Core Temperature during Cold-Water Triathlon Swimming
Open Access
- 20 June 2021
- Vol. 9 (6), 87
- https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9060087
Abstract
Triathlon and other endurance races have grown in popularity. Although participants are generally fit and presumably healthy, there is measurable morbidity and mortality associated with participation. In triathlon, most deaths occur during the swim leg, and more insight into risk factors, such as hypothermia, is warranted. In this study, we measured the core temperature of 51 participants who ingested temperature sensor capsules before the swim leg of a full-distance triathlon. The water temperature was 14.4–16.4 °C, and the subjects wore wetsuits. One subject with a low body mass index and a long swim time experienced hypothermia (<35 °C). Among the remaining subjects, we found no association between core temperature and swim time, body mass index, or sex. To conclude, the present study indicates that during the swim leg of a full-distance triathlon in water temperatures ≈ 15–16 °C, subjects with a low body mass index and long swim times may be at risk of hypothermia even when wearing wetsuits.Keywords
This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit:
- Hypothesised mechanisms of swimming-related death: a systematic reviewBritish Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016
- Moving in extreme environments: open water swimming in cold and warm waterExtreme Physiology & Medicine, 2014
- Hypothermia Is a Significant Medical Risk of Mass Participation Long-Distance Open Water SwimmingWilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2009
- Hypothermia and afterdrop following open water swimming: The Alcatraz/San Francisco swim studyThe American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2000
- Immersion deaths and deterioration in swimming performance in cold waterThe Lancet, 1999
- Mechanism of afterdrop after cold water immersionJournal of Applied Physiology, 1988
- Human adaptation to repeated cold immersions.Journal Of Physiology-London, 1988
- Thermal adjustment to cold-water exposure in exercising men and womenJournal of Applied Physiology, 1984
- Roles of subcutaneous fat and thermoregulatory reflexes in determining ability to stabilize body temperature in water.Journal Of Physiology-London, 1981