In my never-ending quest to expand my knowledge of endurance sports and activities, I always look out for a sport that injured triathletes may do while healing. Suddenly I was reminded of my childhood’s least-treasured memories (public baths and saunas on the old country) by this tragic news. Two finalists in the World Sauna Championships, Russian Vladimir Ladyzhensky and 5-time Champion, Finn Timo Kaukonen, collapsed after suffering severe burns on their bodies. Vladimir Ladyzhensky died in hospital later. Beside the tragicomedy aspects of this sport, this news reminds all of us about the single-minded pursuit of competitive success and the price some are willing to pay to achieve it, no matter what is the sport or activity or personal definition of success. (Please do not say: “At least he died doing what he loved best.”)
Archive for the ‘Casualty Department’ Category
World Sauna Championships death and drama
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010Enhancing bone strength
Monday, June 28th, 2010
Grace’s X-ray is on the left. Hmmm… so this is how she looks under her race kit and her skin… Titanium hardware and large thumb?
Story background is the usual narrative about triathlete, you have seen these movies before: one female rider… training ride… lonely road… a pick up truck… that blew a stop sign… a healthy amount of road rash and a broken left collar bone… couple weeks before her race “A” (Ironman Coeur d’Alene) she had been training for months.
Gracefully, she thanked her teammates for help after the accident, and counted her positives, “it could have been worse.”
I just can not commit to believing that one can be that calm, thoughtful, rational, nice and sweet… Anyone wants to volunteer to teach her how to curse and rage?
And stay out of my swimming lane
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Another story of ironman dreams crashed… this time by otter. Read this article and wonder about glory of Nature.
In sum, an “angry otter viciously” attacked leg of the triathlete training in the local lake. Not sure who interviewed otter to determine if otter was angry or it was just a rough trade thing with wetsuited creature that visited otter’s lake… but poor man had to sprint to the shore as the otter continued its attacks. Near the shore, otter “came around me again, but this time I reached down and hit him with my hand… The otter swam away, then turned back and came at him again. Schmid scrambled onto the wooden dock as the otter swam underneath. While catching his breath, he saw blood gushing from his foot. The lower leg of his wetsuit was completely chewed up and covered with teeth marks… Several days later, he’s still walking on crutches and needless to say, won’t be competing in the Ironman.”
Ironman Lake Placid 2009 – Casualty Count
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
Official data for 2009 race is here – 55 separate ambulance calls were made during the race. Interestingly, this statistic supports un-intuitive proposal we discussed before – that certain obvious bad weather (i.e. rain) or road (surface, vehicle traffic, etc.) conditions can actually decrease number of casualties. These 55 calls were about double the calls from rainy 2008 race! I love dry and cryptic description from the local press of four specific accidents:
“Lee Foster of Saranac Lake, a volunteer driver of a safety and gear (SAG) vehicle during the race, said he aided 23 competitors in addition to the ambulance calls Sunday. One accident in particular stood out — it involved a cyclist colliding with the back of his vehicle and three others colliding with the back of the ambulance he called to the scene.
Tina M. Pippy, 41, a police officer from Ottawa, was pedaling on state Route 86 near Cobble Mountain Road toward Lake Placid when she collided with his SAG vehicle. Foster had parked the Chevrolet Suburban in a position to protect another woman who had recently fallen off her bike from severe stomach cramps. While Foster called an ambulance and administered care, Pippy collided with the back of the vehicle, Foster said.
Pippy suffered a broken arm and ribs, and cracked her helmet in the accident as well as breaking the left-side taillight of Foster’s vehicle, he said. She was treated at Adirondack Medical Center and released on Sunday, according to hospital spokesman Joe Riccio.
Foster called a second ambulance, which arrived and picked up Pippy. As it backed out of the scene, three more cyclists collided with the back of it, he said.”
Ironman USA Lake Placid 2010 – Update on Natasha
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Natasha is back in NYC. She has dermatological and plastic surgery specialists to see. She is in good spirit (we all know her - she might be one of those weird people that can find positive and good and all that… instead of blaming, getting depressed and being normal human), focusing on healing, work, and logistics of getting into next year race!
