Things I learned - Race report PC HIM

[Wahine]

My race did not go as planned. I didn't PR. I wasn't even close. In fact I had my 4th slowest time at this distance in the 10 races of this length that I have done. But I'm still happy and here's why...

You learn way more about yourself on a bad race day than on a good one.

No matter how tough the race, I am always thankful that I can do this at all.

I finished when it would have been so much easier to DNF.

I didn't get a sunburn, even though it was scorching out.

I'm only slightly sore today.

I had a lot of fun with my Tri Club friends.


The nuts and bolts of it are this. I had a great swim, good clean and fast T1, got over excited on the bike and likely went out too fast, My first 26 miles were at a blistering pace, but then my stomach shut down. Nothing was going through. No nutrition to the legs on the hills and I had to slow waaaaaaaay down. I managed to get through the bike and when I headed out on the run my stomach was so distended you could see it jiggle with the fluid in it. And I mean my stomach, not my gut. I couldn't run more than a couple of minutes before I would overheat or get terrible abdomenal cramps. So I had to drop my effort level way down. My stomach got better with the decreased effort and my heat tolerance went up as I processed the fluids I had taken in. By mile six I had my legs back and I smoked the last half of the run. I had to have passed 15 women in those 6 miles.

Total time: 5:59 and something
Swim time: 32:30 ish
Bike: 3:15 ish
Run: 2:05 ish

That would make T1 and T2 together about 6 min.

I don't have the official results yet but I placed 9th in my AG.


My race was on Saturday. The Olympic version of this race was today and I stayed to watch. I had a couple of people I knew racing. The damper on the whole weekend was that someone went unconscious while being jet skiied in from the swim and they had to do CPR on the boat ramp at the swim exit. It was very surreal. This man on the ground while people ran by to continue with there race. Don't get me wrong. I don't think that people should have stopped. There was nothing they could do and didn't know what was happening. Based on what was overheard and how the paramedics were managing this man, I don't think he made it. :(:(

Live every day like it could be your last.

[Tri Girl]

Sorry you didn't have a stellar race day, but I'm glad that you're walking away with a positive spin. You're right- you learn far more from bad races than from good ones (going back to what I always tell my students- you rarely learn anything when you always do it right- it's when you do it wrong and figure out something about yourself that you grow).
Good race- and even tho it's near the bottom slowest time, I'd still give anything to have a half be anywhere near that fast. My PR is in the low 7 hour range. :p

So sad to hear about the man during the race. OWS, heck swimming in general, is risky and put in a race sometimes even the best swimmers have trouble. It could've been anyone of us. I'm sorry for him and his family (and the paramedics who tried to save him). :(

[jesvetmed]

Wahine: Too bad your race wasn't as planned, but as you say, things are still great when you can even attempt such a feat! Good job getting yourself back into the race -- I can't believe you "perked" up and kicked the last 6 miles... quite impressive!:cool:

I'm sorry about the man who went down. I wonder what happened. Very sad and I'm sure affected many during the event whether they stopped or not.

Keep it up! You're doing GREAT! We are all in awe!
Jes

[teigyr]

Wahine, I'm sorry it didn't go as planned but it sounds like you made the best of it. I'm glad you listened to your body. You ran a logical race :D

That is too bad about the swimmer. I think it happens more than I'd like to think. I feel for his family and for the people who ran by, images like that stay with you.

Hey, congrats on not DNFing :) It's races like this that show character. If it was always easy, anyone could do it. You finished AND will race again.

[Wahine]

I've been trying to get more information on the swimmer. I haven't found anything out yet. I feel very badly for his family. He was in the 40's age group, was about 30 lbs on the heavy side and was swimming the leg for a relay team. Ugh! His team members must be beside themselves.

Just to clarify, I don't know that he died. I'm just suspicious that is the case.

ETA: I just found this link (http://barkernews.blogspot.com/2008/06/pacific-crest-triathlon-another-tragedy.html). The man did die and he's not the first to die at this event apparently.

[NbyNW]

Wow, what a weekend . . .

