Before I go any further with my emotion filled "analyses", let me say that the two deaths and what I saw as a spectator that I will write about may have nothing to do with each other. A heart attack is unpredictable and very very hard to react to when in the water. My point is along the lines of self responsibility.
Yes, the Hudson is filthy, disgusting, choppy, lots of debris, heavy currents, so when you swim with hundreds around you it's not the most pleasant swim of your life. After I saw some of my team mates off at the start I started walking south along the water, watching the swimmers. And I was terrified at what I saw. Shocked.
I was watching the back of the pack "swimmers" struggling through the chop. And struggle is an understatement. In general you don't want to struggle during a triathlon swim, especially in the Hudson. The amount of people I saw who couldn't swim at all was astounding. They clearly entered the race thinking the tide wil get them to the finish. But they even had trouble treading water, staying afloat in a wetsuit!!
Come on now. I respect that people want to prove something for somebody, raise money, be extraordinary. But at the risk of drowning? I'm sorry but that is pathetic. The Hudson is not for beginners. Period.
Once again, I am not talking about the two deaths. Those may have nothing to do with skill level.
But, as I am walking and thinking that these people in the back do not belong in that water no matter what, I see a woman on her back, just floating. There are many who "swim" on their backs, but this woman was not moving at all. In fact her head was bobbed back, submerged. Uh oh. I immediately whistled (loud) at the kayakers and started screaming at them to help the woman. Two "competitors" then stopped swimming and held her up, she was completely out of it. OH NO!
A kayaker finally got there but seemed to not know what to do. He tried to pull her up on the kayak. They flipped over. The woman, the 2 good Samaritan swimmers and the kayaker all went under. After a few seconds they came back up. The woman was not breathing, if anything took on more water. A spectator next to me and I were both yelling 'she needs mouth to mouth, cpr right away!'. By now the life guard on a jet ski was making his way over. They struggled a bit to pull her on the back then they sped off to a nearby boat. Still no CPR. My heart is pounding as the seconds are ticking away and they seem like hours. I keep walking, following the action. Another person gets on the back of the jet ski, off the boat, and starts working on her. Finally! At this point the jet ski is flying downstream towards the docks. But at least CPR has started. To be sure, it took a few minutes from the time I spotted her to the time she was getting CPR. But I'm not sure, time seemed to be dragging miserably. I think the safety people did all they could. It's almost impossible to provide CPR in the water, the kayak is not suitable to lay somebody down on top of.
This poor lady fought for her life for another day or so but unfortunately she passed away the next day. My heart sank when I heard the news. I wish I could have seen her sooner. Or if somebody else saw her sooner.
Later that day I heard about the 2nd death. Apparently also a heart attack. The 64 year old man was a friend of a friend. Having some kind of connection to both people really shook me up. I guess that's why I am writing about it now, have to get it off my chest.
This friend of mine, who has done this race 5 times, had a good point. The kayakers cannot see well who is struggling in the water. There were a few life guards along the walkway, but maybe not enough of them? Maybe next time they should have more spotters on shore, on the walkway that is high up and one can have a better view. I also think if kayakers had the ability to perform CPR effectively, chances of saving somebody's life could go up. Having said that, once a person is in cardiac arrest, help has to arrive whithin seconds. If the person doesn't get immediate help, chances of survival drop dramatically. In an open water swim, I think it's almost impossible to provide immediate help.
But back to my original point. These fatal incidents of course anger people and politicians have to elbow themselves in the middle of it and show "authority". I am assuming they don't know much about triathlons and what it takes to complete one, or race in one. They immediately turn to the organizer to point fingers.
I think we have to take a pause here and consider the situation objectively. Triathlon is still a brand new sport for many, it's the fastest growing sport and besides gold, the only 'bull market' out there at the moment, lot's of people trying to make money off of it. So the growth, the fire, has to be stoked to keep it going, create a massive, social affair out of it that draws just about anyone in. The smell of money blurs people's vision. I know I worked on Wall Street for 15 years. There are no standards as to who enters a triathlon. What are their abilities. Do the organizers have to know? There's that waiver that takes care of this issues. Let them come and sign up. Maximizing profits is definitely a key factor. After all, we are talking about New York! To the NYC Tri's defense, while they let just about anyone enter, they do beef up the security and safety personnel a lot more than I have seen at any other race.
