Triathlon competitor,45, dies after declining lake rescue

Organisers of the event at Ripon Racecourse, which saw more than 700 athletes from across the UK compete in sweltering temperatures of up to 80F, paid tribute yesterday to the 45-year-old man who had travelled from Middlesex to take part.

The man, who is understood to have been a strong swimmer, began to get into difficulties after about two-thirds of the 1,500-metre swim, which formed the initial stage of the contest that also included a 44-kilometre cycle ride and a 10-kilometre run.

Safety officials in canoes on the lake in the middle of the racecourse had already asked the competitor if he needed help but he declined their offer of assistance before he was then spotted floating motionless in the water.

He was taken ashore on a boat supplied by Ripon Diving Club, before an ambulance crew gave him first aid. The man was then taken by ambulance to Harrogate District Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Mark Rees, the organiser of the NYP Tri event on Saturday, yesterday expressed his sympathies to the family of the dead man but was adamant that adequate safety procedures were in place.

Mr Rees, a police constable with North Yorkshire Police, said: "It was obviously a tragic incident, but we have not had a fatality or a serious injury in the 10 years we have been running the event.

"This was the 10th anniversary, and in many ways it was the

best event we have ever run as we are constantly looking to improve the way the triathlon is staged.

"We have an excellent safety record and we pay for an NHS ambulance to be on site every year, as well as having trained first aiders stationed throughout the course.

"I have been in touch with a friend of the man who was also competing in the event, and expressed our deepest condolences.

"It is heart-breaking what has happened but everything that could be done to save the man's life was done."

The event, which is now the largest club-run triathlon in the UK, was first staged in the 1980s before the NYP Tri club took over the competition.

The organisation itself, which was formerly known as the North Yorkshire Police Triathlon Club, was formed in the 1990s solely for employees of the county force. It has since evolved to allow the public to become members.

The Ripon event has helped raise more than 20,000 for local charities and voluntary groups during the last decade.

The man who died was not in the police service and had entered the open event, although Saturday's event did include competitors taking part in the police national championships.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman confirmed that officers had been called to Ripon Racecourse at about 3.30pm on Saturday after reports a competitor had got into trouble while attempting to complete the swimming section.

He also confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the man's death.