Tragedy struck the IRONMAN Texas triathlon Saturday as one competitor died during the swim portion of the competition.
According to Click 2 Houston, the IRONMAN was staged at The Woodlands, just north of Houston. The swimming portion of the Ironman was contested in Lake Woodlands, a 200-acre freshwater lake that is used for daily recreation.
At 7:30 in the morning, crews were notified of a “lost swimmer” and a water rescue was launched.
“We already had a rescue boat on the scene, they were out as part of the racecraft working the event. They let us know as we were arriving on scene that they were searching near a buoy for a lost swimmer. We coordinated all of our resources to around that buoy,” said fire chief Palmer Buck.
The race, which included over 2,700 athletes, continued as first responders searched for the missing swimmer.
After nearly 90 minutes of searching, the missing athlete was identified in the water and pronounced dead.
“The victim was found in about 10 feet of water on the bottom of the lake,” Buck said. “The dive team accessed the victim, brought her up about 9:37 and then brought her over to the shore where she was pronounced DOS (deceased on scene).”
An investigation is ongoing to determine what caused the athlete to drown in Lake Woodlands.
In a statement, IRONMAN said, “We are saddened to confirm the death of a race participant during the swim portion of today’s IRONMAN Texas triathlon. We send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the athlete and will offer them our support as they go through this very difficult time. Our gratitude goes out to the first responders for their assistance. Out of respect for the athlete and their family, we will have no further comment.”
