you can read a couple of news announcements here:
- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/sports/hudson-river-swimmer-dies-during-ironman-race.html?_r=2&src=rechp
- http://www.app.com/viewart/20120811/NJNEWS10/308110024/Hudson-River-swimmer-dies-during-Ironman-race
- http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/03/triathlons-and-marathons-are-amazing-fitness-feats-of-fitness-but-neither-one-is-without-risks-dehydration-exhaustion-bro.html
- http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/warning-over-triathlon-death-rate-1690626.html
- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/fashion/28fitness.html?pagewanted=all
- http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Death_Strikes_During_Ironman_NYC_Swim__2985.html
- regarding recent fatalities
- follow-up: regarding recent fatalities
- boston marathon 2012: race organizers with a conscience
i think this stresses just how serious an endeavor triathlon, particularly Ironman, races are. no athlete is immune from the dangers of injury or death. they're not to be taken lightly. not by competitors, not by race organizers, not by volunteers, not by host communities, not by spectators, not anyone.
which means that there's plenty of opportunity, if not responsibility, to go around for everyone involved to make them as safe as possible. apart from my comments in previous posts as to what can be done, i came across an excellent Slowtwitch article by Dan Empfield that echoes a lot of my sentiments but adds in some further insight and recommendations:
as a final word, i recall that USA Triathlon convened a task force in 2011 to investigate the rise in deaths at triathlons and make recommendations on how to mitigate them. i haven't heard anything about what the task force has done, but i'm curious. especially now in the wake of what happened at Ironman New York. i think there's now some cause for a sense of urgency about the task force, and i think many others in the endurance sports community are starting to feel the same way.
be safe out there, folks. this is serious stuff.
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