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83-year-old triathlete dies on Pinellas TrailBy ALICIA CALDWELL © St. Petersburg Times, published September 5, 2000
Ward, 83, of Seminole was a 10-time world champion in his age group and at age 77 had become the oldest athlete to finish the most difficult triathlon of all, the Ironman in Hawaii. He also was an ambassador for the sport and something of a celebrity: He appeared on Good Morning America and was profiled in the New York Times and USA Today. On Labor Day, Ward was riding with training partners on the Pinellas Trail just north of 102nd Avenue when he began zigzagging and fell onto the asphalt, said Millie Hamilton, who was riding with him at the time. "The ER doctor seems to think he had a heart attack and wrecked," said Lt. Rick Koda of Seminole Fire and Rescue. He was among the paramedics who tried to revive Ward. The bike ride began much like hundreds before it: A group of triathletes -- these were retirees who trained at roughly the same pace -- met at 7:30 a.m. in a parking lot across from the VA Medical Center at Bay Pines, Hamilton said. Ward was in fine spirits and ready, as usual, for a good workout. The group had planned a 36-mile ride to Kelly's For Just About Anything, a restaurant in Dunedin. After eating breakfast, they planned to bike back. About 5 miles into the ride, Hamilton saw Ward veer off the pavement and back onto it. Then, Ward fell. "He crashed like he was diving into a swimming pool," said Hamilton, 56, who trained with Ward for eight to nine years. "It seemed to me that he was dead immediately. I was yelling,"Jim, Jim, are you okay? Get up Jim!' " Hamilton got off her bicycle and tried to help Ward. Then, she ran off the trail to a nearby house where she asked the resident to call rescue workers. In the meantime, a woman who had been inline skating gave Ward CPR while her companion did chest compressions on Ward. Within minutes, paramedics arrived and tried to revive Ward. Koda, the paramedic, said the people doing CPR had made an admirable effort -- Ward's color was good -- but it appeared that no effort would have saved him. Paramedics took Ward to Largo Medical Center. As fellow members of the St. Pete Mad Dog Triathlon Club gathered in the waiting area, Ward was pronounced dead. Ward, was known as "Mad Dog No. 10," the number signifying the fact that he was the 10th person to join the freewheeling club, which has about 1,000 members and goes by this motto: "Fun-loving triathletes who train, race and howl together." Kathy Morgan, one of the founding members of the club, said Ward had been slowing down in recent years, having suffered a stroke 21/2 years ago. In recent years, he had competed in the Ironman Hawaii, but did not finish the event, in which participants swim 2.4 miles in open water, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. Ward began competing in triathlons late in life, completing his first at age 68. It was the retirement hobby for a man who had led an extraordinary life. Ward was a highly decorated paratrooper in World War II. After leaving the military in 1970, he became a diplomat, serving in Europe, Asia and the American tropics. He knew 11 languages. Over the years, he stayed in good physical shape. He always jogged, long before it became popular. And he played golf and tennis. At age 64, he and his wife, Mary, moved to Seminole. In short order, he did his first running race, marathon and then triathlon. He had completed more than 150 triathlons, traveling the world to compete. Despite all the different races, there was a special place in his heart for the Ironman. Morgan of the Mad Dogs said Ward still hoped to do at least one more. In 1996, he told the St. Petersburg Times that he wanted to complete the Ironman as an octogenarian. Said Ward: "I'm not going to quit." - Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
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