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Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

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Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#51

Post by rbanffy »

School-Cotton wrote: post #16
qbasic_forever wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there some kind of bug or issue with HN comments? Maybe a bug in a client people are using? I've noticed over the last couple days what appear to be comments like this one above that are completely unrelated to the post. It almost seems like they were made in error or associated with the wrong post.

It’s probably referencing the “iron” in Ironman. So it’s not attached the wrong story. It’s just an off-topic, nonsensical unfunny attempt at a joke.

I honestly thought it was amusing. Finding humour in disaster is comforting.

My mom passed away a week ago. She was an adventurer, and known to travel to unpredictable remote places on very short notice. I prefer to say, half jokingly, she just left for her next adventure.

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#52

Post by EA-3167 »

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #30
ompto wrote: post #25

Video of the water conditions when going in: https://twitter.com/Levandov_1/status/1693384419208298899

Thank You The article really didn't convey it. This puts it in perspective. Should have been cancelled. Two dead. How many quit midway, abandoned the race. That would also help add context. Rarely do people die in isolation, there were probably a lot of people struggling, they just happened to make it to a boat.

Seconded, when I heard about this my first reaction was that some rough seas would be no big deal, but seeing that video... damn. Not only is that a rough environment for a hard swim, but it's a terrible one for people doing the life-guarding and rescue work.

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#53

Post by senkora »

It’s not uncommon for triathlon athletes to not be very good swimmers.

It’s a sport that many get into later in life, not everyone has equal access to pools, and swimming in open water is much harder and scarier than swimming in a pool.

And those rocks look sharp. I would not want to be dashed against them.

I have done a (sprint distance) triathlon in conditions that were similar to this. I don’t know what happened in this race but in that one something like eight people had to be rescued from the water. I was also surprised that the swimming leg wasn’t canceled in that race.

However, I didn’t personally have any trouble swimming in those conditions, as someone who swam competitively all through middle and high school and can swim 3+ miles in the pool without trouble.

I think what makes swimming in triathlons so dangerous is that there is a wide range of swimming skill levels, and conditions that are reasonable for advanced swimmers can be deadly for newer ones. But organizers don’t want to cancel an expensive event that people have traveled internationally to compete in over weather conditions that are reasonable for prepared athletes.

I have also done a half Ironman and I think it is at that weird middle distance where people sign up for it with big plans to train aggressively, fall behind on their training, and then attempt it anyway and end up not finishing. Unfortunately, with the swimming component, under-preparation can be deadly.

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#54

Post by davidguetta »

ompto wrote: post #25

Video of the water conditions when going in: https://twitter.com/Levandov_1/status/1693384419208298899

The "scary" thing from an advanced swimmer is that its that despite some comments here its not REALLY looking scary for anyone born close to such conditions.

I know its actually scary because I've seen some "countryside " swimmers get full panic for a third of that kinda waves.

There are levels to this and iron man organize should take that into account

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#55

Post by rasz »

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #30
ompto wrote: post #25

Video of the water conditions when going in: https://twitter.com/Levandov_1/status/1693384419208298899

Thank You The article really didn't convey it. This puts it in perspective. Should have been cancelled. Two dead. How many quit midway, abandoned the race. That would also help add context. Rarely do people die in isolation, there were probably a lot of people struggling, they just happened to make it to a boat.

Its an Ironmaan challenge, not a Sunday swim. By similar logic all Ice skating should be banned, ice is slippery and you might hit your head.

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#56

Post by two_in_one »

pc86 wrote: post #26
two_in_one wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are many who choose this way instead of long fight with dementia.

I'm sorry nobody is intentionally going out and drowning themselves the avoid dementia.

I suspect some do, making it look like tragic accident. High mortality in some activities is not a secret. Mostly due to high risk, but some deaths are intentional. Like those jumpers from cruise ships.

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#57

Post by insickness »

rasz wrote: post #55
FrustratedMonky wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank You The article really didn't convey it. This puts it in perspective. Should have been cancelled. Two dead. How many quit midway, abandoned the race. That would also help add context. Rarely do people die in isolation, there were probably a lot of people struggling, they just happened to make it to a boat.

Its an Ironmaan challenge, not a Sunday swim. By similar logic all Ice skating should be banned, ice is slippery and you might hit your head.

If an ice skater gets too tired to skate, they don't die. There's a reason why swimming has lifeguards. Beyond the water being more difficult to swim in, it may make rescuing swimmers more difficult.

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#58

Post by FrustratedMonky »

rasz wrote: post #55
FrustratedMonky wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank You The article really didn't convey it. This puts it in perspective. Should have been cancelled. Two dead. How many quit midway, abandoned the race. That would also help add context. Rarely do people die in isolation, there were probably a lot of people struggling, they just happened to make it to a boat.

Its an Ironmaan challenge, not a Sunday swim. By similar logic all Ice skating should be banned, ice is slippery and you might hit your head.

This is completely ignorant.

Their is a reason the swim happens first. Even for elite athletes the swim can be dangerous.

If you get tired running, you just walk, or stop.

If you get tired swimming you drown and die.

The risk factors for open water swimming are dramatically different from other sports. Many races get cancelled just based on water conditions.

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#59

Post by Delphiza »

senkora wrote: post #53

It’s not uncommon for triathlon athletes to not be very good swimmers. It’s a sport that many get into later in life, not everyone has equal access to pools, and swimming in open water is much harder and scarier than swimming in a pool. And those rocks look sharp. I would not want to be dashed against them. I have done a (sprint distance) triathlon in conditions that were similar to this. I don’t know what happened i…

I think that 'normal' triathlon, including Iron Man (maybe especially Iron Man) is an endurance sport, not a technical skill sport. Rough sea swim, plus downhill MTB, plus trail run would be a different kind of tri. For 'normal' endurance amateur athletes that swim in lakes, ride and run on roads, something as technically difficult as swimming in rough surf should be called off. It is not something that most participants have trained for (or want, even).

Re: Two men die in Ironman Cork competition in Ireland

#60

Post by jfengel »

senkora wrote: post #53

It’s not uncommon for triathlon athletes to not be very good swimmers. It’s a sport that many get into later in life, not everyone has equal access to pools, and swimming in open water is much harder and scarier than swimming in a pool. And those rocks look sharp. I would not want to be dashed against them. I have done a (sprint distance) triathlon in conditions that were similar to this. I don’t know what happened i…

Another factor: the swim is the shortest leg of the triathlon, in terms of time. Many put less training into it, because it has less benefit.

I was a (barely) competitive high school swimmer, and was surprised to find myself dominating the swim leg of triathlons. But I'm a mediocre cyclist, and would find myself passed over and over through the second leg. (And occasionally make some of it back on the run leg.)

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