the dangers of the triathlon swim

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Former Member — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:04:35 GMT

It sure sounds like open-water swimming is a more dangerous organized activity - that's where most triathlon deaths occur. But it's pretty clear that bicycle training is quite a bit more hazardous than swim training. Hang around cyclists and you'll hear about lots and lots of severe injuries (broken bones, severe gashes) and a couple of deaths. This kind of makes sense. The swim portion of a triathlon sounds much more taxing than a typical swim (athletes jostling). But the bike portion sounds safer than training - the route is monitored and even if the route isn't closed off, having lots of bikers around means motorists are more likely to see and avoid them.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

orca1946 — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:23:59 GMT

I also have been hit on my bike,that turned into a hit & run! A lady got his lic. # & I had him arrested & his "high risk pool" ins. company paid big time for every bike repair that the shop could come up with!

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

smontanaro — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:47:40 GMT

But it's pretty clear that bicycle training is quite a bit more hazardous than swim training. I can attest to that. While I have had ongoing tendinitis issues with my right shoulder (and haven't been in the water in quite awhile), I swam for several years with no issues. I commute by bike regularly and have had a number of small crashes in the past year or so, the most recent one being yesterday on my commute home (car didn't see me coming and turned left in front of me). This crash only resulted in bumps and scrapes on my legs, but the previous two didn't help my shoulder issues at all. Skip

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

swimshark — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 07:22:58 GMT

In the article they said the swim portion was cancelled due to rough water, so technically it was a BI-athelon. One suspects that this gentleman may not have made it through the swim, had it been done. Would it be a BI or a DU? The swim was cancelled due to bacteria in the river.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Bobinator — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:54:08 GMT

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Redbird Alum — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:55:29 GMT

We've talked about people dying during the swim. This weekend it happened during the bike. www.washingtonpost.com/.../gIQAaAwbLK_story.html In the article they said the swim portion was cancelled due to rough water, so technically it was a BI-athelon. One suspects that this gentleman may not have made it through the swim, had it been done.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

swimshark — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:12:16 GMT

We've talked about people dying during the swim. This weekend it happened during the bike. www.washingtonpost.com/.../gIQAaAwbLK_story.html

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Allen Stark — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:30:28 GMT

It bothers me that swimming gets so much press for being a dangerous sport. These triathlon swim deaths are extremely tragic and upsetting. As was the death of Fran Crippen. They definitely raise the question of how safety protocols can be improved. But swimming is not a dangerous sport. Thirteen deaths in a 2-year period is a low number. Don't get me wrong--I wish with all my heart the number were zero. But I wonder how many triathletes died in car accidents during that time period. I know a lot of people who have been in bad cycling accidents in the past year. None who have been in a swimming accident. But I see a lot more press on swimming accidents. A few weeks ago, the Arizona Republic ran an article about the dangers of adults swimming alone. There was a spate of adult drownings. Mostly drunk people in hot tubs. All of the deaths had a medication or alcohol component. So the moral of that story is that I shouldn't go in the pool by myself? I'm a bazillion times safer swimming laps by myself than I am driving to the grocery store or, God forbid, cycling in traffic. Good point.I personally know of 3 people who have died biking on training rides.That seems much more dangerous than swimming.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Former Member — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 05:19:16 GMT

There has never been a time when I ventured out into open water (most of the time by myself) that the risks inherent in the sport were not on my mind. However, I must admit in a race I never think of it. Nevertheless, during my preparation for a race I always make sure my training addresses all of the possibilities (good & bad) that I might encounter in the race. When I ride my bike on the road I am always thinking of what I would do when an approaching car "brushes" me off the highway. This has never stopped me from riding but it does spur me on to ride in rural areas. I also don't ride in the rain (unless I get caught out on a ride) because I don't like the risks. However, I am aware of the risks of descending out of the mountains at 40 to 50 mph as well. I understand the risks, and take them because I feel that my training and experience provide a base with which to minimizes the risk. But, as I quantify the risks and minimize them through experience and effort, I am also very aware that if something unexpected happens that it will result in a not insignificant injury. Putting all of that aside, barring a massive heart attack, if a person has an attack on the road they may get beat up by the fall (or actually slow down enough they don't get injured), but there is a good chance someone will be able to get them to a hospital. It is a completely different scenario in open water. It's not swimming in open water that is risky, it's not carrying your cell phone, emergency floatation device and location beacon that is.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Former Member — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:18:32 GMT

