Harmful algal bloom in Ohio River could affect upcoming IRONMAN Louisville competition

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Thousands of athletes from around the world are headed to Louisville for an IRONMAN competition later this month, but the swimming portion of could be in jeopardy after a harmful algal bloom was confirmed in the Ohio River.

The Kentucky Division of Water and the Kentucky Department for Public Health issued a public health advisory for the river after samples collected Aug. 1 indicated the presence of a toxin-producing bloom. That means activities that require physical contact with the water, such as swimming and wading, are not recommended because of the risk of ingesting contaminated water, which could cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Triathletes taking part in IRONMAN Louisville are supposed to swim downstream through part of the Ohio River next Sunday before hitting the Great Lawn in Waterfront Park for the 56-mile bike course and 13.1-mile run. Now, many participants are worried that the swim portion will be completely canceled.

"A lot of the conversation right now with athletes and friends, is like 'Are we going to swim?'" said Chris Arnold, who is competing and coaching athletes in next weekend's race.

Ironman Swimmers in Ohio River — Competitors in the IRONMAN Louisville triathlon swim in the Ohio River on Oct. 10, 2019. (WDRB/file)

It wouldn't be the first time that conditions in the Ohio River affected the competition. In 2018, the scheduled 2.4-mile swim was delayed and shortened to .9 miles because of swift river currents. In 2019, the entire swim leg of the race was canceled due to an algal bloom.

Eliminating the swim would be a big disappointment for competitors who have been training for months.

"It stinks for them, because they came in, they've been excited (and) they've been training hard for this," Arnold said. "On the flip side, for some people that are not stronger swimmers, they may be excited.":

Regardless, triathletes won't have any control on whether or not the swim will happen. Arnold, who helps dozens of athletes in the sport through the group TS2 Coaching, said to keep in mind that everyone racing faces the same conditions.

"If it is not healthy for us to get in that water, I don't want to be swimming and taking in nasty algae that could make me sick and throwing up or whatever else," he said. "I am thankful that IRONMAN is taking the steps and checking the water, not just throwing us in some nasty water."

The swim is still on at this point, but if conditions don't improve, it could be canceled.

"I personally would not go canoeing in here and certainly wouldn't go swimming in here today," said David Wicks, an environmentalist and professor at the University of Louisville.

Wicks said he's been keeping an eye on the presence of the toxic algae and admitted conditions have improved over the last few days. However, he's worried there won't be enough of the one thing required to clean out the algae in the short-term.

"The easiest answer is to have a lot of rain and to have it washed on down to Paducah," he said.

IRONMAN Louisville officials released this statement:

"As part of our standard pre-race procedures, IRONMAN collects water samples from the swim course leading up to the event and again during race week to test water conditions for potentially harmful bacteria. For IRONMAN 70.3 Louisville, samples will be collected and tested in conjunction with the Kentucky Division of Water. IRONMAN has strict guidelines these samples must meet in order to ensure the safety of our athletes as it relates to bacteria-based sickness. These guidelines are in line with the standards of the State of Kentucky. IRONMAN will continue to test the samples and make decisions based on the data that is provided leading up to the event."

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