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40-Year-Old Woman Is Second Participant To Die After Triathlon

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — A 40-year-old woman who experienced difficulty during the swimming portion of the 11th Nautica New York City Triathlon has died.

WCBS 880's Peter Haskell On The Danger Of The Swim Portion

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Her death Monday comes a day after another participant died in the race.

Race director Bill Burke said the Elmhurst, Ill., woman was believed to have gone into cardiac arrest twice after the swim Sunday.

Her name wasn't released at the request of her family.

A 64-year-old man died after he was pulled out of the Hudson River unconscious near 79th Street at 7:45 a.m. Sunday. Police said the man, Michael Kudryk of Freehold, N.J., was believed to have suffered a heart attack.

Kudryk was taken to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said 26 others were removed from the water needing assistance for minor injuries or pains throughout the swim. Burke said there were more than 3,000 participants this year.

According to the NYPD, there was no indication of a link to a sewage spill into the Hudson last month. The river was closed for recreational use temporarily due to health concerns but has since re-opened.

Participants in the yearly race swim about a mile, bike 25 miles and run 6 miles. They attend a mandatory briefing before the race that includes information about training and staying hydrated. Burke said yesterday it was not uncommon for some people to struggle with overexertion.

Burke said he most commonly sees heat-related problems like fatigue and dehydration. But he said weather conditions on Sunday were optimal, with relatively mild temperatures and good cloud cover for much of the day.

"It's a tragedy that this happened," he said.

During the same triathlon three years ago, a 32-year-old competitor from Argentina was pulled from the water unconscious near the same location. Esteban Neira died after the rescue. The medical examiner ruled that he died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, a condition linked to high blood pressure. Race organizers said he was apparently unaware he had the condition.

Should triathlon directors be forced to put more safety regulations in place? Weigh in below...

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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