One of the nearly 2,000 athletes who participated in the annual Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon last weekend suffered a major injury at the very start of the San Francisco race.
Chicago firefighter Jose Perez has done many triathlons and Ironman competitions, his brother Samuel Perez told SFGATE on Friday, and had been training for the past year for the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon. The Bay Area event begins with participants being loaded up onto boats that take them out into the middle of the bay. Then, they leap off the edge of a boat into the water to start the swimming leg of the race, which is followed by an 18-mile bike ride and an 8-mile run. According to Samuel, right after Jose jumped into the water, another participant jumped in and landed directly on Jose’s head.
“My brother was instantly paralyzed,” Samuel Perez told SFGATE. “He knew instantly he couldn’t move his arms and legs. Him being a paramedic and fireman, he knew the severity of the situation.”…