Vasquez death due to stroke in Ironman 70.3

MANILA, Philippines - Wilfred Steven Uytengsu Jr., president of Sunrise Events, Inc., organizer of the recently concluded Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines triathlon at the CWC in Camsur, yesterday said that Miguel Vazquez died of stroke during the swim portion of the race.

The information was relayed to Uytengsu by the Vasquez family. Vasquez was 51.

“We are very much saddened by the loss of Miguel and share his family’s grief. He was a kind and caring person who loved to compete and looked forward to the challenge of the event,” Uytengsu said in a statement.

He added that the standard protocol was strictly followed in searching for Vasquez and immediate medical attention was administered after he was discovered.

“We simply cannot second guess if the outcome would have been any different had he been sitting down when he suffered the stroke,” Uytengsu said.

Just two weeks ago another business executive died in the swim leg of the OSIM Singapore triathlon. While deaths in the sport are still quite rare, they do tend to occur mostly in the swim portion. Research has indicated that this is primarily because when a person suffers a stroke or a heart attack in the water, he is usually not able to sit up or have immediate medical attention administered.

This is also because of the big crowd in the swim portion makes it difficult to see if an individual is asking for assistance or just navigating through the swim event before triathletes have spread out on the race course.

Despite the tragedy, the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines proved to be a huge success with seasoned triathletes saying that this was one of the best organized events they had attended.

“Notwithstanding the accolades we received for the fine organization of this event, we are distraught over the loss of a competitor and for me personally, the loss of a friend. Miguel and I spoke about his enthusiasm for this event for several months leading up to last Sunday and I distinctly remember wishing him luck minutes before the start of the swim and he gave me thumbs up sign,” said Uytengsu.

“Our investigation confirmed that we followed the correct procedures but certainly we will deploy additional measures to mitigate a similar occurrence in the future. The safety of the athletes is always our top priority.” Uytengsu said.

Over 550 athletes from 23 countries took part in the first Ironman event in the country. Organizers said they expect to double the field next year, underscoring the goal of the organizers, Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte and Sec. Ace Durano (Dept. of Tourism) to promote sports tourism in the country.