saturdayknight

Yip I worked hard before the epic last year to kickstart ketone metabolism - I think this helps for various reasons

totally agree - they pull in over 100 million for the event in entry fees and sponsorship etc. NO excuse to have sloppy planning and implementation. The spectator experience also needs to be jacked up. I was at a random MTB event in Lenzeheid Switzerland and the spectator experience at the finish was so much more professional that at Epic. The tables / WPs should be properly stocked to the bitter end. Some of the biggest heros on this race are the back enders who have somehow stuck in there and suffered all day while the pros are having an afternoon nap in the RV. Thats what makes the race to unique and world class - amateurs mixing it with pros.

spot on - what i meant to say the rider rode for 2.5 hours between water points. It's quite feasible for a super fit young racing snake let along a man or lady in their 50's or 60's to slow down to 10km/hr on windy rocky sandy technical track in temps close to 50 degrees. Quite feasible. If the hydration sack holds 1.8 litres which is quite a big sack and the water bottle is 700mls (lots of MTBs cant carry two water bottles due to the frame design) - thats only 2.5 litres for 2.5 hours - thats simply not enough esp if not properly heat acclimatised. A seasoned MTBer in Ironman PTY LTD communicating with a doctor / physiologist who knows heat stress and heat stroke should know this and they should have additional water points. I dont think the race should be made any easier - its the worlds toughest MTB race supposedly. But they could just tick a few easy boxes - provide enough water and water points, and fix up some of the styes and track in some places not to make it easier to ride but just fix the planks properly or remove wire etc.

I set and design investigation systems into events like this - I can tell you it does not always come out within 24 hours. There are also preventable deaths and deaths that are not really preventable by the race organisers. A rider that dies of a heart attack as they had an atherosclerotic plaque sitting on their coronary artery waiting to rupture is not really preventable but someone dying of heat stroke is preventable. A basic is having enough water points and water and medical support. There are a few other basics.

I think you are right - it will eventually come out. BTW: Someone else posted they rode for 2.5 hours with no water and wondered why there was not another water point put in in the back half of the race. Kudos to the ladies and men who got to the end yesterday. Proper

thats not necessarily true - if someone died in the ambulance or in ICU it is not necessarily going to be communicated. The medical staff are not going to say so and so died in ICU. The family would do that and they are in deep grief and may not post anything. If someone died on the finish line or on the trail in front of everyone sure it would somehow make its way onto social media.

that's just spin - read : "receiving instructions from the lawyers in New York City to limit liability". The communication strategy to limit outrage is : 1. communicate early, 2. communicate honestly, 3. have the news delivered by an expert or trusted person. I dont think Epic have followed any of these. Lets hear a statement or interview with the chief medical officer for the race not some marketing wonk. And there are multiple reports of not enough water - at the race village and on route. Has anyone of the riders died in the last 24 hours - not on route or anywhere else - just died for any reason at any place within the last 24 hours?

I think you have hit the nail on the head - the organisers have had a year to plan, they know its in Paarl which is as hot as hades, and some simple understanding of heat stress and heat stroke and maths would allow them to plan for this. It's not rocket science - multiple extra water points, require riders to carry hydration packs. 1700 riders x 30 liters per rider - that gives them 15 litres to throw over themselves and 15 litres to drink gives about 50 tons of water - that's 5 large water tanks spread over the course. Thats not THAT difficult with a budget of over 100 million rands and a year of planning. And additional medics and access routes to attend to riders with heat stress. And most of that route is very accessible.

I think you have beancounters in NYC where Ironman is headquartered who squeeze and only interested in margins who are calling the shots. And they report to a media company and the venture capitalists. That’s why it’s poorly organised and not properly resourced. To run out of water is inexcusable (if it’s true). And it’s obvious a week out and even a year out that it can be super hot on Paarl rock. Just put extra water stations in. And don’t f%^* run out of water. Ever.

The organisers should keep the camera running at the finish on the live feed to see the backmarkers coming in. Those riders have suffered throughout the midday heat and are champions.

making it hard for yourself!! I also only got dropped in late Jan with no training or little riding the year before. I suffered massively. But I made sure i was heat tolerant, carried water ++, and somehow got through. Once you start getting heat stress is very very hard to pull it back.

Yip - did loads of heated power yoga and riding in the heat. I noticed last year the europeans didnt drink enough - sometimes you just have to stop, get off your bike, and bury your head in a stream or water source even if 20 guys ride past you - and carry a hydration pack. Need to drink a **** ton more than you think and pour water onto your chest and back as evaporative loss cools you down a lot quicker than convection or radiation. Its possible to ride in 43 degree heat but need to manage yourself well and prepare. Heat acclimatisaion takes weeks of preparation.

sorry bru thats horrible - all the training and investment...

I agree. For planet earth’s top Mtb race there are some people in the Ironman organisation who should be sacked. They are just not doing a good job. There are many areas for improvement to make it the world class event it is. Last year bunching all the riders together on the last day and then pushing them up a narrow steep single track close to the start was a disaster. I got the feeling the race is run by a bunch of office workers who have never ridden a MTB. The spectator experience is also very disorganised. The app is terrible. The western cape and cape town is totally insane from a riding and visitor experience point of view. They just need some better people to run the race. Just having a team ride the trail the week before the start and simply fix up some of the styes and crossings and getting rid of fencing wire lying on or close to the track would be a good start.

Problem is riders simply don’t carry enough water and drink enough. And then the ego comes in and they don’t listen to their bodies and tail off the pace as heat stress starts to develop. But every rider that’s not a pro should be riding with a hydration sack. And then even the pros!