Organizers of the Ironman U.S. Championship announced Friday that the triathlon will not return to New York City next year. This year, a sewage leak dumped millions of gallons of raw human waste into the Hudson and threatened to kill the swim portion. Although cancellation proved unnecessary, a 43-year-old athlete died after "experiencing distress" in the water. The following day, the World Triathlon Corporation announced a hike to the relatively high entry fee: $1,200 for 2013, up from $900 i... Read More
Soft drink industry representatives are threatening New York with possible legal action after the city's board of health approved a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks. The ban would prohibit the sale of non-diet sodas in containers over 16 ounces, and would apply to restaurants, movie theaters, and any other venue subject to Board of Health inspections. "The Board of Health has been doing this sort of thing for 150 years," Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley told the New Y... Read More
The wildfire threatening Jackson, Wyoming, was started in the yard of an elderly resident south of town, witnesses report. In a statement released Tuesday, Jay and Jason Anderson said their 76-year-old father, James Anderson, is “extremely distraught” about starting the fire and is working with investigators on the fire that has burned four square miles of forest near Snow King Resort, just blocks from downtown Jackson. While no homes have been destroyed, 1,000 residents have been ... Read More
After receiving a call from a concerned hiker last week, German police responded to find a naked man wandering in the woods in the town of Traunstein. It turns out he was a Franciscan monk who was tripping on some bad berries. The monk had initially set out with his bike and a tent, planning to spend a few quiet days in the countryside. His plans were derailed after he accidentally ate some toxic fruit, started to hallucinate, and wandered away from his tent, unable to find his way back. The m... Read More
Kayaker Jeff West has died on a solo attempt of the Grand Canyon of the Stikine River in British Columbia. He was 42. West had paddled the 45-mile stretch of Class V-VI rapids with Todd Wells and Erik Boomer in a single day in 2010. The descent normally takes three days. His body was found in an eddy on Tuesday and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear. "There are only a few features I could imagine that could do Jeff in on day two," Boomer said. "That and some kind of bad luc... Read More
