Been terribly busy at work since coming back from the business trips, but I have sombre news to share. One of the participants of the Singapore Biathlon (1.5km swim, 10km run) on Sunday (26 March) died 600m from the finish line.
Colonel Bernard Tan was 39 and leaves behind two daugthers aged 2 and 7. More details here. Being a rather senior officer in the Army, I would expect that he was reasonably fit. The cause of death is still unknown.
This is very sad news indeed, made all the more sombre by the fact that back in Oct, there was another death - heart attack during the swim - in the Corporate Triathlon. In that case, the deceased also left behind a family with young kids.
For a country like Singapore, where the people are just starting to exercise a bit more and participation in multi-sports is growing, this is terrible news indeed.
Must confess that I am a bit shaken by this, and of course the wife is again questioning why I am doing all this training. I am still not sure how to react, but I am not about to stop training. A friend of mine commented that this is a reminder for us all to to watch what we eat, enjoy training, and don't sweat the small stuff.
May the Lord watch over you and keep you as you fulfill your mission in life as a triathlete.
Train safe and God Speed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Hey Kewl,
I am sorry to hear the news as well. In endurance events, death has happened. In the marathon I ran, someone died shortly after finishing.
Is it tragic? yes I think so. I cannot imagine how the family is feeling. Especailly the kids.
For my part, I make sure I train slowly so my body can get well adjusted to the intensity and the duration require for a race.
It might scare some ppl away. But I think the pro outweights the con. Some ppl will just see the death and say it is dangerous. But I would counter si it anymore dangerous than eating a high fat and salt diet and having heart problems 10-15 years down the line?
Of course, all this justification still cannot answer the tragedy of the event.
Heart disease is the biggest cause of death in the world. I study atherosclerosis, which causes 2/3 of heart disease. I don't think triathlon causes heart problems, it just amplifies underlying problems. In general, if you train right and smart, it's going to be great for you and make you healthier and increase your lifespan, not to mention make your heart stronger. But I guess, people should be diligent about getting a thorough physical before undertaking serious exercise, especially if they're over a certain age, to get the go-ahead. That way, they can make sure their heart can take the added strain. It's terrible that those people died. Unfortunately, even if they did all those things, it may not have been able to be prevented. However, I don't think people should be deterred from such a great, healthy passion because of it. I'm sure they wouldn't want it that way.
No better way to go than doing what you love!
This is like hearing about people dying in marathons. In the US, over half a million people participate in marathons each year. It's only a matter of statistics that a few will die during a race each year. Many of those might have died home in bed, or mowing the lawn.
Sad news like this (and the recent LA marathon deaths) definitely makes me examine my training much more carefully. Train safe and God speed to you too.
I like what Nancy said... it probably would have happened no matter what he'd been doing, and he died doing what he loved.
I also like what you said... about fulfilling our mission in life as a triathlete. I hope I live up to mine.
Post a Comment