Alcatraz Death

Fred, Thanks for the update. If you could let us know the results of the medical examiner's report when it is available, that would be great. It may help to counter the negativity we participants (and RDs). As to RDs getting flak about "unsafe events", all I can say is that anyone who makes such a charge has no idea what they are talking about. It is simple probability theory. If one out of 10,000 people is likely to die while exercising, then an event that has had 10,000 participants is likely to have a death occur. It is no reflection on the organizers, it is simple math. I understand the "RD's nightmare", but the nightmare is due to the attacks by the ignorant and those in the media who want to create a saleable story. It is not that the RD has somehow failed to exercise due caution. Every OWS, cycling, or running event I have done has been safer than driving to the event. RDs: Hang in there, you do a great job. I couldn't agree more, but by using the phrase "RD's nightmare," I meant only to express sympathy for the race director, not AT ALL to suggest any fault. Exactly the opposite! The race directors I know (in running as well as swimming events) care very deeply about safety. To have something go wrong in a race when one has taken such care to ensure that participants are safe must then be very, very painful--since it's what they work so hard to prevent. If my choice of words suggested that I saw any fault in the race director, I am very sorry, because that was the complete opposite of what I intended.

Fred, Thanks for the update. If you could let us know the results of the medical examiner's report when it is available, that would be great. It may help to counter the negativity we participants (and RDs). As to RDs getting flak about "unsafe events", all I can say is that anyone who makes such a charge has no idea what they are talking about. It is simple probability theory. If one out of 10,000 people is likely to die while exercising, then an event that has had 10,000 participants is likely to have a death occur. It is no reflection on the organizers, it is simple math. I understand the "RD's nightmare", but the nightmare is due to the attacks by the ignorant and those in the media who want to create a saleable story. It is not that the RD has somehow failed to exercise due caution. Every OWS, cycling, or running event I have done has been safer than driving to the event. RDs: Hang in there, you do a great job. I couldn't agree more, but by using the phrase "RD's nightmare," I meant only to express sympathy for the race director, not AT ALL to suggest any fault. Exactly the opposite! The race directors I know (in running as well as swimming events) care very deeply about safety. To have something go wrong in a race when one has taken such care to ensure that participants are safe must then be very, very painful--since it's what they work so hard to prevent. If my choice of words suggested that I saw any fault in the race director, I am very sorry, because that was the complete opposite of what I intended.