Home > Fit City > Archives > 2009 > August > 12
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Woman dies in Wisconsin triathlon
Sad news on the triathlon front: A 43-year-old woman died during a Wisconsin triathlon Sunday. She was the third Wisconsin woman to die during a triathlon this summer.
Read the full article from the Chicago Tribune here.
Triathlon deaths are still rare, but most often occur during the swim portion of the race. Last year, USA Triathlon reported that of the 23 deaths that occurred during triathlons between 2003 and 2008, 18 occurred during the swim.
It’s not that swimming is so much more dangerous than running or biking. But if someone suffers heart problems in the water, they could drown. If the same problem happened on land, they could collapse but might be saved.
Another factor to note? More and more people enter triathlons these days. The increased number of entrants means larger raw numbers and, thus, more deaths.
Here’s another article about triathlon deaths that ran in the New York Times last summer.
Thoughts? Comments? Have you ever had a scary experiences during a triathlon?
The photo above, by Patrick Meredith, shows men competing in the Capitol of Texas Triathlon in Austin this May. No one has drowned in an Austin triathlon.
