Autopsy set for triathlon death of Elmhurst woman

NEW YORK — An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday morning on the body of a 40-year-old Elmhurst woman who was pulled from the Hudson River during the swimming leg of the Nautica New York City Triathlon, authorities said Monday.

The woman died at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital at 3:43 a.m. Chicago time Monday, according to a hospital spokeswoman. The medical examiner's office would not confirm her identity.

Race director Bill Burke said the woman was believed to have gone into cardiac arrest twice after Sunday's swim. The woman, who was not identified at the family's request, race officials said.

She and another competitor died after experiencing problems during the swim portion of the race, leading organizers to consider asking athletes more questions about their training and experience.

The deaths were the second and third at the triathlon in the past three years.

On Monday, a New York City lawmaker called for a top-to-bottom review, questioning whether rain the night before — which could have led to choppy water and strong currents — or temperatures above 90 degrees were factors.

Burke called the deaths “a very, very sad occurrence and tragedy,” but characterized the weather conditions during Sunday's race as optimal, with relatively mild temperatures and good cloud cover for much of the day.

Burke said participants were not required to provide a health certificate or proof they have participated in another triathlon — things he would like to see enacted.

“It's something we're going to look at and try to put possible identifiers in place that can hopefully give us some indication and let the athletes know what they need to be careful about: Have you done an open water swim? Have you participated in another triathlon? How much training have you put into this?”

Participants in the race swim about a mile, bike 25 miles and run 6 miles.

They attend a mandatory briefing before the race that includes information about training and staying hydrated. Burke said it was not uncommon for some people to struggle with overexertion. He said he most commonly sees heat-related problems such as fatigue and dehydration.

Ÿ Daily Herald staff writer Marco Santana contributed to this report.