If anyone can provide some factual info on the following I’d appreciate it. I am not making any judgements or drawing any broad conclusions, just interested, as much as possible, in getting a base of facts. This has been a tragic summer for the families and my sympathies go out to everyone involved.
I have done all of these races except for Pewaukee, and feel that the respective RD’s do a good job.
So…
-Has it been determined that all these deaths were heart-related?
-Has drowning been the the primary cause of death in any of the instances?
-Were all wearing wetsuits?
-Were the wetsuits fullsuits or sleeveless?
-Did any of the deceased have any known (prior) heart conditions?
-Did any/all the deceased expire at the race venue or did any survive to the emergency room/hospital?
-What was the respective experience level of the deceased?
-Were there any known commonalities in all the cases? Water temp? Size of swim wave? Relative body weight of the deceased? etc…
I have a great sense of respect for the loss that has occurred and am wondering if any productive knowledge base can come from this. I’d appreciate it if we could refrain from any unproductive comments or judgements. If anyone has any other questions, please post what you think might be relevant to the issue. Thanks.
My understanding of the recent death in Winneconne is that the woman was doing backstroke the entire race and never had her head under water. Prelim results of autopsy were reported as inconclusive but if it were drowning, the evidence of that is pretty clear. Responding life guard reporting no evidence of water in initial clearing of airway. Inexperienced triathlete. Other info from life guard makes heart condition unlikely from my untrained POV. CPR performed as soon as swimmer in position to do so, before even the CPR kit with air dams arrived (breaths were directly into mouth, per my old Red Cross training). Have not talked to life guard extensively, she is out of pocket this week, but her mother has relayed relavent info. Not sure where/when the call to cease resuscitation efforts was made. EMTs took over for life guards on CPR and I presume efforts were still going on during transport.
Just a local (WI/IL) triathlete looking to see if there are any lessons that can be learned from these events. No hidden agenda etc. just thoughts that have occurred to me as I have looked at all the coverage of this. We have MANY new people coming into the sport in this area and if there is any new knowledge that can perhaps keep these things from happening…well, maybe something positive can come from it.
From a personal standpoint, I am very interested in what type of wetsuits were being used.
Thanks. Not an attorney…American History teacher who has raced for 25 years in the area. Lots of podium finishes in the local races, but I have also just turned 53. While my most recent physical a year ago was very good, I am interested in heart-related issues, as there is some family history.
Thanks. Not an attorney…American History teacher who has raced for 25 years in the area. Lots of podium finishes in the local races, but I have also just turned 53. While my most recent physical a year ago was very good, I am interested in heart-related issues, as there is some family history.
Mark,
Please be aware that the gentleman who passed away at Devils Lake in '07, Dan, had an extensive family history of cardiac-related issues. Dan was well aware of this, but chose to be active and live a fit lifestyle. I believe his dr’s speculated that Dan bought himself more time on this earth by choosing to be fit and healthy, versus being more cautious and sedentary. So, please take good care of yourself, and get regular checkups!
I am on vacation in Florida and have really wanted to try my wet suit. I have used it in the pool but wanted to give an open water a try.
The water is warm and air is hot. So probably would not use a wet suit in these conditions. But I was surprised how fatigued I became. I was surprised how tiring my arms became.
I would imagine there are people going out and swimming in wet suits without sufficient practice. Even people, such as me, that recently completed a HIM. An event without a wet suit.
Lesson learned for me is that I have a lot of work to do in the wet suit before using it in a race. The problem for me and probably others is that there is not place around me where I can use it.
It’s the Jim Fixx paradox: If you exercise, you are likely to live longer without having a heart attack, but the heart attack that gets you is likely to come while you are exercising. Lots of sedentary folks see that the person died exercising and assume that the exercise is what killed them, and don’t realize all the years it added.
Due to poor swimming skills. Should have never been in the water. Once race I did last year there was over 100 drop outs due to rough conditions. She still would have been alive today if she didn’t have this crazy idea of doing a triathlon. It’s the cool thing to do these days.