Man Dies at Alcatraz Triathlon: Racer Dies During Swimming Portion of San Francisco 'Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon'

A 46-year-old man from Austin, Texas died Sunday during a triathlon at San Francisco's Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. The race was held three months earlier than usual and the man died from cardiac arrest while trying to complete the swimming portion of the race in the cold waters. Alcatraz is the high security prison that rests atop an island off the coast of San Francisco. The prison closed in 1963.

Race director Bill Burke said in a statement, ""We have reason to believe the gentleman suffered from a massive cardiac event as he entered the water and began the swim." Burke went on to say, "The thoughts and prayers of the entire Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon team are with the family and friends of the racer as they mourn this loss."

Despite being a challenging competition, this is the first death in the triathlon's 33 year history. The race took place in June of last year, but it was pushed up this year to accommodate the 2013 America's Cup. Normally the bay is close to 60 degrees in June. The water temperature was around 50 degrees for the race this year. The Texas man, whose name was not released, died less than a minute after jumping into the bay.

Rescuers reportedly pulled 150 people from the swimming portion of the race. According to Burke, water temperature was not believed to be the reason for the man's death.

"Was it colder than normal? Yes. But in my opinion, the water temperature was not a factor at all in this tragedy," Burke said. "This gentleman obviously had a heart condition he was unaware of."

According to the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon website there were 2,000 competitors in the race this year. The triathlon consists of 1.5 mile swim around Alcatraz Island, 18-mile bike race, and 8-mile run.

The winners of the race were Javier Gomez, 29, of Spain and Heather Jackson, 28, of Carlsbad. Their times were slightly slower than the male and female winners of last year's race.