Thank you for sending your thoughts to the Denver Post regarding last weeks posting on the death of Michelle Walters.
The Denver Post printed several letters and comments submitted.
Here are those responses.
Whether you agree with this guest writer’s opinion or not, it is significant that the Denver Post would publish this guest editorial following Ironman Boulder. If you disagree with the viewpoint or points made, 303Triathlon encourages you to write to the Denver Post.
Michelle Walters didn’t have to die at Ironman Boulder
By JEREMY MAKE, Complete Denver Post article here
BOULDER, CO – AUGUST 8: A makeshift memorial has been set up for Ironman Boulder competitor Michelle Walters, 34 (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
I am an Ironman.
On Aug. 7, I completed the 2.4-mile swim, the 112-mile bike ride, and the 26.2-mile run of Boulder’s Ironman competition.
But my pride has been tempered by the death of Michelle Walters, who was killed during the bike portion of the race.
More specifically, my outrage at USA Triathlon, the City of Boulder, and the Colorado State Patrol has helped take all the sheen out of my finisher medal.
The details of what happened are still under investigation, but anyone who competed in the race could tell you: triathlons in Boulder are unsafe. If that feels unfair, so too is a race course where a 12-inch margin of error means the difference between life and death.
I’ve competed in half a dozen triathlons in Boulder, and all of them include a portion of the bike course on U.S. 36, a two-lane road with areas of wide shoulders and slim, as well as speed limits up to 60 miles per hour.
Why wouldn’t the courses include this stretch? It’s a beautiful backdrop to take in all around you when you’re on the “screaming downhills” north of town. But screaming downhills mean speeds that can exceed 35 miles per hour on a piece of carbon fiber that weighs less than most 11-month-olds.
And hours into a race where drafting isn’t allowed and those downhills provide some of the only relief from the more than 4,000 feet of uphill climbing mean that competitors need to pass other riders. Anything less than a full car lane of unobstructed road feels treacherous, even to the most seasoned racers. Michelle had 12 inches between unridable shoulder and knocked-down cones in some places.
It appears the driver isn’t to blame, and we should be very careful not to fault Michelle in any way.
303Triathlon articles
You keep racing in conditions you deem unsafe. 6 races you say? While I understand your concern, you have a choice. There are dozens of triathlons locally and an Ironman event almost every weekend somewhere in the US. Check out Ironman Texas. The bike is on a closed tollway.
That road scared the hell out of me when I raced on it.
I did not feel unsafe on the course. It was very well marked; there were police directing traffic at every intersection; there were people guiding us at every turn, and it was very clear where we were supposed to ride and where we were not. You don’t necessarily get to pick and choose where you pass in races. All the rules and course guidelines were reviewed in the mandatory athlete briefing as well in the athlete guide. It is just as much the participant’s responsibility to ride safely as it is the race director’s responsibility to make the course as safe as possible.
I don’t understand why they can’t shut down the more dangerous parts of the road for the duration of the race. Think about how much triathlon has given to Boulder. World class athletes from around the world live here to train for triathlons because they believe the altitude and climbing opportunities give them an advantage. Boulder should be more than willing to give back to the triathlon community.