Athlete dies during 112-mile bike leg of Ironman Wisconsin

Man, 51, fell ill during race and later died at a hospital

A 51-year-old man has died competing in Ironman Wisconsin (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

A man who was competing in Ironman Wisconsin fell ill during the bike leg of the race and later died in a hospital, officials said on Monday.

An Ironman staff member and an off-duty police officer who was providing race assistance saw that the athlete, 51, needed medical attention while he was competing in the bike portion of the triathlon, Ironman Wisconsin confirmed on their Facebook page.

Both provided immediate medical attention, before emergency services moved the athlete to a local hospital, where he passed away.

His name has not been identified and it is unclear what exactly caused his death.

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the man, from Madison, Wisconsin, suffered “a medical event” in the town of Cross Plains.

“We share our deepest condolences with the family and friends of the athlete and will continue to offer them our support as they go through what is a very difficult time. We thank event personnel and first responders who worked to provide the athlete with medical support,” Ironman Wisconsin said in their statement.

The Ironman Triathlon is a well-known race that takes place globally, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, then a 26.22-mile marathon run, a total of 140.6 miles altogether.

The cause of death is currently unknown (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

The Ironman Wisconsin swim takes place in Lake Monona, the bike leg runs through the farmlands of Verona, Mount Horeb, Cross Plains and the surrounding areas, and the marathon finishes downtown, just past Capitol Square.

In another Ironman Wisconsin race in 2019, two athletes died during the swimming leg in Lake Montana.