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A man has died after suffering a medical emergency while competing in a half-Ironman event in Wisconsin, organizers confirmed.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that an athlete passed away during today’s IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin event after experiencing a medical emergency,” the organizers said in a statement via Facebook on Saturday, September 12. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the athlete’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time. Out of respect for the family and the athlete’s privacy, we will have no further comment.”
Officials still have not released the man’s name, age or cause of death, as of Tuesday, September 15. The Athletic reports that the individual was from Colorado. The Ironman 70.3 Wisconsin took place in Madison.
An emergency call came on Saturday morning at 7:47 a.m. local time, sending firefighters and paramedics to Lake Monona, where competitors were participating in the 1.2-mile swim portion of the event.
University of Wisconsin Lake Rescue was able to locate the man and bring him to shore, where he received treatment until first responders arrived, Madison Fire Department spokesperson Cynthia Schuster told The Athletic. The man later died at the hospital.
“We just were alerted that someone had been rescued from the water and was being transported to shore,” Schuster told the outlet. “So our firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics from our downtown fire station dispatched to the shoreline to help with patient care.”
She continued, “At the time, they had a patient who did not have a pulse and wasn’t breathing, so life-saving measures began. But we don’t know why he went unresponsive or why he didn’t have a pulse.”
The Madison Ironman event consisted of the half on Saturday with the full version the next day. The half-ronman consists of a 56-mile bike ride, 13.1-mile run and 1.2-mile swim.
This is not the first time someone has died while competing in the Ironman 70.3 Wisconsin. In 2023, 51-year-old military veteran Dax Bakken died while competing in the biking portion of the event. His partner said at the time that it was Bakken’s dream to complete an Ironman.
“He got this crazy idea, ‘Would you be supportive of me trying to do the Ironman?’ and I’m like, ‘Have you lost your ever-loving mind?’’ Kristin Keir told Wisconsin’s WMTV15. “But we worked it as a family and his goals and he did it and he had the most incredible time training and never one frown or complaint or problem, he was so excited about it. He just gave it his all.”
Keir added she was able to congratulate him after he completed the swim and before the bike ride.
“Gave him a kiss, a high five, he was hooting and hollering, high fiving everyone, so happy, hugged our daughter, he knew we were all there, we all got to see him,” she recalled. “And then he went and got his bike, and we all watched him go off on the bike… smiling.”
Four years before Bakken’s death, two other men died at the Madison Ironman after being pulled from the water during the swim portion.
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