Another triathlon death in swimming :(

Here is an article by a woman who describes what happened to her during an Ironman race. I am including a few excerpts; the full article can be read by clicking the link. Why I Also Almost Died During the 2012 New York City Ironman Triathlon By Andrea Himmel I wanted to share something about the man who died during the latest Ironman US Championships in New York City, and my personal experience with the same medical condition he suffered from during the race. After a year of training and focusing my life on this race, I had to pull out around mile 56 of the bike ride. I had developed what I learned was a swimming induced pulmonary edema (SIPE), a form of high output heart failure... ....I'm sharing this because I think it's really important for triathletes to understand this "high output heart failure," which has an unusual incidence in triathletes — and results from this perfect storm of some or all of the following variables that are independent of your fitness/training. Use of Wetsuit: It adds additional extrinsic compression to the extremities that shunts blood up to the core Here, I blame the NY Ironman's poor logistics — as this was further exacerbated by the fact that we had to wear the wetsuit for 2 hours leading up to the swim. Temperature of Water: It causes blood to pool into the core and out of extremities, to keep the body warm (cold is anything below body temperature, so don't think this only applies in freezing water). Pressure of Water: Water exerts a much larger force on bodily tissues than air does, and the increased pressure forces blood from the skin, muscle, fat etc into the vessels/circulatory system. Pre-race Adrenalin: It increases cardiac output AND constricts blood vessels moving blood toward the core. Hydration: It increases the volume of blood cells I am not sure what any of us can do with this information given that you can't train to prevent it, but if you are swimming and feel the onset of chest congestion, etc, it should be taken seriously. It starts with just congestion in your chest and coughing up of what quickly becomes copious amounts of frothy, pink, and occasionally very bloody, sputum, and with that you feel a crackling/rattling deep in your chest when you breathe, and over time shortness of breath disproportionate to the exertion. This is possible in warm water, without a wetsuit, etc, so don't write it off you must stop the exertion at that point, and it will resolve itself (mine did)....

Here is an article by a woman who describes what happened to her during an Ironman race. I am including a few excerpts; the full article can be read by clicking the link. Why I Also Almost Died During the 2012 New York City Ironman Triathlon By Andrea Himmel I wanted to share something about the man who died during the latest Ironman US Championships in New York City, and my personal experience with the same medical condition he suffered from during the race. After a year of training and focusing my life on this race, I had to pull out around mile 56 of the bike ride. I had developed what I learned was a swimming induced pulmonary edema (SIPE), a form of high output heart failure... ....I'm sharing this because I think it's really important for triathletes to understand this "high output heart failure," which has an unusual incidence in triathletes — and results from this perfect storm of some or all of the following variables that are independent of your fitness/training. Use of Wetsuit: It adds additional extrinsic compression to the extremities that shunts blood up to the core Here, I blame the NY Ironman's poor logistics — as this was further exacerbated by the fact that we had to wear the wetsuit for 2 hours leading up to the swim. Temperature of Water: It causes blood to pool into the core and out of extremities, to keep the body warm (cold is anything below body temperature, so don't think this only applies in freezing water). Pressure of Water: Water exerts a much larger force on bodily tissues than air does, and the increased pressure forces blood from the skin, muscle, fat etc into the vessels/circulatory system. Pre-race Adrenalin: It increases cardiac output AND constricts blood vessels moving blood toward the core. Hydration: It increases the volume of blood cells I am not sure what any of us can do with this information given that you can't train to prevent it, but if you are swimming and feel the onset of chest congestion, etc, it should be taken seriously. It starts with just congestion in your chest and coughing up of what quickly becomes copious amounts of frothy, pink, and occasionally very bloody, sputum, and with that you feel a crackling/rattling deep in your chest when you breathe, and over time shortness of breath disproportionate to the exertion. This is possible in warm water, without a wetsuit, etc, so don't write it off you must stop the exertion at that point, and it will resolve itself (mine did)....