So I received a shocking message this morning that my old college roommate, a fellow swimmer, passed away during a triathlon in Colorado a few days ago. Apparently he had a heart condition (I don't know all the details yet) and is the second teammate of mine to go like that at a young age. He was 40, a husband and father of twin boys, a NCAA All-Americans, our team Captain our Senior year together (we were the only two Seniors), in great shape (an ultra-marathoner), and just an all around great human being. We lived together for 3 years at S. Carolina and had just been in contact about our Alumni gathering coming up. We hadn't seen each other in probably 15 years.
Anyway, I'm a bit busted up and depressed about the whole thing. You just ALWAYS hate hearing stories like this. It really scares the crap out of me too as I have high BP (controlled with prescription) and have had some weird heart stuff going on.
Anyways, I hope it makes you cherish friends and family that much more and know that we never know how much time we have. Live everyday as your last!
RIP Pete Cadwell
Former Member
Thanks everyone. It was due to a heart condition he was seeing a doctor about but had been cleared (to what extent of exercise I don't know) to exercise. He will be missed.:badday:
Wow. I'm so sorry for you. I've not yet lost a close friend my age so I can't imagine what you're going through. Based upon the messages here, you've at least got a virtual community behind you.
That is so sad. So sorry for you and his family. How hard it must be.
I've read that many (perhaps most) such fatalities during open water swimming or triathlons were the result of heart conditions that the victims were unaware of. If you know you have certain heart condition, you are in a better position to prevent it. Please take care.
Jeff, I'm really sorry about Pete. Your post did make me realize I've been lucky in this respect, and I'll be calling a few folks that I've lost touch with. Stay strong.
Sorry for your loss. My best friend growing up passed away at age 35. Blood clot from surgery went to his brain. We had lost touch since high school but it has been one of the hardest deaths I've had to deal with.
Jeff:
I am sorry for your loss. This makes me think that every day we swim we should be thankful for the gift of life. Sometimes we take things for granted and something like this grounds us to reality.
