alligator attacks someone training for triathlon…
Mostly i swam in gulf, do wonder about that man made lake in sarasota where some tri’s are held
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When I did FL 70.3 in 2016 alligators were all I thought of for the whole swim. I hope the guy recovers - that would definitely make me not do any ows in FL lakes.
As a lifelong midwest resident I have no idea what the actual risk is of swimming with alligators is but they freak me the hell out.
Something about that reptilian brain reminds be of a Terminator.
They’re out there, they can’t be bargained with, they can’t be reasoned with, they don’t feel pity or remorse or fear, and they absolutely will not stop… EVER, until you are dead!
do wonder about that man made lake in sarasota where some tri’s are held
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The very 1st year they held the itu race there in 2014 they were paving the road the morning of the race. The venue was that new……so at the pro meeting the RD goes “we drug the entire lake and found 14 alligatorsâ€â€¦.one of the pros from Georgia who grew up in swampland goes “I worry about the 2-3 you didn’t pull outâ€â€¦.that kinda got a nervous laugh from everyone.
no one got bite that weekend
I think things like this are pretty rare. Lots of tri’s in Florida have lake swims. From what I’ve been told, as long as you don’t swim at night you should be fine.
Man, it actually looks like he goes right at his head. Hopefully it wasn’t!
I just watched a video on FB of a shark swimming in close to beach hanging out around people who are wading in the water talking and had no idea the shark was there. It was also caught on a drone. If drones don’t already have some type of alarm on them, they need to add it-so bystanders can be alerted.
Having raced the Great Floridian multiple times , swimming in Lake Clermont people would always say Gators are in the water.
Not a great feeling but oh well they will not get a 1,000 people until I watched the migration of the Wildebeest and realized that the crocs just love waiting in the Mara and Grumeti river to slaughter the masses.
Great fun thinking about this on the swim oh gators are not like croc still did not work.
I’m in SC and all of our local lakes have gators. A month or so ago the lifeguards tried to move one away from the swim finish, it was right on the course. The conventional wisdom is they won’t bother you if you don’t bother them…and remember, you don’t need to out swim the gator, just the snack next to you.
You know I’ve always tried to block out ocean swim risks mentally, but I don’t think I could block out alligators or crocodiles.
In a Florida in land swim you don’t have to be the fastest, just don’t be the slowest
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I would have no problem doing a tri in a potentially gator filled lake in Florida. Gators will stay away when there’s a lot of people. Also wouldn’t have any issues swimming in lakes that make a business out of it, like Lucky’s. Once again, strength in numbers and gators are used to people being there.
What I wouldn’t do is swim in just any ‘ole lake by myself or with a small number of people.
I train in Sarasota during winter and have seen mostly smaller gators in Benderson where tris are held. Great venue for rowing. I did see a large gator, maybe 10-12 feet nose to tail, basking in sun last March right next to 2000 meter bike path that is closest to lake. I got to about 15 yards or so from it. Folks will then report and Benderson Development apparently does something because they are not visible days later. So much rowing activity there, not sure if gators like that much activity. But other lakes in FL that could be very interesting.
We did a couple different training vacations in Clermont, FL (2016 and 2017). Second time we rented a cute AirB&B across the street from Lake Mineola. I enjoyed riding and running in that area especially running along the lake. And loved the sunsets from the porch. But no way did we swim in the lake. My husband was more frightened of alligators than myself. Coming from a far northern state, we don’t know much about them. We swam in the NTC pool instead. Floridians/locals thought our fear of alligators was silly. At least the few we met. One morning we did see a group of swimmers doing short laps in Lake Mineola off one of the parks. We watched them for a while in awe. I’m sure they knew the area and were safe. But I still didn’t have a desire to join them. Would I swim a lake triathlon on FL? Maybe. I figure with that many people in the water, the alligators are going to avoid the chaos.
I swim in the lake at Clermont every year. I should not have watched that .
I would have no problem doing a tri in a potentially gator filled lake in Florida. Gators will stay away when there’s a lot of people. Also wouldn’t have any issues swimming in lakes that make a business out of it, like Lucky’s. Once again, strength in numbers and gators are used to people being there.
What I wouldn’t do is swim in just any ‘ole lake by myself or with a small number of people.
Also live in Florida, and this is basically my thoughts too. Pretty much everybody of water in Florida has a gator in it. But they ain’t messing with people, and certainly not a mass of people. But alone in a strange lake, nah, hard pass.
I remember when I did Miamiman 70.3 in Nov 2018 and walking into the swim venue was a sign like this…but covered…
hope he recovers well-
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Out of all the lake swims I’ve done in Florida, that one was the least worrisome, I think because there were so many people swimming at once. Plus I remember that lake being fairly clean/clear.
I remember when I did Miamiman 70.3 in Nov 2018 and walking into the swim venue was a sign like this…but covered…
hope he recovers well-
Yup. That was my first 703. Had me really thinking “what have I done?!?!?”
Lake Minneola there is used every single day for recreation and training. As long as you stay out of the weeds at the end area, it is usually seems pretty okay. Lake Louisa where the USAT national events have been held has always seemed a bit more sketchy. I have swam in both many times and it is something you have to be aware of but for as often as people are in there, it doesn’t seem terribly high risk.
I would have no problem doing a tri in a potentially gator filled lake in Florida. Gators will stay away when there’s a lot of people. Also wouldn’t have any issues swimming in lakes that make a business out of it, like Lucky’s. Once again, strength in numbers and gators are used to people being there.
What I wouldn’t do is swim in just any ‘ole lake by myself or with a small number of people.
Nothing 56 degree water wouldn’t solve. No gators in Alaska.