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WESTPORT, Conn. A contestant in the Sherwood Island Sprint Triathlon was rushed to Norwalk Hospital Sunday after suffering an apparent heart attack during the swim phase of the race.
Race director Dom Gillen said the man was taken to Norwalk Hospital. An update on his condition was not available by the time the race ended at around 9:30 a.m. Lifeguards said the man was in his 60s. Gillen believed the man was in his 50s.
According to lifeguards, the contestant was conscious when he grabbed on to a kayak with about 100 yards remaining during the half-mile swim. Lifeguards said he became unconscious on the way in to shore, and emergency medical personnel tried to revive the man with CPR and an automated external defibrillator. The athlete was not revived when he left the Westport beach in an ambulance.
The second-year triathlon is sponsored by Targetraining of Westport. There were nearly 300 contestants registered for the race.
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