Heat makes 90 people ill at Ironman in Hoorn

About 90 people became unwell on Sunday due to the heat at the Ironman Westfriesland sports event in Hoorn. Fifty went to a first aid post, and paramedics treated forty others. Eight people had to go to a hospital.

According to the local office for the emergency services, the heat affected both participants and people in the audience. The Ironman requires participants to swim, cycle, and run long distances.

Several sporting events had adjusted their program on Sunday due to the predicted temperatures. For example, De Halve van De Haar in Utrecht canceled the half marathon as a precaution. The organization did not think it was responsible to run such a distance in the weather conditions, they explained.

Organizers also adjusted the distances for the half-marathon in Roosendaal. The 10 kilometers was shortened to 8 kilometers, and participants in the 21 kilometers ran 10. Both distances also started an hour earlier. The organizers provided extra sponge- and water stations.

The Amerongse Berg Ultra also took measures like extra water stations and monitoring the participants of the 52-kilometer run via live tracking. “That way, we constantly know where everyone is,” the organizer said.