Man, 43, dies taking part in Barry Island triathlon
A43-year-old man died of a suspected cardiac arrest while taking part in a triathlon at Barry Island yesterday.
Emergency services were called to the event at Whitmore Bay Beach at around 7.30am.
A spokeswoman for South Wales Police confirmed they received a report of a “medical emergency”.
She said the man, who was taking part in a triathlon event, was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.
Personnel from the Coastguard, RNLI and Welsh Ambulance Service performed CPR, but the man was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
An ambulance spokesman said they responded to the incident by sending two paramedic cars and an ambulance.
He said there were already medical response teams on site, due to the nature of the event.
The spokesman said the man was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and that his next of kin have been informed of his death.
The event was organised by All or Nothing Events. Dirty Sanchez star Matthew Pritchard challenged people to beat him in the swim, cycle and run around the seaside town.
Speaking before the event, he said: “I’ve entered many, many triathlons in the past. I just thought, ‘I’ve always wanted to start my own.’”
The All or Nothing Events website said: “We decided to put on our first race on the iconic Barry Island. Somewhere where we love to swim, train and now race.
“A perfect sandy beach, a rolling bike with a couple of ups and a flat and fast sprint finish along the promenade. If you are a completer or a competer, if you are using this race to tune up for your season or it’s your first open water tri, we have designed a course for all.” Registration for the event opened at 5am, with participants completing a swim, followed by a cycling course and then running route.
The swimming route took competitors in a triangular route around Whitmore Bay, while the running route went past Barry Harbour.