Competitor dies in swim leg of Boulder Ironman triathlon
A general view of competitors swimming in the Boulder Reservoir during the IRONMAN Boulder on June 10, 2018 in Boulder, Colorado. Donald Miralle/Getty Images for IRONMAN/AFP
BOULDER, Colo. — An athlete died a day after he was pulled from the water during the Boulder Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Colorado. It was the third death in four years of Ironman competitions in Boulder.
A witness, physician Donald Cain from Wisconsin, told the Daily Camera in Boulder that a man was pulled from the water on Saturday, and Ironman officials say the athlete died Sunday. The Boulder County coroner identified the man as 50-year-old Scott Michaelis, of Wichita, Kansas.
Article continues after this advertisementA 70.3 triathlon, or half Ironman, involves swimming 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers), biking 56 miles (90 kilometers) and running 13.1 miles (21 kilometers).
Thirty-four-year-old Michelle Walters, of McCook, Nebraska, died after being struck by a vehicle during the 2016 race, and 40-year-old Brian Godlove of Fairfax, Virginia, died three days after a 2015 race from dehydration and muscle tissue breakdown.
