During the IronMan half triathlon in Hoorn, 50 people became unwell due to the tropical temperatures and were checked at a first aid post, 40 were examined by ambulance personnel. Eight of them were taken to hospital.
According to a spokesman for the Security Region, it was not only participants who suffered from the heat. “There were both bystanders and participants who no longer felt comfortable and were overcome by the heat.”
Two of the eight people taken to hospital had fallen from bicycles. The complaints of the remaining six were “heat-related,” the spokesman said. “We don’t know exactly what happened, but most of it really had to do with the heat.”
The large number of ambulances that came to the event was partly taken out of the stable as a precaution, the spokesperson tells NH. “That makes sense, because we’re talking about large numbers of people coming to the event.”
The IronMan organization could not be reached for comment.
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Iron Man
During the IronMan sports event, which is taking place in West Friesland for the fourth time, participants swim 1.9 kilometers, run more than 21 kilometers and cycle 90 kilometers through the region. With today’s high temperatures, the organization initiated a special heat protocol. There were water tanks and tents along the route where food and drinks were distributed. In case of overheating, an ice bath was ready for the participants.
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