{"id":13036,"date":"2014-08-14T18:37:25","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T23:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=13036"},"modified":"2016-05-26T09:14:26","modified_gmt":"2016-05-26T14:14:26","slug":"testing-the-waters-for-triathlon-swimmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/testing-the-waters-for-triathlon-swimmers\/","title":{"rendered":"Testing the waters for triathlon swimmers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"TRIATHLON_j1\"
Photos by Kenneth Hyo Yoo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When thousands of athletes plunged into Lake Michigan for the swimming portions of the 2014 USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance National Championships in Milwaukee Aug. 9-10, they knew exactly what they were diving into.<\/p>\n

Thanks to careful water quality monitoring by 51ÁÔÆæ assistant professors Todd Miller and Matthew Smith, athletes had access to up-to-the-minute water temperature and bacteria level measurements. Miller teaches environmental and occupational health in the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health. Smith teaches in the School of Freshwater Sciences.<\/p>\n

\"TRIATHLON_j2\"<\/a>\u201cWhen the event was held in Milwaukee in 2013, I was asked by the Milwaukee Health Department to sample and monitor water quality for the swim course,\u201d Miller said. Despite significant worries by contestants, Miller was able to confirm the water was free of E. coli and other contaminants, thereby green-lighting the event. As a helpful bonus last year, Miller also provided temperature measurements, which he said ultimately turned out to be as valuable to the athletes as the bacteria information.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of variables are dictated by water temperature,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe decision to wear a wet suit or not affects performance, as does wet suit thickness. The temperature can vary depending on factors like wind direction, wave direction, storm water and upwelling, which occurs when deeper water rises to the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller said water temperature in the race area can vary quite a bit from the surface on down. \u201cIt can be 1 to 3 degrees Celsius of change, but you\u2019d definitely feel it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Race organizers specified their desired temperature measurement be taken 18 inches below the surface, but the 51ÁÔÆæ professors provided even more information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe essentially took temperature sensors, waterproofed them and measured nautical temperature at five different depths,\u201d said Smith, who was brought on board by Miller for this year\u2019s triathlon. \u201cWe put the temperature information on a website, which athletes accessed for real-time results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Triathletes swam in water that averaged 13-feet deep in an area bordered by Discovery World, the Summerfest grounds and Lakeshore State Park, near Summerfest\u2019s shore. Saturday\u2019s event featured a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run, while Sunday\u2019s sprint race involved a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run. The top 25 finishers in each age group qualified for the 2015 International Triathlon Union World Championships in Chicago.<\/p>\n

Collaboration on the triathlon water testing project evolved from a three-year-old partnership between 51ÁÔÆæ and the Milwaukee Health Department to monitor the health of area beaches. 51ÁÔÆæ routinely samples water at Milwaukee\u2019s Bradford, McKinley and South Shore Beaches, and both organizations perform chemical analysis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main microbiology test we do is to measure the abundance of E. coli,\u201d Miller said. \u201cSome strains are harmful to people, and it is a good indicator for sewage input and the potential for other harmful bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to checking for E. coli, Miller and his team monitor algae levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe primary influence on water quality is cladophora, the green algae that ends up decaying on the beach,\u201d Miller said. \u201cIf the water gets too warm, cladophora starts to die and smells bad.\u201d Miller also tested the swim course water for blue-green algae toxins, which were appearing in other Great Lakes in early August and were a concern of athletes coming to Milwaukee from around the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew it was very unlikely blue-green algae toxins would be here,\u201d Miller said. \u201cIt\u2019s just too cold for that kind of algae in this area. As far as I know, there has never been a recorded incident of toxic blue-green algae in Lake Michigan at Milwaukee or Chicago. However, there can be algae that is not toxic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said he and Miller are working to develop prototypes of inexpensive sensors to obtain water quality measurements, like those for water turbidity, or cloudiness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thanks to 51ÁÔÆæ assistant professors, athletes had access to up-to-the-minute water temperature and bacteria level measurements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40008,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,175],"tags":[],"section":[135,137],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[264],"uwmnews-feed":[166],"class_list":["post-13036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-research","section-health","section-public-health","related-coverage-water","uwmnews-feed-public-health"],"yoast_head":"\nTesting the waters for triathlon swimmers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thanks to 51ÁÔÆæ assistant professors, athletes had access to up-to-the-minute water temperature and bacteria level measurements.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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