A local 54 years old athlete has lost his life yesterday while competing in the Ironman Triathlon located in the Woodlands, Texas. His death is already confirmed by the case authorities.
Glen Bruemmer was an experienced athlete participating in many other triathlon competitions during his life. He died during the swimming part of the competition in Lake Woodlands. Even though many spectators jumped to help pull him out, unfortunately, it was too late for the man to survive.
The competition started yesterday at 6 a.m. Glen Bruemmer was for two straight hours into the swimming part of the competition when people first noticed he was in trouble. Former Ironman participant, Ray Delahoussaye, added: “”You train so much and you just don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s always in the back of your mind that something could happen and as a competitor, you kind of just block it out.”
He also added that he has never before seen anything like this during a race. Delahoussaye admitted this sudden event has left him extremely confused and shocked. He is still trying to figure out how come Bremmer lost his life despite many people went to help him. He admitted people gave him CPR for more than 20 straight minutes.
Even though there were thousands of participants that started the day off with a 2.4 mile swimming part in Lake Woodlands, unfortunately, after many months of hard training, one competitor won’t be able to cross the finish line this year…
This Ironman also included 112 miles of riding and then, the race was closed with a 26.2 mile run.
Official statement
Race officials, shortly after the sudden death of the competitor, released the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our athletes at today’s IRONMAN North American Championship Texas triathlon. The athlete required medical attention during the swim portion of Saturday’s race. We transported him to a nearby hospital where doctors took care of him. Our condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends. We have been in contact with them and will continue to support. As with any event of this nature, we will work with the local authorities to gather all the details on how this incident occurred. We will continue to do everything possible to provide a safe environment for our athletes.”
