I saw something yesterday and i can't shake it...

Wow, having a code like that at the end of the race when most of the crews are getting ready to sign off......good thing your ER doc and EMS guys were till there.  Yeah, good to comfort the girl, she was probably scared out of her shoes.

Hope he recovers okay.

That had to be a terrible thing to witness but you should be proud of yourself for jumping in and helping out. He is really fortunate as well to have had the EMT's and the ER doctor still there. I hope he winds up being alright and my prayers go out to him and his family.

It's hard to imagine how I would react if faced with a similary situation. Great job staying as calm as possilbe.  He and his family will be in our prayers today at Mass.

Gotta disagree with you there. Though in that moment you may not have received much reaction or feedback from a person in shock, I guarantee everything you did from the initial call for help, MADE A DIFFERENCE.

Thank you.

Wow. Understandable that you can't shake this.

Everyone (hopefully) saved this man's life. Know that you being over there with him when it happened may be the difference as well.

On behalf of the Maple Grove Triathlon, we wanted to extend a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who responded to the medical emergency you described above.  

We have been in touch with our medical team who have confirmed that this racer arrived at the hospital coherant and speaking. He is expected to make a full recovery according to his close friend.

The gentleman faced a similar situation last week but not to the degree of yesterday's occurance. We join you in our blessings for those who supported him in this very scary situation and feel very grateful for his life-saving outcome.

Thank you for your care and incredible support. We can only assume how appreciative he and his family are right now for you.

For anyone who wants more information on what to do in a situation like this the link below provides a basic overview of what to do in this very circumstance.  It is not a replacement of taking an CPR class, but it is better than nothing. 

http://www.danecallandpump.org/overview.aspx

Good job to SoberTriGuy and all involved on scene.

Thank you for posting this!  I'm so glad he made it...!

Thank you to everyone else for your replies...

You said that you can't get it out of your head. There's so much to be said on this, and most of it I would say in a private message, but with this happening more and more at races, I'm hoping that this will help at least one person. Please consider seeking the confidence of a professional counselor. I'm not saying you're crazy - not by any means. Events like this can cause PTSD in people who are witnesses or become involved in the situation. It's something that is being recognized in emergency services more and more, and at alarming rates. Imagine the effect on people who don't intervene in medical emergencies as their day job. As with an obvious medical emergency, the sooner there is evaluation and maybe treatment, the better someone does.

I'm not saying that you need help. I'm saying that this is something that is extremely hard to see, muchless participate in, and come out the other side unscathed. Nothing reminds us so much of our own mortality. My heart goes out to you.

Again, thank you. Your involvement made a difference to someone yesterday. Someone who means the world to his family.

Edited by ironultrared 2012-08-26 6:28 PM

This is an excellent example why EVERYONE SHOULD LEARN CPR.  Early, competent CPR and defibrillation GREATLY increases survival in a heart attack victim.  If you're not certified please contact your local Red Cross and take a class.

OK, I'll get off my soap box now.

Awesome point about learning CPR. I was certified when I was younger as a lifeguard and still continue certifications when they expire. Great knowledge to have.

As for the OP's post, I've witnessed similar at events. At my first HM roughly 11 miles in I came upon a scene where paramedics were working on a gentleman who I later found out had a heart attack. This scene still weighs heavily on my mind when pushing myself in any event. I only had a moment to see the gentleman but he wasn't old by any means and appeared in good shape. I later found out this gentleman didn't make it. Since that day I purchased a road id and hardly ever remove it.

2 months later at another HM I witnessed another gentleman go down 200 yards from the finish line while waiting for my father to finish. This was a scary scene but thankfully the man survived.

My first tri of this season as I was getting out of the water from my Oly distance swim an older gentleman doing the sprint was being worked on on the beach and apparently had a heart attack.

I didn't take any of the above as a sign not to continue endurance sports, but a sign to be careful.