Officials at war after two athletes die during Ireland Triathlon

Details surrounding whether a triathlon was too unsafe to go ahead have been hotly disputed after two seasoned athletes died during the first leg of the course.

About 2,000 athletes competed at Ironman Cork, in Ireland, on Sunday after bad weather from Storm Betty pushed the 70.3-mile race back a day.

In the chaos of the swim leg – the first of the three disciplines – Ireland’s Brendan Wall, 45, and Toronto’s Ivan Chittenden, 64, were killed.

Triathlon Ireland has since claimed it informed Ironman organizers it deemed the water too unsafe for racing ahead of the event, while Ironman has claimed it wasn’t made aware until much later.

Darren Coombes, CEO of Triathlon Ireland – the body responsible for providing sanction for races to proceed – said in a statement that officials told organizers prior to the race it couldn’t be sanctioned.

“For the Ironman Cork event, in line with normal practice, Triathlon Ireland Technical Officials attended before the start of the race to review the conditions and carry out a water safety assessment,” Mr Coombes said.

“Due to adverse conditions on the day, before the start of the race, Triathlon Ireland Technical Officials confirmed to the race organizers that it was not possible to sanction the race.

“As there is an investigation ongoing, at this stage it would not be appropriate for us to make any further comment only to state that Triathlon Ireland will provide any assistance that the authorities require.”

Ironman has however disputed the timing of when it was communicated to organizers that conditions were too unsafe to compete in, claiming the call wasn’t made until hours after the swim had ended.

“Several hours after the swim was completed, they communicated to the onsite Ironman Ireland officials that they would not approve the sanctioning for the event,” an email from Ironman, published by CBC, read.

The email detailed that the 70.3 event had been moved from Saturday to Sunday due to poor conditions and the swim course for the full and half distances had also been shortened.

It claimed on the morning of the rescheduled race that “Ironman Ireland officials and the specific on-swim safety team carried out all standard safety protocol checks that are completed at every race and determined water conditions were safe for the swim to take place.”

“While conditions were improved from Saturday, out of an abundance of safety, it was decided to shorten the swim course for both races,” the email read.

The rough conditions were obvious in footage shared online from the start of the race, with athletes seen running into choppy waves and battling to get past them.

It has since been reported that swimmers were re-routed from the original course after they entered the water by officials on kayaks and dinghies.

One competitor described feeling like a “packed sardine” in the chaos of the swim.

“I was one of the 70.3 Ironman participants. 70.3 race was cancelled on Saturday 19th because of unsafe conditions after Storm Betty. They rescheduled us and combined the 70.3 with the full distance Ironman Sunday 20th,” he said.

“Sea conditions were still rough on Sunday morning, the swim went ahead with around 2,000 swimmers on the water. In the middle of the swim they made more changes and we were rerouted. We were like packed sardines, confused and swimming in rough water.”

While the start was staggered, he said the onshore waves meant swimmers ended up getting bunched together.

“People were shouting and pulling us to tell us to stop and go the other direction … We were very confused about what was happening in the middle of the swim,” the competitor said.

While the cause of the double tragedy remains subject to investigation, there have been calls for athletes to measure their own ability against conditions when deciding whether it was safe for them to compete.

When registering for Ironman events, which cost more than $1000 for a full distance and more than $500 for half, competitors must sign a waiver accepting full responsibility for their own safety.

“This is so sad. But, as athletes, we need to put ourselves first,” an athlete wrote online.

“Having seen the footage of the swim, that water looked treacherous,” another said, arguing the deaths could have been avoided.”

Brendan Wall, from the UK, left behind his fiancee Tina, his parents Oliver and Gertrude, one sister, and two brothers.

He was laid to rest following his funeral this week, where it was revealed he “was very excited and had a big smile on his face” when he entered the water.

His family was at the race to support him and waved him off.

An obituary for Ivan Chittenden celebrated the way his “love for life and ability, always, to see the positive, was a joy and inspiration to everyone he encountered.”

“Ivan was a consummate professional, a wonderful friend, and an encouraging mentor to all who knew him,” part of the tribute read.

He had been a long-time runner and became an endurance athlete in his early 50s, competing in Ironman races across the globe, from Canada to Zell am See, Austria, and completed all six of the World Marathon Majors – Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York City, and Tokyo.

He leaves behind his wife, Dr. Siobhan Hyland, his dear stepchildren, Jack and Kate, and brother, Roger.