A competitor in the New York City Triathlon. A 64-year-old man died of cardiac arrest and a 40-year-old woman survived a heart attack in the swim portion.Credit…Robert Caplin for The New York Times
Namgyal Galden, a 27-year-old triathlete from Boston, said choppy water in the Hudson was an added challenge this year. But Galden said the race’s decision to allow only 20 athletes to dive into the water at a time — instead of hundreds — cut down on the usual roughness of a mass-participant swim start.
“It was very easy; you usually get kicked or whacked, and that didn’t happen to me,” Galden said. “I think it’s better than the old system.”
Burke said the race had 53 kayakers, 32 lifeguards, 4 police boats, 3 fire department boats, 2 jet skis and 2 launch boats patrolling the swim. He said each of the boats had paramedic or rescue divers aboard.
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