Man who died in Ironman got into difficulty during swim

The 2025 event was the first Ironman Pro Series race to be held in the UK

A man who died after competing in the Ironman 70.3 Swansea triathlon had to be pulled from the water after getting into difficulty during the swim section of the race, an inquest opening has heard.

Sam Buchan, 31, from Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was about 1km (0.6 miles) into the race on 13 July when he was pulled onto a support boat and given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

He was transferred to Morriston Hospital in Swansea but died on 16 July after a decision was made with his family to "end intervention".

A post-mortem examination recorded his cause of death as "exertional heat stroke" which caused cardiac arrest.

Swansea Guildhall heard Mr Buchan had made the trip with his family for the event and had no medical history apart from mild asthma and hay fever.

The event features a 1.2-mile (1.9km) swim at the Prince of Wales Dock before a 56-mile (90km) bike course through Mumbles and along the Gower clifftops which loops back into Swansea for a 13.1-mile (21.1km) run.

A full inquest is due to take place on 18 March 2026.