forms of cardio? Or am I creating a spurious correlation where isn’t any?
Anyhoo, I’m gonna go on a run now, try to process this and hope nobody drives through a red light while checking their phone…
Yes… it happens. I am one of the lucky ones… I went into cardiac arrest in Feb during a training run, so thankfully not in the water. I am still here:)… managed to survive via bystander CPR, a few AED shocks, amazing medics, a life flight to the trauma center, a great team of doctors and a miracle.
Start here: What Endurance Athletes Need to Know About Heart Health - Slowtwitch.com
I have seen many posts like these over the years with their follow-on discussions and hope for understanding. I do not think anyone knows why swimming is special in its association with deaths at races. There has been speculation threads that it may be related to cold shock response, but I am not sure that has been definitively identified as a common cause.
I do not think anyone knows why swimming is special in its association with deaths at races.//
Actually, if you followed all those threads over the years, you would see that we pretty much know why this happens almost exclusively in the swim in a triathlon. And its not just one thing that happens, or one thing you can do to help prevent it. It is a basket of things that contribute, but they are pretty much all known. Many doctors and other experts have been studying this for over 20 years now…
The man who died was George Wendt who was a pillar of the Chicago-Area Masters swimming community. He held numerous age group records in the 400 IM, 1650, and 1500 as well as multiple national championships in the 5K. He will be greatly missed by many swimmers.
I have been following the threads (but not for 20 years), and the the only common cause I have recently seen discussed is cold shock syndrome. And I am aware that doctors and experts have been studying for a long time, but I do not recall seeing consensus anywhere. And the only recommendation I recall is a general push to do swim warm ups.
What are the causes you know that are causing swim deaths? What are the preventative recommendations you know to address the causes? The other bigger mystery question that does not seem to have an answer is why are the deaths disproportionally happening in the swim versus the other two events?
I have been following the threads (but not for 20 years), and the the only common cause I have recently seen discussed is cold shock syndrome. And I am aware that doctors and experts have been studying for a long time, but I do not recall seeing consensus anywhere. And the only recommendation I recall is a general push to do swim warm ups.
What are the causes you know that are causing swim deaths? What are the preventative recommendations you know to address the causes? The other bigger mystery question that does not seem to have an answer is why are the deaths disproportionally happening in the swim versus the other two events?
There was a guy who practiced swimming in a pool at friend’s house and he died in one of the Ironman races. Sometimes people underestimate OWS especially in a wetsuit and/or in the ocean.
They swim well in the pool but they haven’t experienced all different elements of OWS, so they panic and tragedy happens.
As Monty said there are a basket of causes for Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema to occur. The ones that have been identified are:
Little to no warm up before the swim
In a wetsuit before the start of the race or a wetsuit that is too tight
Cold water
Fast start
Anecdotally, I can add male. There have been a handful of women in races who have recognized that something was wrong, listened to their bodies and stopped. They lived.
Regularly schedule an annual physical and research some proactive testing and assessments you can recommend to your physician to make sure you are healthy.
I just had some routine blood work reveal that I have congenital high cholesterol. Even on an extremely low cholesterol diet I have had ridiculously high cholesterol. Wish I had found out 5 or 10 years ago. Probably could have just asked for a lipid panel, no problem.
I have been following the threads (but not for 20 years), and the the only common cause I have recently seen discussed is cold shock syndrome. And I am aware that doctors and experts have been studying for a long time, but I do not recall seeing consensus anywhere. And the only recommendation I recall is a general push to do swim warm ups.
What are the causes you know that are causing swim deaths? What are the preventative recommendations you know to address the causes? The other bigger mystery question that does not seem to have an answer is why are the deaths disproportionally happening in the swim versus the other two events?
There was a guy who practiced swimming in a pool at friend’s house and he died in one of the Ironman races. Sometimes people underestimate OWS especially in a wetsuit and/or in the ocean.
They swim well in the pool but they haven’t experienced all different elements of OWS, so they panic and tragedy happens.
Stop with this baloney explanation, it’s always comes up in these threads and has been shown to be worthless. Studies have shown that the majority of these swim cardiac events happened to experienced swimmers. This gentleman was a very experienced swimmer. Don’t think you can train yourself out of a cardiac event if you have whatever underlying heart condition it is that contributes to these.
