Calls to the New Hanover County 911 center and interviews with an eyewitness event volunteer reveal Roger Ackerman, a 68-year-old from Sewanee, Ga., swam to an off-duty lifeguard on a paddleboard after the start of the swim portion of the PPD Beach2Battleship Triathlon began Saturday, Oct. 25. Ackerman was reportedly on the paddleboard talking to the lifeguard prior to being brought ashore non-responsive.
The 911 recordings document multiple calls between 9:12 a.m. and 9:13 a.m. while two-man CPR was in progress on a dock near Carolina Yacht Club.
Ackerman began the swim at 8:30 a.m., entering the water at the yacht club, 401 S. Lumina Ave. with approximately 1,200 fellow competitors in the Half Iron Distance competition.
Wrightsville Beach officials declined to identify the paddleboarder who pulled Ackerman on his board and then onto a nearby safety boat. The paddleboarder, one of several dozen contracted by Set Up Events to monitor swim activity, began performing CPR as the boat transported Ackerman to a dock near the yacht club, said Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Daniel House during an Oct. 27 phone interview.
House, who was not on duty during the start of the race, speculated EMS might have been able to respond faster if 911 had been called immediately, although he said it likely would not have made a difference in this situation.
The first caller was unable to identify his exact location but he said the Coast Guard boat was there at the dock where Ackerman was receiving two-man CPR.
The second caller also referred to two people performing CPR at a dock opposite 275 Waynick Blvd., 500 yards south of the Blockade Runner.
“One of our lifeguards from ocean rescue was working for the event and was on the paddleboard and he happened to be the one who saw this guy,” House said. “So it’s not like he didn’t get the medical attention. It was just that it took so long for the ambulance to actually pull up there. … There was a breakdown in there somewhere.”
Standby EMS units included an ATV gator at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort, 275 Waynick Blvd., and another full-sized EMS unit located at Seapath Yacht Club, House said in a follow-up phone interview Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The eyewitness is audibly heard on the 911 recording shouting to the Coast Guard asking if a defibrillator is on board. The caller tells the 911 operator the Coast Guard says, “no.”
Joshua Meek, U.S. Coast Guard, was the first 911 caller reporting “cardiac, not breathing at all.”
Kevin Smith, Carolina Yacht Club manager, confirmed someone broke down the yacht club door to obtain a defibrillator. House confirmed first responders attempted to revive Ackerman for approximately 30 minutes.
Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue Director Dave Baker said Oct. 29, “Once we were called through the 911 system, we responded as we always do. We were there within two minutes of the 911 call.”
Baker, who was also not on duty during the event, said WBOR would have had a defibrillator as standard equipment, and the events to locate one at the yacht club were news to him.
Baker’s response time is confirmed in the 911 event reports. EMS was on site in three minutes and 30 seconds after the first call.
Dick Jones, Wilmington YMCA chief executive officer, said Ackerman was an avid runner. He took up the sport of running at age 50 and completed more than 20 100-mile runs. He also completed a feat known by endurance runners as a home run, which is four 100-mile runs in a single season.
In addition to running, Ackerman competed in a swim last month in Georgia to raise money for the Livestrong Foundation.
“He was an amazing athlete,” Jones said during an Oct. 25 phone interview.
Ackerman had a family history of cardiovascular disease. Last spring, he had a stint placed in his heart. Doctors were impressed with his healthy lifestyle and he had been cleared to resume all physical activity.
“We’re going to debrief and investigate to make sure that all our procedures were followed,” Jones said, “and any improvements in our system, but right now we believe everything that could have been done was done.”
More than 14,000 competitors have participated in the Beach2Battleship Triathlon over the years, Jones added, and this was the first incident of this nature.
Jones said he spent Saturday afternoon with Ackerman’s wife, who is also an athlete and frequently participated in races alongside her husband.
“This was his first triathlon,” Jones said. “He was excited about participating in it and looking forward to finishing, and even thinking about getting a new bike afterwards. He loved life; he was obviously an active healthy adult, a loving husband and grandfather.”
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