... everyone should get an ekg before participating in open water swimming.... In Italy is impossible do this kind of race without a complete EKG, after exhaustion. So...this kind of medical check is absolutely so far than an ironman race... if someone has physical problems maybe the Doctor can't find any

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Former Member — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:38:57 GMT

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Bobinator — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 06:54:06 GMT

The swimmer probably had an unknown heart arrythmia such as a long Q interval. :( Perhaps everyone should get an ekg before participating in open water swimming.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Bobinator — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 06:24:02 GMT

Apparently his heart episode happened 8 minutes into the swim. This article says he did indeed have a long Q episode. I read somewhere else that he suffered from hypertension and probably had a heart attack. The stories don't jive. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As Ironman athletes pack to leave Louisville with the satisfaction of completing another race, many of their thoughts are with the one who won't return home. 46-year-old Mark Wezka of Lancaster, New York suffered cardiac arrest and drowned during competition. His autopsy showed an underlying heart condition. Ironman competitor Mike Manno explains, "It's so sad because this is sort of a health-conscious event. Everyone here eats right and trains hard and to hear of people actually dying during the event -- it's sad." It happened during the 2.4 mile swim through the Ohio River -- the first, and what Manno calls the most intense, part of the triathlon: "When you jump into the water and people are hitting you, it's the hardest part of the race to just calm down and do your race and unfortunately it just seems to get people." Unfortunately, dying during a triathlon is not unusual, but it turns out it almost always happens to triathletes during the swimming portion of the race. Thirteen of the 14 triathlon-linked deaths reported in the U.S. between 2006 and 2008 happened during the swim. A study in the Journal of American Medical Association found these athletes twice as likely to die during competition than marathon runners. Cardiologist Dr. Rita Coram explains it's due to, "something called long QT syndrome, which is an innate abnormality in the electrical system of the heart cell....there's one type that is inherited and if one has it, they wouldn't know about it, but they do have a tendency to go into sudden cardiac death when they jump into cold water." Another competitor, Manuel Sanchez, says, "it takes two to three weeks just to get the human system and whole body to re-energize." Sixty-five competitors from the Louisville competition advance to the Ironman World Championship. Racers say Wezka was part of a culture that you'd have live to understand. Competitor Mark Nelson says, "my heart goes out to his family, but this man died doing something he loved. You can't get any better than that." Ironman is known as the most challenging of all triathlons, with a 140-mile course.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

orca1946 — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 01:03:39 GMT

How can someone that trains for an Ironman have a heart attack during the race? It does not seem as if that should be !

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Bobinator — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:23:41 GMT

There was a death today during the swim portion of the Louisville Ironman. No information available yet except that the victim died of heart failure.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

pmccoy — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:48:35 GMT

This thread gave me nightmares before my triathlon last weekend. I kept dreaming about having a heart attack 200 yards off shore. Irrational fears aside, it's helpful to remember from time to time that any body of water is a hostile environment to humans. When something goes wrong on the bike or run, you can just stop. Even if you fall off a bike at 20mph, you are very likely to survive and have help within a few seconds. On a swim when something goes wrong you can easily panic, take in some water and start making bad decisions. Suddenly, the shoreline looks miles away, the murky water hundreds of feet deep and your already high heart rate spikes. Confidience in the water may push the odds of survival in your favor but it can happen to any of us... not just the newbies.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

