You might think that I’m going through some sort of morbid phase in my writing because of my last article about Another Death in Our Ski Racing Family followed by this one. Certainly, bad timing, though I don’t think there is a good time for death. But writing helps me grieve and I hope my thoughts provide some clarity for others as well.
For those who haven’t heard the news, two triathletes died at the World Triathlon Championships in Torremolinos, Spain a few weeks ago, one during the swim and the other during the run. Most triathlon deaths occur during the swim (and usually in cold water) and Swim Induced Pulmonary Edema (SIPE) is considered a likely cause of death for this victim. I also work with triathletes who experience SIPE because there are often psychological (extreme negativity) and emotional (fear and panic) components to SIPE as well. There have been no causes of death reported for either triathlete.
I was at the World Championships competing in the Sprint distance in which these two triathletes died. In fact, I twice passed the fellow who collapsed on the run and was receiving CPR (he died on the scene of cardiac arrest).
When anyone dies in our triathlon family, it is a painful experience for everyone regardless of whether we knew the victim or not. Every time we train or compete in a triathlon, we are exposing ourselves to the same significant risks, so to have someone succumb to those risks is an emotional shock to our system and a rude wake-up call that causes us to confront the dark side of our sport. As my way of both grieving and coming to terms with the risks I put myself in when I train and compete, I try to understand those risks and gain some perspective to ease my worry.
To that end, I want to share some thoughts I have had about these two tragic deaths.
First, by most considerations, the water there was not cold (high 60s F). Though not rough, there were swells, but relatively tame by most standards (having raced Alcatraz 5 times, the water conditions didn’t raise one concern for me, despite being a mediocre swimmer at best).
Second, given the relatively infrequent, though consistent, occurrence of deaths in our sport, particularly in long-distance racing, it is very uncomfortable ,
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