A 46-year-old Texas man died on Sunday in the San Francisco Bay while participating in the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, which was held in earlier in March rather than during the summer as in previous years, leaving the athletes to swim in cold temperatures.
According to the Associated Press, race officials said that the man from Texas died soon after the start of the event. The report said that race organizers stated that the water temperatures did not contribute to the death, although they were much colder than usual since the race is normally held later in the year.
"We have reason to believe the gentleman suffered from a massive cardiac event as he entered the water and began the swim," race officials said in a statement.
The officials for the race said that it was the first death at the event in the 33-year history of the race and that it occurred during the 1.5-mile swim from the Alcatraz prison.
"Was it colder than normal? Yes. But in my opinion, the water temperature was not a factor at all in this tragedy," Bill Burke, the race's director, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "The gentleman obviously had a heart condition he was unaware of."
The race runs from the prison with a swimming portion, and then leads into an 18-mile bike ride and an 8-mile run through Golden Gate Park and along the San Francisco coastline. This year's race had a number of participants from around the world with ages ranging from teenage years to elderly.
The ABC News report said that the triathlon's water safety team found the man soon after the 7:30 a.m. start of the race and that he was given CPR after bringing him to land, but he could not be revived.
"What happened today was very, very sad," Burke said. "It underscores that athletes need to be checked carefully by a cardiologist before pushing themselves."
