Another triathlon death in swimming :(

Generalizing about how triathletes don't know how to swim, or don't know how to swim in a pack, is fun (and truthy, if not strictly true) but it's completely off-point for this tragedy. As you can see from reading the article as well as the excerpt chaos posted from a conversation between people who were there: (1) the race didn't have a mass start; and (2) the person died toward the end of the swim, not at the beginning. Furthermore, sarah_q's post links to a conversation mentioning that the person was a very experienced triathlete. They had a similar death at this year's Vineman, in Northern California--a very experienced triathlete had a medical emergency toward the end of the swim, and it turned out to be fatal. In both cases, I think that a previously undiagnosed heart abnormality, or high water temperature at least in the Vineman case, is far more likely than athlete underpreparedness to have been the cause. This. Speculating as to why someone died in the swim without any facts supporting the speculation is, I am not so sure fun, but it is popular. It helps people think "it won't happen to me because I am not one of them." That's my theory at least. That's not always true. I am a sub 1 hour IM (2.4 mile) swimmer. Fast for those folks, not fast here, and I was pulled from a race for a very serious unforeseen medical condition that might not have ended well had there not been lifeguards there.

Undiagnosed heart issues can manifest themselves with fatal consequences during periods of extreme exertion. Athletes are not immune. Please read my article about one very experienced, 40-year old Masters swimmer whose life was restored after suffering cardiac arrest immediately after a swim workout, in the upcoming September/October issue of SWIMMER. More deaths can be avoided if we all take responsibility by getting regular medical check ups, listening to our body, preventing and treating heart conditions and learning CPR.

Another triathlon swim-related death in Vermont this weekend - August 18 God bless this athlete and his family Tragic indeed.

Another triathlon swim-related death in Vermont this weekend - August 18 God bless this athlete and his family

Thanks for all the posts - particulary Ann Lea. I'm a small framed man (5'8") and 155 lbs and in good shape (I run a 10k each morning and bike each night) and OW swim twice a week (but I am also 51 yrs old). I'm running my first triathalon in San Diego in a couple of weeks (run marathons etc. before), but figured I better research a bit the dangers associated with three separate workouts in a race -- particularly as related to swimming.

thanks Anna Lea ... www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../20887912 Am J Emerg Med. 2010 October; 28(8):941-6. Swimming-induced pulmonary edema in triathletes. Miller CC 3rd, Calder-Becker K, Modave F.

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)....

great info related to the physiology and mechanics of the onset of heart failure in our athletic pursuits. does someone on the board recall the most recent death in an open water swim event only? These accidents are only avoidable in a perfect world. The demographics of triathletes and open water swimmers includes a large proportion of 40 - to 60-year olds including me. We typically have good fitness but can be unaware of particular medical issues.

thanks Anna Lea ... www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../20887912 Am J Emerg Med. 2010 October; 28(8):941-6. Swimming-induced pulmonary edema in triathletes. Miller CC 3rd, Calder-Becker K, Modave F. CONCLUSIONS:The identification of hypertension and fish oil in particular as risk factors raise questions about the role of cardiac diastolic function in the setting of water-immersion cardiac preload, as well as the hematologic effects of fish oil. Mechanistic studies of these risk factors in a directly observed prospective cohort are indicated. Fish oil? who knew?

does someone on the board recall the most recent death in an open water swim event only? 5 weeks ago in the English Channel, though maybe not the most recent: risk - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums The demographics of triathletes and open water swimmers I'd imagine that for any age bracket, there are major demographic differences between triathletes and open water swimmers, though maybe not any significant difference between triathletes and those pool swimmers who do an open water swim every now and then.