It's so impressive you finished even though you weren't feeling your best.

And sad to hear that it was someone's last day . . . I'm surprised too that they didn't have an ambulance and defibrillator on hand. Seems like a no-brainer.

[teigyr]

I've seen ambulances at lesser events so it is surprising that they weren't better prepared. I know every activity has risk but I'd like to think that an organized event would be prepared and do everything possible to save a life if it's required. Heck, I have seen EMTs/Paramedics with response units at baseball games (on the off chance someone faints or gets hit by a ball?), 5K's, and horse races.

I was particularly concerned when I read about how far the closest hospital was. I really think that calls for having something on-site, at least more than what they did.

Re the defibrillator, they even have those in the airport parking garage. Seems like standard equipment most places; why not there when there is a higher risk?

[rocknrollgirl]

Good Job Yoda...your times look pretty darn impressive from where I am sitting. Sorry you did not get the PR, but great job regardless. Why is it always the GI tract that brings us racers down!!!!

Sorry to hear about the swimmer. Very sad.

[salsabike]

Wahine, I'm glad you finished and that parts of it felt so great!

It's very distressing about the swimmer.

Re the stomach problems: I have now heard that so many times---from Laura Knapp, from Colby, from you. But I don't know enough to understand why it happens--is it that the body is just trying to send its blood supply to too many places at once, so all of a sudden your stomach just can't process whatever's being put in there?

[Zen]

Salsa- that's it exactly.
During times of stress, the autonomic nervous system sends signals to where its needed (fight or flight)
The rest of the the time it's "rest and digest"



You learn way more about yourself on a bad race day than on a good one.

No matter how tough the race, I am always thankful that I can do this at all.

I finished when it would have been so much easier to DNF.

I didn't get a sunburn, even though it was scorching out.

I'm only slightly sore today.

I had a lot of fun with my Tri Club friends.

Live every day like it could be your last.

Congratulations, Grasshopper Wahine.
That is the Zen of The Race :)

[mimitabby]

wahine
what a great recovery! Sounds like any extreme sport requires a lot of resource juggling, literally.

thanks for sharing with us, we're all learning from you.

[Wahine]

I've seen ambulances at lesser events so it is surprising that they weren't better prepared. I know every activity has risk but I'd like to think that an organized event would be prepared and do everything possible to save a life if it's required. Heck, I have seen EMTs/Paramedics with response units at baseball games (on the off chance someone faints or gets hit by a ball?), 5K's, and horse races.

I was particularly concerned when I read about how far the closest hospital was. I really think that calls for having something on-site, at least more than what they did.

Re the defibrillator, they even have those in the airport parking garage. Seems like standard equipment most places; why not there when there is a higher risk?

So here's what I "know" which is third hand for the most part and must be taken with a big grain of salt. There may have been an Ambulance outside of the park for the swim (less than 30 sec away), I didn't see it but someone else said they did. I belive there were paramedics on site, that's who did the CPR until someone pronounced him dead. An ER nurse friend of mine overheard the paramedics say he was asystolic. She said that the defibrillator will not work in that case so that could be why the ambulance was not pulled in if there was one outside of the park.

Sad.

And yes, it's a long way to the closest hospital.

[roadie gal]

Congrats on toughing it through the race. I think that time is great, even if it isn't your best.



Re the defibrillator, they even have those in the airport parking garage. Seems like standard equipment most places; why not there when there is a higher risk?

Defibrillators only work for a few rhythms: v-fib and v-tach, which are more typical of heart attacks. Most drowings are bradyasystolic arrests (meaning that the heart slows down until it stops). The defibrillator won't recommend a shock. It usually takes a few (5-6) minutes of being without oxygen for an adult to slow down completely to asystole. Once a person gets to that point, unfortunately, there isn't much hope.

I feel very sorry for that man and his family.

[Zen]

Now what bothers me is the thought of someone somehow just draped over a jet ski without any resuscitation effort taking place until they get to shore...race organizers need to reorganize on this one.