jroddin — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:00:19 GMT

I understand that some people have genetic predisposition for heart issues that come out during exercise (think Len Bias). I'm curious as to why the deaths seem to happen during triathlons and not during just an open water swim? I personally have never heard of a death during open water. I wonder what the difference is. Is it the training an OW swimmer does in the water vs what a triathlete does? I come from a family of triathletes. Even at 71 my dad is still competing and both he, my sister and brother-in-law train in the water in preparation for a race (both have competed in pool meets as well). Is the lack of training for OW the cause of these deaths? I remember one fatality during the Chesapeake Bay Swim in the mid 90s (it was just a couple minutes into the start) and I thought there was one this year, too.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Bobinator — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:37:30 GMT

I recently discovered I have a Long Q Interval and am undergoing genetic testing to determine if my arrythmia is the type that causes sudden death with over-exertion. The strange thing is I have never had a symptom. I have been a marathoner (2:54 pr), triathlete, ow swimmer, and pool swimmer all my life. I can easily see how someone could have this disorder and not know it. The only reason I learned of my condition was through the routine ekg my Dr. gives with yearly check-up. I have also learned there is some type of correlation between water and sudden death in Long Q Interval patients. I don't think they really know what it is but it has effected divers, people in the bathtub, and even people walking in shallow water along shorelines. Oh, it is a genetically passed problem as well. :(

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

That Guy — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:19:06 GMT

I understand that some people have genetic predisposition for heart issues that come out during exercise (think Len Bias). I'm curious as to why the deaths seem to happen during triathlons and not during just an open water swim? I personally have never heard of a death during open water. I wonder what the difference is. Is it the training an OW swimmer does in the water vs what a triathlete does? I come from a family of triathletes. Even at 71 my dad is still competing and both he, my sister and brother-in-law train in the water in preparation for a race (both have competed in pool meets as well). Is the lack of training for OW the cause of these deaths? Preparation is probably a factor, but consider the sheer numbers of how many triathletes there are versus open water swimmers. Big open water events like the Chesapeake Bay swim are rare, whereas there are plenty of triathlons that attract thousands of competitors each.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

swimshark — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:58:19 GMT

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

orca1946 — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:25:57 GMT

Pool swimmers do not think open water is any different !!! Wrong !!

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

Former Member — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:21:02 GMT

This just up at New York Times: The deaths of two athletes stricken by cardiac arrest in the Hudson River during the New York City Triathlon on Aug. 7 has focused attention on the dangers of the open-water portion of such events. Officials at USA Triathlon, the sport’s governing body in the United States, said Friday that heightened safety measures were continuing “to be discussed and evaluated,” but that no changes were imminent. I was kind of surprised that there was no certification that triathletes could swim. New York's open water swimming group requires you to swim something like 2.5 miles in a pool, even for a 600-yard swim across the East River: Organizers of the race said last week that they were considering requiring open-water swim certifications from 2012 entrants, as well as certification of a recent medical checkup showing a clean bill of health. But a spokesman indicated that USA Triathlon was less far along on such considerations.

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

orca1946 — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:01:05 GMT

Any large events in any sport will bound to have some bad outcomes. Swimming is just not a sport that you can coast to get your breath back!!!!

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

slknight — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 10:13:50 GMT

Yet another triathlon death during the swim: www.nytimes.com/.../man-dies-during-new-york-city-triathlon.html

RE: the dangers of the triathlon swim

debaru — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:38:58 GMT

I agree with all that you wrote, except the thing on Breaststroke. Performing BS in a pack is kind of selfish. Very safe for the breaststroker, immensely dangerous for those that follow. Being hit hard by a breaststroke kick in the middle of a 3.8 swim can make a lot of damage. If you can't swim the free, take swim lessons and stay away from triathlon until you're clear with it. Hey, if people can swim all over you at the start of race, which can wreak havoc on some folks, swimmers had better be sighting enough to know that someone is swimming directly in front of them, regardless of stroke.