-
I have two friends who've died swimming the Channel in recent years - they were both seasoned ultra-athletes, both had medical assessments and sign-off before they got in the water. There's no indication that the 43-yr old was a newbie either, or that any screening would have helped.
kl-
I know it's not going to stop it entirely, and I didn't say the poor soul in Barry was the case, but there have been examples in recent years of people taking part in events where some more thought before the event might have avoided it, running/tri club/mates who know a bit can be just as much help in stopping someone going into an event without any kind of preparation.
Id be interested to know if they have the same frequency of seemingly healthy people dropping down dead in the Paris marathon or French triathlons where a doctors sign of is compulsory for completion?
I'm also aware that the whole going to the docs thing is a potential barrier to entry for some people, I just think organiser could do more to ensure people are at least prepared, an email 3 weeks before you race making sure you've bought all the kit from their sponsors doesn't cut it in my mind...
Sainsburys_Ed
well done on the race.
really sad that about the chap dying, seems to be all too frequent an occurrence, there really should be some kind of medical sign off/pre qual for endurance activities happens far too frequently for my liking, I can't help feeling that people with serious underlying medical issues that were at least aware of them could manage them, or at least make some sensible decisions, rather than jumping in freezing water triggering a heart attack, epileptic fit etc. and dying quite often when they've taken up the sport to "get healthy".