I came across the news this morning that yet another tragic incident occurred during an endurance event over the weekend. A Des Moines businessman, Jim Goodman, 46, died during the swim segment of the Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines, Iowa. He signaled for help during his 1500 m swim in Blue Heron Lake, however the "22 lifeguards, five Jet Skis, 12 kayaks and five boats on site at the Hy-Vee Triathlon" were not able to reach him in time. Jim was a mere 150m from the finish of the swim.
Jim's story, similar to the other unfortunate and untimely deaths of endurance athletes we've seen in the news recently, must remind us of a need to take caution when pushing ourselves to our max and also to look out for one another. Stories like this also should make us take a moment to appreciate our own hard work in our lives and give necessary credit to ourselves and to those around us who continue to support and motivate us.
The article indicates that Jim's death was not due to drowning. Further, as reported by his brother, (Jim) "was an avid runner and good swimmer". The article does not specifically indicate the cause of death (as his family and officials still await autopsy results). Jim was the father of three young girls, Natalie, 11; Ellie, 7; and Rubie, 3 and also leaves behind his wife, Lisa.
Is it just me, or has there been an increase in the frequency of such fatal outcomes at endurance events? Is it just the fact that we're simply hearing about it more or are there other similar factors involved here? After doing some googling on the subject, I happened upon this intersting article, "Are Endurance Sports Good for You?", which then led me to this blog, V-Tach which accounts one endurance athlete's struggle to work with his own Acquired Arrhythmia. Both the article and the V-Tach blog are interesting (and relative) in that they explore research relating increased endurance training to the actual deterioration of one's heart. Sounds backwards, right?
Has anyone else read interesting articles/research on this topic? I'd be intersted to hear more about it.
Monday, June 23, 2008
You just never know
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2 comments:
That's really scary. A friend of mine died doing a 10 mile race last year - he had a heart condition that they said was preexisting (he didn't know about it before though), but what if it was exacerbated or even caused by training?
All I know is that I am NOT sending this to my mother :)
Oh! That's awful. I'm very sorry to hear that a similar situation touched you personally. How devastating.
And yes, I will not be sending this info to my mother either.
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