My husband is a triathlete and I know from his experience that the swim portion can be just as brutal as any other portion of the race. Imagine there are hundreds of people jumping into the water at the same time swimming all around you. It can become a bit like swimming in a washing machine. People get kicked or punched by accident and this can easily cause serious physical injury or cause someone to pass out in the water.

Yesterday's race conditions were what I consider to be normal for any triathlon. It is a hot weather sport and if you can't cut it in 90 degree weather, then you are not properly conditioned to participate.

Here's a novel idea:  since the summer's heat and humidity have been major factors in Triathlon hospitalizations and even deaths, why don't we just move the event to May?

The month of May would be a better time to have it--especially for those athletes who don't have some latent death wish.

Why not move it to May? Because the water temperature would be much, much colder than what most participants are used to, which could be even more dangerous than hot weather on the run portion. That being said, next year the race will be June 24, not guaranteed to be cooler, but maybe the chances of cooler weather will be better. Picking a date for an event like this is not easy. You have to consider the tides as well as trying to avoid any other regularly scheduled large events that might interfere (think parades, concerts in Central Park, that sort of thing).

Yeah, June is much better than August. There will be a higher probability now that the weather will be cooler and that far fewer athletes will be overcome by the heat and humidity and require hospitalization. Isn't the real point of the event to test your athletic prowess, not to test your ability to withstand high temperatures and humid weather?

I'm sure that picking a date for ANY large event in the city isn't easy.  But I don't see how the tides in the Hudson River are particularly that important in the selection of a specific day.  Those tides rise and fall twice each day, so it seems that it would be the time of day, not the day itself, that would be the far more important consideration (and yes I know the moon has an effect on tides).

The tides are tricky because a) the race has to be on a Sunday to accommodate out of town athletes, b) there is only a short window on that Sunday morning when the race can start so that traffic can re-open on the Henry Hudson Parkway and, well, the entire UWS, and c) you have to find one of the few Sundays in the summer when the tides are going in the right direction at the right speed so that the race can take place. Once you take all that into account, there are only a few acceptable dates each summer.

I've done this race three times, and I was there yesterday as a volunteer at Swim Start. Conditions in the water were somewhat challenging, a little choppy, but it certainly wasn't brutally hot during the swim (the run, now that was hot).

People drop dead in triathlons. They also do that during any number of other kinds of athletic activity, and it's usually not from being unqualified; it's usually from underlying medical conditions or from accidents. Some of these folks would have died while running for a bus a couple of years later; instead they died doing something they loved.

It's a chance we all take when we decide to train for intense athletic events. Studies have shown that, compared with the general population, we are all in more danger of death, particularly from heart attacks, during and shortly after these races (and the harder training sessions leading up to them) ... and far LESS danger of dying young the other 99 percent of the time. I will take those odds.

And yes, we could simply say to all the people with very unhealthy lifestyles, "Just exercise in moderation, eat right, etc.," and that would be a marginally safer way of getting people to be healthier.

Problem is, it's not inspiring. Triathlons are inspiring. Triathlons give you a tangible goal that's mad fun and takes no excuses. They have cost some people their lives (or parts of them). They have saved thousands and thousands more.

Wow, first sorry for the mans family.
 A bar tender can be held responsible for sending a drunk out the door with his car keys because the drunk is not aware of their own condition and limitations.
 Same with the event organizers, there should be qualifications or they are just signing a death certificate.
 The numbers mentioned of people needed to be hospitalized in the past events does not make the percentages look very good.

"A bar tender can be held responsible for sending a drunk out the door with his car keys because the drunk is not aware of their own condition and limitations."
This may be true, but it's a dumb law.  It takes the responsibility away from the drinker and places it on someone else.  It's like saying that Ford or Honda or whatever company made the car that was involved in a drunk driving crash can be sued because they shouldn't have sold a drunk a car.

Some important differences between a bartender and an organizer of an event like a triathlon: when you enter a bar, you don't sign a waiver stating that you understand that drinking alcohol has certain risks and that you will hold the bartender harmless. When you sign up for a race, typically you sign a lengthy waiver stating that you understand that there are risks involved in any kind of athletic activity, including serious injury and even death (and that you won't sue, but that's a different issue). 