[Veronica]

What do you think they should have out in the middle of the water that they could do CPR on? If the course is at all how I picture it, the swimmers were probably never more than 750 yards from shore.

Yes, it's sad, but I don't think it's the race organizer's fault in any way. Maybe there are some things they could do better. But who are we to second guess when we weren't even there? I bet the guy didn't go to his doctor and get a check up before he decided to try swimming a mile in open water. And maybe he did. There are lots of things that could have happened to him while he was swimming... stroke, brain aneurysm, flamingo bite... that no amount of medical intervention really could have done anything for.

V.

[salsabike]

For all we know, he DID check with his doc beforehand. Docs can't predict events like this, either. Our best efforts still don't provide any guarantees...and that's how life is. We make the best efforts, and then we go on, and...who knows what will happen? No one I've met yet, anyway.

[Wahine]

Plus 1 what V. and Salsa said.

The course is a large square course, so yeah, even if he was at the farthest point from shore it would have been about 700 m.

Roadie gal, thanks for explaining that. It seems to make sense with what I heard and saw. Would the same thing happen if he had swimming induced pulmonary edema?

From what I understand he was still conscious but in distress when they pulled him onto the jet ski, and was unconscious by the time they got him to shore. Who knows what happened.

[Zen]

CPR is old stuff. There are no more chest compressions, just rescue breathing.

[teigyr]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/22704044.html

I guess we can't really speculate as to how it should've been unless we were there.

Anyway, very sad.

I think this is a better article

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2008025398_webtriathlete30m.html

Seems to be he was in shape and knew what he was doing.

[KSH]

Hey Wahine, sounds like a tough race, but yes we do learn from the hard days. :)

Still, even on your bad day, you beat my HIM time by like 2 hours. So from my turtle vantage point, you had an amazing race!

[colby]

What a day... a roasty, toasty day on top of it.

Great job, Wahine - a learning experience is STILL a victory, and you still could have kicked many of our butts. ;)

Not getting a sunburn... not ending up dehydrated and miserable... MAJOR win.

[jesvetmed]

Would the same thing happen if he had swimming induced pulmonary edema?

Pulmonary edema essentially causes drowning if bad enough -- no matter what the cause. So, yes, it would likely be asystole also.

An article I read recently says they wonder how many people that "drown" actually have had pulmonary edema, and you cannot tell post-death what caused all the fluid in the lungs. Just that they drowned. Can anyone else confirm that? I'm not really a specialist in autopsy stuff! That's why we send stuff to the lab!

All in all, this is quite sad, but likely nothing to do with the race organization. Other than having oxygen mask and diuretics on the kayaks, it sounds like this was unpreventable on their part. Although I didn't get to read the newspaper articles (not that they are usually all that informative) -- I was too late, and the NEW news has replaced it.

Jes

[Pika]

Wahine:
Sorry to hear about your tummy troubles- interesting article you found on DGE though!
I guess it is the quest for the perfect race that keeps everyone coming back! I 'm with KSH - even your bad races I find phenomenal- I understand why you don't (PBs are ALWAYS nicer) but there's always next time:)

I feel badly about that poor swimmer- his family must be suffering- it would be a terrible shock.:(

[roadie gal]

CPR is old stuff. There are no more chest compressions, just rescue breathing.

Nope, just the opposite. Just compressions, no rescue breathing.

[tjf9]

Great job Wahine! It was a scorcher out there. Great lessons for me from your race as well, since I'm only a 2x triathlete.

I actually participated in the olympic tri. The ambulance was not on site, because I saw the ambulance rushing up the mtn, lights and sirens going (I was ~5 miles away from the swim at this point). Sounds like there was nothing to be done, either way, but I agree that with that distance to a hospital, at least an AED should be on site.

A similar event happened at a bike race here in Portland about 3 weeks back. Guy had a heart attack on the course, and the organizers had no paramedics or AED. Fortunately he was close into the city, so an ambulance could get there quick and he survived.

I think things like this should be a wake up call to all race organizers - be prepared!