Here is excerpts from her recent e-mails:
“Just wanted to thank you for all of you support on Sunday night. Not sure what I would have done without you guys, my friends and fellow teammates. I’m obviously hugely disappointed, sore, angry and very upset still, but will be back on the road asap. Have spent the day going between the docs and the plastic surgeon but things seem to be healing ok – it certainly isn’t pretty though!!”
“Am more than happy to share info/gory details with the team and concerned parties so please do pass them on.
I am also really happy to be contacted either by e-mail, phone (347 – four five three – three seven one five) or have a visitors….the pain killers I am on are “awesome” so I can’t guarantee I’ll make any sense (no change there), but at least they make me feel good! 
My friends have been baby-sitting me and have been brilliant about helping me set up docs appointments etc.
Went to see plastics person yesterday and am due to go back tomorrow to have some of the stitches out. The bruising is coming out nicely so my face is turning all shades of yellow and blue. The left side of my head is still really sore but that is just bruising. I have attached a couple of piccies for your amusement!! My arms and knuckles are pretty torn up too but the rest of me is fine – unbelievable. I fully appreciate that it could have been a whole lot worse and that I am very very lucky. Doesn’t help with the mental loss of not completing the race, but I am thankful I’m not sat in a dentist chair talking about the need for major dental surgery etc.
Jacs popped in last night and said the bike had a cool battle wound on the left brake bar so I am looking forward to seeing that!! Hopefully there is no major damage elsewhere.
Am determined to get out there again asap, and if the eyes are ok I will have absolutely no excuse for not putting in a damn good effort at Timberman. ”
I was in contact with the race marshall on the bike course (on the motorbike) that witnessed Natasha’s crash and was first responder on the scene. He and his driver were off the bike and attended her and another rider within seconds of the crash, and stayed with her until the professional emergency first responders took over. His e-mail confirms our opinion on her hardiness, commitment and strong mentality:
“I was sorry that she was not able to compete and was impressed by her efforts to try to regain the race. My driver, Brian, and I were approximately 50 metres behind Natasha when the accident unfolded. As you know things happen extremely fast. The riders were on the long downhill near Keene (around the 19 mile mark).
Here is my assessment of what happened and what my driver saw. It looked like Natasha had passed another rider of the left and was doing great. She was near the center line and was headed back to the right when another rider in front of her cut out to pass. Natasha nicked his back wheel which, at that speed, caused her to wobble. The other rider continued on. She ended up not able to recover and began falling to the right. The bike immediately pitched her to the ground. She looked like she hit her left side. She was in the middle of the the right lane and another rider coming behind hit her immediately upon her falling in front of him. He was thrown over the handle bars and slid to a stop about 10 metres pass Natasha.
I attended to Natasha and Brian handled the other rider. The other rider was up, battered and ripped up, but continued on. We heard that he finished the race. Which is unbelievable after seeing his crash.
Upon getting to Natasha within seconds she was awake but in obvious shock. I was impressed that the first words out of her mouth was ‘how is my bike?’. She then apologized and told me ‘Sorry, I usually don’t cry this much’. She was bleeding heavily (at the aid station later they thought I was injured based on the blood on my hands, face and clothing). I checked for broken bones, neck and back injuries, etc. I asked Natasha some general questions to access her status. A local nurse showed up on the scene within 10 minutes and I provided my assessment. Natasha was able to move to the side of road, for safety reasons, and we re-accessed her with the EMS unit. She was given the recommendation that she should seek medical attention at the hospital. She made the right, but difficult, choice.”
This falling tree made a sound
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
According to the Bay Area (California) newspaper article, there is a new source of triathlon-related injuries. I would like to publically trademark such class of accidents as “arboreal pain syndrome,”, “arboritis,” or more common “getting tree’d.”
Last Sunday, three participants in the Vineman Triathlon in Sonoma County were injured when an oak tree fell across the road. Hard to tell from the coverage but it sounds like one rider (still hospitalized with a severe back injury and broken arm) had the tree hit him as it fell down, and two others broke their collarbones (most likely from “unscheduled rapid deceleration and dismount”). Race was halted for 10-15 minutes… which makes some of our complaints about enforced wait at the exit from T1 (to allow motor vehicle traffic to proceed) in Tupper Lake Tinman a bit immature?
