….It is still unclear why 38-year-old Mary Ehrlinger drowned on Aug. 19. She was not fond of lake swimming with its murky water, fish and seaweed, but she was a strong swimmer with 20 triathlons to her credit. She was training with a small group of friends to compete in Sundayâ??s Ironman Wisconsin, a grueling triathlon with a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bicycle ride and then a 26.2-mile run.
Ironman officials say they donâ??t intend to make any procedural changes because tight safety precautions are already in place, but Ehrlingerâ??s drowning and the deaths of three other triathletes in Wisconsin this year have led many in the sport to start thinking harder about safety, particularly for the often chaotic swimming portion of the events.
Quoted: Dr. Lee Faucher, a trauma and burn surgeon at UW Hospital and Clinics and medical director of Ironman Wisconsin.