An autopsy on the Ironman athlete who died during the start of the swimming portion was performed Sunday, June 9, but the cause of death has not officially reported.

John H. Boland, 53, from Redondo Beach, Calif., was pulled from Utah Lake 10 minutes after the start of the swim portion of the race.

Boland was taken to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, where he was pronounced dead at 7:49 a.m.

Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Harris said the written report from the medical examiner's office would be released in two to three weeks.

UVRMC spokesman Anton Garrity said doctors reported the death as an apparent drowning.

The death was the second in an Ironman event, said Shane Facteau, Ironman North America spokesman. The first was in a bike wreck several years ago at Ironman California.

It was the first time in Ironman North America history a death in the swimming portion occurred.

"You couldn't hear anything. I didn't even hear the cannon start," said Jared Elison, 23, from Provo, majoring in international studies.

The wind and waves created confusion, causing the athletes to set off about five minutes before the 7 a.m. start time.

"It was really brutal, six to eight foot swells," said Brian Harrison, 51, from Provo. "It was difficult to see where we were swimming."

The waves came without sequence, which is different from ocean waves, Harrison said.

"There were no buoys, there were boats and people on board who didn't know what they were doing or where they were going," said Jed Dineen, 21, from Seal Beach, Calif. "We started swimming to boats and they pointed us to different directions. It was horrible chaos."

The waves flipped over canoes and kayaks, sending the passengers into the uncontrollable water.

"A lot of people were calling for help. They wanted to know where they were going," Dineen said.

The 41 professionals competing in the Ironman appeared very shaken after the cancellation of the swim, despite their strong athletic background.

"It was pretty hilly," said Petr Vabrousek, 28, from Zin-Malenovice, Czech Republic. "I was swimming downhill and uphill all the time."

"It was a pity they did not end it earlier, so a lot of people did not end up in the lake in these conditions," Vabrousek said.

Andrea Fisher, 29, from Austin Texas, is another Ironman professional. Her swimming experience at the University of Texas did not prepare her for the grueling swim.

"It was kind of scary because someone would disappear and you would have no idea where they went," Fisher said.

She did not criticize the actions by Ironman officials and agreed with their decision to cancel the swimming portion.

"There is nothing you could do about the situation, it was weather related, it was unfortunate, but I think everyone understands that and they're not placing blame on anyone," Fisher said.

President of Ironman North America, Graham Fraser, announced the change from a triathlon to a duathlon.

"We have a lot of hypothermic athletes. You don't know how your body's going to react," Graham said.



Copyright Brigham Young University 10 Jun 2002