Unfortunately there was another death in Wisconsin:
www.jsonline.com/.../53884077.html
There are a couple of questions that come to mind.
What is the death rate per swimmer/mile in USMS sanctioned open water events vs the swim portion of USAT events?
Of the deaths, what percentage are health (e.g., heart attack) vs. "in over your head" issues?
Right now, triathlon related deaths are in the press in Wisconsin, so it may be more an issue of visibility than anything else.
Other than certifying the capability of each swimmer before the race, what can be done to ensure the safety of participants? I'm not an open water swimmer at all - give me a 50 in an 80 degree pool - so I'm probably the worst person to give an opinion on this. USMS has a pretty good track record, so we must either be attracting the right group to our swims, or we have safety measures in place that prevent the drownings.
That's really sad...aren't there emergency floatation devices on the market for swimmers? I suppose they are too bulky to use in competition?
Unfortunately there was another death in Wisconsin:
www.jsonline.com/.../53884077.html
There are a couple of questions that come to mind.
What is the death rate per swimmer/mile in USMS sanctioned open water events vs the swim portion of USAT events?
Of the deaths, what percentage are health (e.g., heart attack) vs. "in over your head" issues?
Right now, triathlon related deaths are in the press in Wisconsin, so it may be more an issue of visibility than anything else.
Other than certifying the capability of each swimmer before the race, what can be done to ensure the safety of participants? I'm not an open water swimmer at all - give me a 50 in an 80 degree pool - so I'm probably the worst person to give an opinion on this. USMS has a pretty good track record, so we must either be attracting the right group to our swims, or we have safety measures in place that prevent the drownings.
That's really sad...aren't there emergency floatation devices on the market for swimmers? I suppose they are too bulky to use in competition?