Agreed - get a full blood panel done that looks at everything from cholesterol/hematocrit/WBC/and full hormone profile. FYI, dietary cholesterol has zero impact on blood cholesterol levels.
Everyone is different. In this case, George was a very accomplished masters swimmer so it seems like it might have been unpreventable as sad as that is to say.
I’ll admit I came into this thread cynical. I think why we hear about so many swim deaths is it’s easier for things to go sideways fast in the water.
If someone passes out, they can drown.
The opportunity exist to get kicked in the head and knocked out.
People generally don’t swim enough open water. It’s disorientating and panic attacks happen.
Condolences to family and friends. When I swam Big Shoulders in ‘19 I remember being able to get a quick warmup. Glad I did because the water was freezing. I’m disappointed to read that there will be no warmup at St George. I thought the biggest lesson learned in all these swim/cardiac events was to get the heart rate up and acclimated to the temperature.
I did the swim but didn’t find out about it until later in the afternoon.
As previously mentioned he was a pillar in the chicago swim/OWS community. I didn’t know him but my cardiology/swimmer friend has known him for decades and is heart broken.
FYI, he didn’t swim in wetsuit (speedos), he was warming up ~sunrise), he was in his 70s, water temp was ~70F
The man who died was George Wendt who was a pillar of the Chicago-Area Masters swimming community. He held numerous age group records in the 400 IM, 1650, and 1500 as well as multiple national championships in the 5K. He will be greatly missed by many swimmers.
I used to swim with George at UIC masters program. Aside from being incredibly fast, he was always smiling, full of energy and really warm/welcoming to everyone at in the program.
I did the swim but didn’t find out about it until later in the afternoon.
As previously mentioned he was a pillar in the chicago swim/OWS community. I didn’t know him but my cardiology/swimmer friend has known him for decades and is heart broken.
FYI, he didn’t swim in wetsuit (speedos), he was warming up ~sunrise), he was in his 70s, water temp was ~70F
He had a MI per swim swam article: https://swimswam.com/…-big-shoulders-race/
Certainly it is always sad when a person dies but the man died doing what he loved to do. That’s the way I want to go, balls to the wall until all of sudden you can’t go anymore, and you just die at peace. Also, just for general info, these things don’t just happen in OW but also happen on occasion at Masters meets in the pool. I went to the USMS nationals a few yrs back and there was a guy similar to George Wendt, e.g. long time swimmer in his 70s. The guy was 3rd in his AG in the 100 IM, 2nd in 200 IM, but then in the 400 he passed out pushing off on the first length of breaststroke and sank to bottom of the pool. They hauled him out, did CPR, etc, but he died. His wife of 50 yrs was quoted as saying that well, he died doing what he loved to do most. So, sure, take all the precautions but eventually we are all going to bite the bullet one way or another. Maybe you’d rather die at home in bed with all your family around but as for me, I’d rather die doing a hard swim.
When guys like Mr. Wendt can have a heart attack during a swim and Tim O’Donnell can have a heart attack during the bike, it just goes to show that no amount of cardio training and healthy eating is going save you from your inevitable death. You can do everything right and still lose. You can drive your car perfectly on the highway, yet some drunk or inattentive idiot can still come along and kill you and your whole family. You can try as hard as you possibly can, and it still won’t be good enough. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Moderation seems to be good advice, but in the end…you better have gotten out there and done exactly what you wanted to do with your life, lived well, enjoyed the things you enjoy, and not lived paralyzed by the fear of the knowledge that today might well be your last. Personally, I am a warrior by trade, so I follow the code outlined by Tsunetomo Yamamoto in his Hagakure:
“If by setting one’s heart right every morning and evening, one is able to live as though his body were already dead, he gains freedom in the Way.â€
I did the swim on Saturday and on the second lap I could clearly see the ambulances and firetrucks on the lake wall as I swam the final leg. I was hoping it was precautionary or a vehicle accident. It is pretty scary to think about and makes you appreciate how lucky we are. There is solace in knowing he was doing something he loved.