As a coach and triathlete I have always seen beginners entering races. And of course there's nothing wrong with that, in fact I encourage people to challenge themselves. But setting appropriate goals is very important. Just as in life. Set achievable goals that will challenge your skills. When you reach them, you will reach happiness. No matter what the goals is. So a non-swimmer should NOT set for his or her goal to swim 1500 meters in a very difficult river without preparation. Even if preparation has been done and the person still is not able to complete the distance without difficulty, that person is not ready. As a coach I would not let any athlete enter a race and put their health and lives in danger I don't think they are able to. Be smart, pick a race you can complete. I guarantee you will have a better experience.
By the same token, the person who signs up for the race has to be aware of the demands of the event. Hot, cold, humid, choppy, wet, windy, currents, crowds, whatever the circumstances, each individual has to take responsibility for themselves to prepare for what may come that day. A triathlon club should also make sure their athletes are ready. Race organizers should make sure that people understand what is required of them to finish the race safely. Perhaps triathlon races (in general) do not communicate that well to the participants. But ultimately it is the person's individual responsibility. And this rule can be extended not only to those with little or no skill, but also to those who may have a pre-existing medical condition. And of course all the other parties involved should take their share of responsibility as well.
You have one life. Live responsibly.
Tibor Nemes
Owner at Trioptimal LLC
Director at Formula Tri Club
I've never participated in an Triathalon event, for I'm petrified of swimming in open water. That and I'm just not in good enough shape. Sympathies and prayers to the families of the two people who died. I imagine restricting the last minute sign-up may protect people from their own impulsive urge to compete when they were just going to attend and watch a friend originally.
ReplyDeleteTibor,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good article on the situation that happened this past weekend. As an experienced triathlete who has competed in over 100 races over the past 20 years, I can attest to the fact that the water conditions this past Sunday in the Hudson were not ideal for even the greatest swimmers. One of my friends, a former Olympic swimmer that completed this swim in 16 minutes, told me just this morning how difficult this particular race was for her to keep her composure and form, what with the swells tossing us all about.
I agree emphatically that the NYC Triathlon, one of the better organized races that the U.S. has to offer, is not a beginner race. I have done it 4 times already and I can tell you that it requires adeptness in swimming, great technical mastery of bike handling, and a deep understanding of how to train then run/race in hot and humid conditions.
The swim is not the only dangerous part of the NYC Triathlon, although that is where the deaths have occurred in 2008 then again this year. My biggest concern around the bike leg is how beginners are often riding all around the road in a "squirrelly" fashion, quickly swerving at the risk of causing a crash. At one point the other day some inexperienced rider began riding into oncoming bike traffic in a part of the race that had only two lanes -- a head on collision could have killed a few people and injured many others. There are crashes every year on that bike course and the fact there were serious potholes in the road and that it was pouring for hours made riding ever so much more dangerous. The experienced riders are going well over 40mph in stretches past people that are riding 12 miles an hour and meandering around the road unpredictably. Very scary.
So the solutions available to NYC Triathlon organizers? I have had the opportunity to race in a few grueling domestic and international races where the race organizers instituted the following prerequisites to participation:
1. Require Doctor's release form
2. Require submission of EKG results scanned and sent over to race organizer at least a month in advance of the race
3. Require a signed affidavit from a lifeguard that certifies the swimmer can complete a one mile swim nonstop and unaided
4. Require proof that the individual has completed an Olympic distance triathlon
5. Require a qualifying event just like Escape from Alcatraz or Kona or other races do.
5150, Korff, Burke, these are consummate professionals that know their options. They have to weigh them against the concern that registration may drop if people cannot make the cut on these. I'm not suggesting that the NYC Triathlon organizers enact ALL of these suggestions, but these are the ones at their disposal.
In short, you're dead on Tibor. Triathlon is not something that just anyone can try, whether for charity, for bragging rights, as an emotional "I'm back" from whatever ailment, weight condition or other situation. People can try 5k runs, or some kind of local swim race, or even a sprint triathlon like the NYRR beginner Central Park triathlon that happens every July. But the NYC Triathlon? No sir, that is NOT a beginner race and should not be treated as such.
-Joe Bachana
PS: I have no idea whether these two unfortunate souls were in great shape or beginners, so I cannot comment one way or the other on what caused their sad end. I'm simply commmenting on the race as a whole and what I have observed over these past few years of racing it.
