Triathlon swimmer in critical condition
Early edition: Paramedics resuscitated Juli Marshall. Her brother, Tom Wilson of Michigan, said she was "doing better" Sunday night and that some color had returned to her face. "Her pupils are responsive, " he said. "She's feeling pain on both sides of her body."
By ELENA LESLEY
Published April 29, 2007
ST. PETERSBURG - Juli Marshall wasn't breathing when a lifeguard pulled her out of the water Sunday during the St. Anthony's Triathlon.
A St. Petersburg fire rescue crew rushed the 48-year-old Illinois woman to shore, where she was taken to Bayfront Medical Center.
Paramedics continued to try to resuscitate her and Marshall started to breathe again just before they arrived at the hospital, said St. Petersburg fire Lt. Rick Feinberg.
Family members of the Chicago attorney, and mother of four, flocked to her bedside and phoned updates back and forth Sunday evening.
Her brother, Tom Wilson of Michigan, said she was "doing better" Sunday night and that some color had returned to her face.
"Her pupils are responsive, " he said. "She's feeling pain on both sides of her body."
Ceceile Taft, also of Michigan, whose daughter is married to one of Marshall's brothers, said Marshall was in a "coma-like state, " but able to breathe partly on her own.
Relatives said her nose was broken, indicating she had possible been kicked during the race. But no one could confirm exactly why Marshall lost consciousness.
"We have no information on what happened, " Wilson said. "If she was kicked, if she had a heart attack, it's just speculation right now."
Bonnie Mason, a Triathlon spokeswoman, said she didn't have any information on the incident.
"We do have a swimmer who was transported to Bayfront, " she said. "I don't know anything about her."
Wilson said Marshall had participated in other sporting events, but he didn't know if she had ever been in a triathlon before.
The triathlon's participant roster listed Marshall with a "Team in Training" group. A national endurance sports training program, Team in Training provides coaches and guidance for relative novices who raise money for charities for their participation.
Mason said triathlon staff didn't take any special precautions for Team in Training participants.
"We give all our participants the same attention, " she said.
She added that Sunday's incident will be reviewed by risk managers.
More than 4, 000 individuals and 100 relay teams competed in Sunday's triathlon. It is an Olympic-distance event with a 1.5-kilometer (0.93-mile) swim leg, a 40K (24.8-mile) bike and a 10K (6.2-mile) run.
Past Triathlon incidents
2006: High winds kicked up 4-foot swells that shocked and stymied many swimmers. Some 50 or 60 swimmers had to be plucked from the water and taken back to shore, including a woman who was found facedown and not breathing. Rescuers were able to resuscitate her.
2005: Participant Edward Kelly, 61, of Thorndale, Pa., collapsed and died during the running portion of the race. Bystanders tried unsuccessfully to revive him.