The death of a participant during the eighth annual NYC Triathlon cast a pall over the event and raised questions about the conditions. Competitors mentioned that jellyfish were stinging them during the first leg--the 0.93 swim in the Hudson River. One described them as "the size of salad plates" to the Daily News. However, the NY Times, referring to WebMD.com, reported, "Jellyfish stings often result in minor allergic reactions; in rare cases, they can cause difficulty breathing, coma or death."
Fellow swimmers saw 32-year-old Esteban Neiva, from Buenos Aires, struggling in the water and called race officials for help. CPR was performed on him, but he was later pronounced dead at St. Luke's Roosevelt. An autopsy will be conducted tomorrow; this was the first death during the NYC Triathlon and the fourth during the swimming leg this year during a triathlon in the country.
Others mentioned the oppressive heat and humidity, but race director Bill Burke told the TImes, "Was the medical team taxed today? Of course they were. Athletes in this event push themselves, but athletes also have to understand that they need to be prudent and understand that on a day like this, they’re probably not going to get a personal record today." (Last October, a runner died during an unusually hot Chicago Marathon.)
Australians won the men's and women's races: Greg Bennet completed the race in 1:46:31 while Liz Blatchford won in 1:58:35.