Hi Tibor,
ReplyDeletethanks for your perspective. Though my reply is a year past its relevance, I came upon it today.As the second rescuer that swam from boat to the ski/sled to initiate cpr during this unfortunate incident. Logistic/safety of the water portion of the triathlon is contracted to an independent marine service out of staten island. while for the most part functions appropriately, there is definitely room for improvement.
Before further discussion look at your watch for 10 seconds, it is a lot longer than you think, that length while you are waiting for help in an emergent situation seems like an eternity.
As former FDNY AEMT, NFPA Water Rescue Technician and Nassau County Ocean Lifeguard I can attest to the fact that under ideal conditions CPR resuscitation saves are below 5%. Adding the logistics of a dynamic environment, open water on a moving ski, you have a less effective rate of success. Despite significant time dedicated to training we can't foresee every condition and even the most basic rescues may seem chaotic.
In this case the first rescuer was a jet ski operator and not a lifeguard and assisted as his training allowed. I was on the sled with victim providing CPR within 60 seconds of it coming over race radio. I imagine at the most another 90 seconds passed prior to my arrival. The victim was apneic and cyanotic and as soon as she was secure on the sled in my grasp and properly positioned on, effective CPR was started and continued during the ride to the medical dock at 79th St Boat Basic where FDNY Paramedics initiated ALS life-support and quickly transported to St Lukes Roosevelt.
I imagine in total less than 3 passed before BLS life support was administered, 6 minutes prior to ALS with appropriate medications administered, and 15 minutes before she in the ED.
she was successfully resuscitated but succumbed to injuries the next day.
Further information would violate HIPPA law - However the fact that she was resuscitated at all
leads me to believe the system functioned.
Deaths in the swim portion are rare but may not be uncommon as you may think.
there are many theories, As a triathlete, waterman, a student of physiology I have mine.
Race director tend to harp on hydrating before races.
enough water is healthy too much is not - often the days before a race through misinformation and nervousness competitors tend to over hydrate -I have seen competitors drinking more than 6 32 oz bottle of waters per day.
this saturates the bodies with fluid, often beyond bodies capacity to vacate excess fluid. excess fluid is distributed to cellular, interstitial and vascular compartments.
a saturated vascular compartment raises blood pressure, makes blood less ionic and dilutes its oxygen transport capabilities. It creates a condition called acidosis which can create dangerous heart rhythms. Add this some swimmers are not comfortable in open water, and the perceived threat which triggers the amygdala >hypothalamus>Pituitary gland to release ACTH>activating the Adrenal Gland. Epinephrine (adrenaline) is injected to the blood stream0
Ino-Chronotropic, vasoconstriction effects - respirations, heart rate increase and blood vessels constrict. cooler 70˚waters further vasoconstrict - Blood pressure further increases. The Heart is now working against a greater after load and has to work harder. Add the load of athletic performance the heart has significantly greater oxygen demands, and is attempting to do so with blood that has reduced oxygen carrying capabilities. These combined effects ( especially in athletes over 40 ) create a condition that can result in hypertensive cardiac arrest.
we do try to do our best to be scene quickly to ensure the best outcome possible, things happen and there is no way to prevent every occurrence, injury or fatality. While early CPR, Early Defibrillation, Early ALS and quick entry to an appropriate cardiac care facility can save lives in event of sudden cardiac arrest , resuscitation is still the exception not the rule.
Unfortunately the majority of arrests I have worked result in fatality,
ReplyDeleteadmittedly some of the responses could have been better and we always review them, relive them second guess ourselves, hopefully learn more for next time. I was disturbed when I heard of her passing. I did lose sleep over it.
much of our learning is in a controlled setting, in the field rescuers work in a dynamic environment, on water, in rain, heat, dark, in traffic or low visibility surrounded by sharp objects and other hazards. it does not always go perfectly - often equipment fails and we
must improvise.
safety personnel have made a commitment to help you, we put your safety on a par with our own, we can not GUARANTEE you a safe event, and the participant must be responsible for their own safety.
best of luck to you and the athletes you coach
Scott, thanks for reading my article and posting a reply. I didn't want to criticize the emergency personnel. I know you and the rest of your crew are professionals and perform your duties conscientiously, try your best to help anyone in distress. I have no doubt about that. I'm also sure you do this on a volunteer basis and I am very very grateful for that. So thank you. I also thank the kayakers who may or may not have CPR certifications. Just having help very close by gives me a piece of mind.
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