Man Dies in Swimming Portion of Ironman

An unidentified 43-year-old man died Saturday morning during the swimming portion of New York City's first Ironman triathlon, reported the New York Times. The swimming stage, the first of the race, includes a 2.4-mile swim in the Hudson River. The Times reports two people also died swimming a NYC triathlon last summer. John Korff, an organizer for the event, told the paper every precaution had been taken to ensure racers were safe. "In addition to the police and fire boats patrolling the waters, dozens of lifeguards were on land, surfboards and motorized water scooters monitoring the race," reported the Times. Korff added Ironman events are usually limited to extremely experienced competitors. The event, eight years in the planning, was recently threatened by the discharge of sewage water into the Hudson. The Department of Environmental Protection announced before the race, however, that the Ironman swim area was entirely safe for the competition, despite this hurdle. -Alissa Fleck