Another useless loss
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
We just lost Steve Larsen, someone I can describe best as renaissance endurance man. He was very good in very many sports - pro athlete with wins in road cycling, mountain biking, cyclocross, triathlons, XTerra series, etc. He passed away after collapsing during a running track workout this Tuesday evening. He was 39, happily married and happy farther of five.
As an old-timer, I remember seeing him appear on a road cycling scene in the 1980′s; he rode for the Motorola (that was the Team) in many international races (including the Giro), was Pearl Izumi guy (any old timers remember those PI catalogs?). Eventually he switch to MTB during the mountain biking high years (winning the NORBA XC Nationals couple years). As he matured (aged), he experimented (without any prior running experience) with triathlons in early 2000′s, getting to Kona on his first attempt (finishing ninth there) and almost “re-writing the book” of ironman preparations by winning his first IM – 2001 Ironman USA Lake Placid (he rode 4:33 and finished at 8:33:11, all this without any serious running training - Lake Placid marathon was his longest run ever).
He was awesome in his “let me try my own”, “high intensity only”, way. He had the right DNA to be good in endurance sports, and he honored his genetic abilities by training and racing with commitment and passion. And he was one of very few athletes at that level that are able to healthily balance Life (family, friends, work) and Sports (training and high intencity racing) together.
RIP, Steve.
(Please do not comment with “At least he died doing what he loved best…” – I am sure he loved his family more, he loved his even his work more, he loved his friends more, and he loved cycling more than running! Death is terrible state for everyone involved and banality of comments on when and how it happens do not honor the man. Just be silent for bit, reflect on Steve’s life and family, and reflect on your own existence. Coach Ross)
Mystery of rushing emergency vehicles
Thursday, January 8th, 2009Since we train outdoors in NYC so much, we get inured to the sights and sounds of emergency vehicles. But sometimes, when I observe deliberate and/or massed rush by police vehicles or ambulances, I get a ping of (healthy or unhealthy?) desire to know the reasons, to follow them, to see the speculative gore and drama… Then I recoil with thoughts of things I need to do in my life, and go on my way hoping that it is “not serious” and no one I know is involved.
This morning, during out IronTeam training session, around 6:35am, I was tormenting, I mean coaching, M.C. (on her new bike, finally) during her last ITT loop of the park. As we started on the HSA (Horse Shit Alley) segment of the lower loop, we encountered increased number of runners and riders. Proceeding in this fairly dark section (many lamp posts were out), we were concentrating on safe and fast progress. Being on the right side, I caught a glimpse of the human figure on the sidewalk, hugging the lamp post. He (young Hispanic male) had his left hand/body wrapped around lamp post, and was gently waving his right hand side to side. We raced by. After completing the loop, we debriefed the ride, and while leaving park at the Seventh Avenue exit, noticed, first 2, then another 3 police vehicles, and then ambulance. Wet and cold morning was getting lighter and “normal” life day was ahead… we wondered about these emergency vehicles as we left the park. One hour later, my mail box and online news explained the reason.
First it was Guy stabbed in Central Park posting on slowtwitch forum: “It was still dark, 6.40, southeast corner, close to ice skating rim. He was half leaning against a light, half lying there on the other side of the road and crying. At first I thought he was mentally disabled as he made strange sounds and lay there oddly bent. Short Latino guy in regular (=non work-out) clothes. A group of runners was standing 50 yrds down the road looking in my direction. I carefully approached him and asked if he is ok. Only then I saw what appeared to be a knife sticking in his tummy. Not pretty. I was still cautious as it could have been a fake. I wondered why the other people kept distance. I couldn’t see any blood but it was still dark and he had enough clothes on to potentially cover such. He didn’t reply to me but just kept crying and whining. It was immediately clear that it wasn’t a fake. Then a group of cyclists stopped, unfortunately no medics. One spoke Spanish to him but he was unable to reply with a sentence. Apparently the runners called for help from one of the many fixed phones down the road. “
And a bit later, more definitive explanation:
Man Stabbed Himself In Central Park near Wollman Rink
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say an emotionally disturbed man is recovering at a hospital after he claimed he was stabbed in Central Park. The incident occurred around 6:45 a.m. Thursday near the Wollman skating rink. The man was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center with a knife wound to his abdomen. He is expected to recover. The 29-year-old man has a history of mental illness and has on four previous occasions stabbed himself and then called the police. He is being uncooperative with authorities.
