Iowa man dies during swimming leg at Hy-Vee Triathlon

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — A 46-year-old Iowa man died Sunday after being pulled from the water during the swimming leg in the Hy-Vee Triathlon, which was doubling as one part of the U.S. Olympic trials.

Jim Goodman signalled for help when he was about 150 metres from the shore of Blue Heron Lake, said Chris Friesleben, a spokeswoman for the sponsoring Hy-Vee grocery store chain...

...The cause of death wasn't immediately known....

...The triathlon began with a 1,500-metre swim in a lake, followed by a 40-kilometre bike ride and a 10-kilometre run. The event was being used to select the final men's and women's members of the U.S. Olympic triathlon team for the Beijing Games. Two men and two women were chosen earlier.

These excerpts from an article today are an all-too-unfortunate reminder that it can be dangerous racing. I've got to keep that in mind both for the races and for when I'm training, especially considering I do a lot of training on my own and by myself.

My thoughts go out to Jim's family and friends. He had two kids racing in the same race.