Congratulations. The cattle call to bail out of the launch boat looks intense. But no wet suit in sub 60 degree water! Beyond impressive. That's ice cream headache water for sure. (Hypothermia can occur very quickly in 60 degree water if you're not moving around hard enough to work up the body temperature.)
As a swimmer I think most of us would take the plunge without giving it a second thought. But cold grey water with wave chop had to bring a slight level of apprehension to the non-swimmers regardless of their fitness level. In my humble opinion most triathletes are bikers and runners first, and then swimmers.
Over the years there's been speculation that the cause of cardiac arrests and pulmonary edema is somehow related to the wetsuits and lack of blood flow. This is really sad. Hopefully they'll find a way to prevent this from happening in the future.
The cattle call is intense. But if you watch the video, you'll notice that things kind of slow down after awhile. If you're afraid of getting shoved, you hang back a bit, same as with any open water start.
The cold water does hit you very hard, and yes, I kept moving to keep warm. I've got a pretty good internal heater.
Let me be clear, though, I don't mean to say "look how tough I am." I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done what I did in 51 degree water (at least not without acclimation training), and I question whether they should have held the race under those conditions. I just meant to say that the start, while a bit shocking, isn't too bad if you don't try to be the first person off the boat (and if you don't have a heart attack. :( ). Then again, I did grow up swimming in the ocean, so my sense of what is scary might be a bit skewed. You're right that someone who's not really a swimmer, or without much experience outside a pool, might be intimidated.
Alcatraz Race Director Urges Triathletes to Have Medical Tests (article)
Burke said another competitor told him afterward that Ehlinger was nervous before jumping into the water, the director said.
“Based on what I’ve heard, he was very apprehensive and sweating bullets while on the boat,” Burke said. “That’s not a good sign.”
This has got to be nerve wracking start for any athlete.
www.youtube.com/watch
How sad for all who knew him!! Did he do any cold water training?
I did Chicago's Big Shoulders without a wet suit in water temps of 58 - 60 & it takes some getting used to with weeks before swims in the lake! Being "over weight" helps in this temp. of water.
I did it. It's not so bad. But when I did it, it was more like 58-9 degrees. Then again, I had no wetsuit.
Congratulations. The cattle call to bail out of the launch boat looks intense. But no wet suit in sub 60 degree water! Beyond impressive. That's ice cream headache water for sure. (Hypothermia can occur very quickly in 60 degree water if you're not moving around hard enough to work up the body temperature.)
As a swimmer I think most of us would take the plunge without giving it a second thought. But cold grey water with wave chop had to bring a slight level of apprehension to the non-swimmers regardless of their fitness level. In my humble opinion most triathletes are bikers and runners first, and then swimmers.
Over the years there's been speculation that the cause of cardiac arrests and pulmonary edema is somehow related to the wetsuits and lack of blood flow. This is really sad. Hopefully they'll find a way to prevent this from happening in the future.
Water temperatures Sunday were 51 degrees. The race took place about three months earlier than in previous years, but even in June, water temperatures typically hover between 52 and 56 degrees, said race director Bill Burke. Ehlinger was wearing a wetsuit, and Burke said he didn’t believe the cold water contributed to his death.
Without question the cold water contributed to his death. Where did the race director earn his medical degree?
January and February are the coldest months of the year for the bay, according to the National Oceanographic Data Center; the average water temperature in June is 56-58 degrees, significantly warmer than 51.
50 degree water is too cold for someone not aclimated.
I was reading about cold water immersion deaths recently. Most people assume these deaths are primarily caused by hypothermia when that's not actually the case. Many people die almost immediately when entering very cold water due to cardiac arrest. If your body makes it through the initial shock you can actually survive for a long time (well, 30 minutes anyway) in frigid water. Now 50 degrees would be on the high end of "frigid" water--I imagine most deaths are in water very close to freezing--but it's still very cold and obviously potentially life threatening at least for some individuals.
edit: actually this article claims 10 degrees C (50 F) produces the maximum cold water response and reducing the temp to 0 C does not increase the severity of the body's response to cold water: www.webmedcentral.com/.../2426
Based on this I'd say holding an OW race in 50 degree water is playing with fire.
Train for the conditions you are likely to encounter on race day. This was not an extraordinary SF day in March.
Every competitor should have spent some time at Aquatic Park on the day prior to the event. For those who think that the temperature was the big factor here, how do you explain when this happens in 70 or 80 degree water? (and it does regularly)
As an event director who is forced to cancel her SAFE, LITTLE swim due to high insurance premiums, I am not amused by this kind of non-sense.
There are other insurance options check marathonswimmers.org for a discussion on the subject with links to insurance providers.
openwaterpedia.com/index.phpopenwaterpedia.com/index.phpopenwaterpedia.com/index.php
