A participant in the IRONMAN Texas event died Saturday morning after crews recovered their body from Lake Woodlands during the swim portion of the race.
Details are limited due to the active investigation, but the Woodlands Fire Chief, Palmer Buck, confirmed to Chron that crews were notified just after 7:30 a.m. about a “possible lost swimmer on Lake Woodlands.”
Crews arrived within minutes but already had a rescue boat in the area, Buck said, and despite having zero visibility, were able to find the unidentified victim found the unidentified victim underwater 10 feet below shortly after 9 a.m. However, a dive team was needed to arrive and extract the individual.
“We had a current, plus lots of other activity in the water,” Buck explained. “The victim was brought to the surface at 9:30 a.m. and pronounced deceased.”
In a statement, IRONMAN in Texas, which kicked off Saturday morning, confirmed that the individual was a contestant in the event.
“We are saddened to confirm the death of a race participant during the swim portion of today’s IRONMAN Texas triathlon,” officials said on social media. “We send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the athlete and will offer them our support as they go through this very difficult time.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.