TM & Copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc.
As we live and train in our sandbox of New York City, we really do not notice how awfully large it is and how many humans and their stories it contains. No lesson here. Live on.
Unhappy feet
Friday, November 14th, 2008
Bizarre news from Canada via Vancouver Sun. The New Balance shoe in question is the SIXTH severed human foot in a running sneaker that was found recently on British Columbia south shores. All six of the feet – five rights and a left – were found starting August 2007 in the Strait of Georgia, which is sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island, or nearby in the mouth of the Fraser River.
Seems that high frequency and geographic concentration of these finds are very suspect even if you include usual by-products of assorted ethnic mafias, accidents and suicides… If I wrote for a scandal magazine, I would speculate that B.C. has a serial killer with affection for runners’ feet.
Here is inventory of the prior finds:
Foot No. 1 - a male’s right foot in a Campus brand sneaker found August 20, 2007 on Jedediah Island.
Foot No. 2 – a male’s right foot in a Reebok sneaker found August 26, 2007 on Gabriola Island.
Foot No. 3 – a male right foot in a Nike sneaker found Feb. 2, 2008 on Valdes Island.
Foot No. 4 – a female’s right foot in a New Balance sneaker found May 22, 2008 on Kirkland Island.
Foot No. 5 – a male’s left foot in a Nike sneaker found June 16, 2008 on Westham Island. DNA testing has confirmed it came from the same person as the foot found on Valdes Island on Feb. 2, 2008.
Independently if such are result of foul play or not, this is a troubling development for Canada, running shoes manufacturers and runners.
Crime Scene – Route 9W mile marker 5.5 (southbound)
Monday, November 10th, 2008
“Crime Scene” is a sub-category under the Casualty Department tag to record and to warn athletes about locations of sport-related accidents, mishaps and dangers. It is perhaps instructive to determine and note if there seem to be accident “hot spots” where more than one incident have occurred. Obviously, due to the density of athletes in the Central Park, Riverside Drive, Route 9W, etc., such routes will see higher volume of incidence. Motor vehicle traffic, pedestrians and other athletes/commuters are all suspects but certain locations with their unigue traffic patterns, road surfaces, route configurations, turns, street “furniture,” etc. present a consistent and sustained element of danger that should be known and anticipated. By visualizing the kinds of places where dangerous situations tend to occur, athletes will hopefully gain an advanced knowledge, and will reflexively utilize extra caution approaching such locations and situations, diffusing real and potential danger with defensive attitude/riding.
This Sunday, 11/9/08, a 54-year-old male rider from New York City traveling north on Route 9W was hit by a female motorist at around 10pm on a straightaway a few miles south of Closter Dock Road. Rider had grey beard and was on a black carbon LeMond with Bontrager wheels. He was moved to the Hackensack Emergency Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition. His helmet was cracked in half and he was not breathing on his own. The rider has a serious head injury; and after many hours, has been identified. He is unmarried, no children, but friends and other family are with him.
Ariel from the current TriLife IronTeam was 10 minutes late to the group ride this Sunday and reports: “… although I did not actually see the crash, I could not have been more than a few hundred yards behind when it happened. I don’t want to go into details, and from what I saw, it appeared that he was riding on a wide, flat shoulder and was hit from behind. Although I can’t imagine anything he could have done to prevent something like this, I still want to say to everyone here to please be careful. I know you can’t always be perfectly focused – when you’re tired, or reaching for some water, or stretching out your muscles deep into a ride. But try. As many things as we don’t have control over, there’s a lot that we do. And we shouldn’t need these horrible events to remind us of that.”
Tragic visuals and details about the rider are posted by Benepe’s Bike Blog.
12/1/08 UPDATE
Camille Savoy, a rider struck by a car on 11/9/08, has died on 11/26/08 at the Hackensack Medical University Hospital. The scope of his injuries, primarily damage to the brain was too intense…
The police report and a witness say that both Camille Savoy and the car that struck him were traveling close to the white road shoulder line when accident occurred. The car, Subaru Forester, was driven by 71-year-old Wha S. Kim from Englewood, NJ.