Families of dead Ironman athletes pay tribute

The families of Michael Clapperton (58) and Martin Pretorius (29), the two athletes who died while competing in the swimming leg of Ironman 70.3 Mossel Bay on 16 November, have said while they are heartbroken, the legacies these men leave behind are everlasting.

- Chelsea Pieterse

Safety personnel at the event had responded to two separate incidents that morning, about 15 minutes apart, extracting Clapperton and Pretorius from the water. Ironman said one was extracted about 400m from the shore and the other about 1 000m.

Both were declared dead shortly after their extraction.

Clapperton's wife, Terri, told the Advertiser she and her husband met and fell in love as teenagers, got married, began building a life in Durban and had two beautiful daughters whom he loved fiercely.