Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
Jean-Francois Alain was a healthy father who had competed in triathlons for more than a decade.
He was going to turn 50 this year and his widow, Veronique Tremblay, says he set a goal for himself to complete the Ironman triathlon to mark the milestone.
The grueling event requires a lot of preparation, so along with his training at home in Montreal, he and a friend signed up for a half ironman in Galveston, Tx. on April 7, 2024.
Tremblay, who normally travelled with her husband and shared his love of running, recalls the last time they spoke. It was over FaceTime and Alain had just finished carbo-loading to get ready for the big day.
"He was thrilled," she said. "I told him to stay safe."
Jean-Francois Alain was a healthy father who had competed in triathlons for over a decade, his wife said. (Submitted)
She said he was in great health, and had even gone to the doctor the week before he left.
The next morning, during the first leg of the triathlon — the swim — something went wrong. According to Tremblay, he had raised his hand to signal for help. What happened in the minutes between that signal and when he arrived at the hospital is now part of an investigation the family has arranged through Houston attorney William Moye.
Tremblay says witness accounts have indicated there may have been a delay in getting help.
"It’s not like he was floating around and they didn’t notice," she said. "He raised his hand for help. And after that we had some witnesses come forward and there’s some information that points to the fact there were challenges."
She says the loss of her husband of 29 years, the father of her two teenage sons, has been devastating. "He was my best friend," she said.
In a statement sent Wednesday, Ironman said:
"We are saddened to confirm the death of a race participant from the IRONMAN 70.3 Texas triathlon. Swim safety personnel recognized a distressed athlete requiring medical attention approximately 950m into the swim. The athlete was attended to quickly and provided immediate medical care before being transported to a nearby hospital where they sadly passed. Our gratitude goes out to the swim safety personnel and first responders for their quick work in assisting the athlete. We share our condolences with the family and friends of the athlete as they go through this very difficult time."
An autopsy has been completed but the results won’t be available for several months.
Deaths during Ironman events are rare, but they do happen. The vast majority of these deaths occur during the swimming portion of the triathlon.
Anesthesiologist Dr. Richard Moon from Duke University has spent years researching the deaths that occur during triathlons.
He says while most presume these deaths are caused by heart attacks, the evidence shows there may be another reason.
"For example, if it’s a heart attack, you would expect that people would be exposed to the same stress in terms of the exercise, whether they’re running or biking as they would be swimming. And yet there are very few deaths during the dry portions of a triathlon," he said.
"So that, to me, suggested there may be another explanation, which I was interested in exploring, which was swimming induced pulmonary oedema (SIPE)."
The condition is when the lungs fill up with fluid from inside the body rather than the water. He says some people are more susceptible to this condition, and the research is being used to determine risk factors and prevent deaths from occurring.
Tremblay, meanwhile, is planning a celebration of her husband’s life.
"He was the engine of our family," she said. "The last moments I had with him before he died I asked him to give me strength to continue in the way he was driving our family."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cellphone ticket for using his points app in the drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
B.C. YouTuber ordered to pay $350K for 'relentless' online defamation campaign
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things 'full circle'
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
'Endless Shrimp' just one misstep for Red Lobster as it eyes bankruptcy protection
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
B.C. man shot sex worker in the back during drug-fuelled birthday, court hears
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
'Inhumane conditions': 68 dogs pulled from Winnipeg home
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
Driver said he smoked pot oil, took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.