Ironman Competitor Dies During Race

Heart attack suspected in 39-year-old's death

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Posted Sep 14, 2014 11:50 AM CDT

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Ironman Competitor Dies in Australia — Athletes jump into the water at the start of the Ironman triathlon in Zurich, Switzerland, in this July 2014 file photo. (AP Photo/Keystone,Steffen Schmidt)

Officials said a 39-year-old male competitor died today after being pulled unconscious from the swim portion of an Ironman event on Queensland's Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane. Ironman Asia Pacific chief executive Geoff Meyer confirmed the man from Victoria state suffered a suspected heart attack during the 1.2-mile swim leg in the Pacific Ocean surf off Mooloolaba.

Meyer says the race's medical team "worked on the gentleman for over half an hour ... but were not able to revive him. The thoughts from the medical team was that it was a heart attack." He said the so-called "70.3" Ironman race—the swim followed by a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run—continued as planned.

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