Another difference is that, while any race director can't prevent every possible bad thing from happening, he or she can have safeguards in place to deal with these bad things if they do happen. An example, also from open water swimming: I took part in a race where a swimmer, who was in excellent shape, had a heart attack and died. When he stopped swimming, another swimmer noticed, quickly got the attention of a kayaker who was supporting the race, who radioed for the medics on site to assist the swimmer. In other words, the afflicted swimmer got immediate medical attention because the race organizer had personnel right there to deal with the situation. If the same person had been walking down the street when his heart gave out, getting an ambulance through city traffic could easily have taken much longer. 

I remember at last year's triathlon standing near the finish and watching one of the runners collapse in the heat. He had medical attention in under three minutes, because the race organizers planned ahead. Again, I don't know the circumstances around what happened this year, but these folks have a good track record.

A waiver does not mean a person is not liable, they just can't be held that way. 
Families have sued and won for wrongful death.
Did these people have to show evidence of the ability to participate in a test of such endurance?
"Sure, everyone has to start someplace. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!" Is this really from the event's website?

"is this really from the event's website?" - Indeed it is. I copied and pasted it (though the formatting didn't transfer, so sorry for any confusion).

And while I won't go into the legal strengths and weaknesses of this kind of waiver, my point is that, unlike when you walk into a bar, when you sign up for a race, you are put on some kind of notice that there is serious risk involved.

I guess this is the standard hap hazard way.  I would not have a clear head if it were my conscience dealing with it.
I am not one who will ever participate so if this is what the norm is I will now butt out and leave it to the thousands who enjoy the competition. This was to Samantha_Ga.

When you sign up for any NY Road Runners race, this is what you are agreeing to n the waiver "WAIVER OF LIABILITY: I know that participating in NYRR events is a potentially hazardous activity. I agree not to enter and participate unless I am medically able and properly trained."

Of course they can't give everyone a physical before the race, but by agreeing you are admitting that you are capable/healthy enough to compete in the event"

I'm just speculating, but I'd imagine that there is a huge amount of stress at the start of this race in terms of the size of the river, number of people, hype etc etc.  It's not the same as swimming in a pool or small lake.

As for entry requirements, I copied and pasted these from the event website:

Do I have to pre-qualify?No, anyone can enter. Fast, slow, beginner, stud – anyone.
Can I enter if I’ve never done a triathlon?Sure, everyone has to start someplace. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!

>Until we know more about what caused the athlete's death (and the other athlete's injuries), it's a little hasty to be blaming this on unqualified participants. Even highly trained star athletes can keel over and die while participating in their sport: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R...

conditions were fairly good, but as a participant in the race, while waiting i saw a few who were doing the event who clearly had no idea how to swim! perhaps this was a freak event, or perhaps the person was inexperienced - but overall i can say with confidence as long as these big city triathlons are treated with the same attitude as the big marathons (e anyone can try and if you fail so what) then these things will happen. Open water swimming is much more risky then walking around a 26 mile course.

Isn't there some sort of qualification process for the Tri? I did an open water race in NYC a few years ago and as I recall, they required certification from an outside pool/coach that you could swim a set number of laps within a half hour. There were no exceptions to the requirement and if you didn't get certified, you didn't swim. I also seem to recall that for the NYC Marathon you have to complete 9 races or so to qualify to enter.

So what were the entry requirements for the Tri? I agree with you; if there weren't any qualifications required, or they were too simple, it's highly irresponsible of the organizers. Open water swimming and endurance events are not meant for everyone.

The nine races requirement you're thinking of is actually just a way for members of the New York Road Runners Club to get a guaranteed entry. It's a way to make sure that members who race regularly don't get shut out of the marathon, which is otherwise hugely oversubscribed. They've also added a requirement that members volunteer at one race along with running nine races in order to get the guaranteed entry. It doesn't have anything to do with making sure you're up to the challenge of running 26.2 miles.

That's good to know...I really did think it was meant to ensure everyone could actually complete the marathon. Sucks that it's not the case. :(

So with the Marathon, technically then, someone who had never run a 5K could register for the race? Yikes.

I agree! I have total respect for triathlon athletes. Would love to try one myself someday, but I know I'm not ready yet. I thought there were qualification requirements, and was hoping this was just a freak heart attack in a very healthy individual.