NEWS

Wauwatosa native dies in Ironman triathlon in Texas

Meg Jones
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A man who grew up in Wauwatosa died Saturday while participating in an Ironman triathlon in Texas.

Glen Bruemmer, 54, was found unresponsive in the water during the swimming portion of the Ironman North American Championship Texas triathlon in The Woodlands, Texas, said his mother Mary Bruemmer.

Wauwatosa native Glen Bruemmer, 54, died while participating in an Ironman competition in The Woodlands, Texas.

He was competing in his seventh Ironman triathlon, which combine swimming, bicycling and running. The race started with a 2.4-mile swim in Lake Woodlands, followed by 112 miles on bicycle and a 26.2-mile marathon.

"He was very competitive. He did not care for the swimming part of it. On the weekends he always did the biking and running," Mary Bruemmer said in a phone interview Monday afternoon.

Married with twin sons in their 20s, Glen Bruemmer was a Wauwatosa East High School graduate who earned a business degree at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He was a sales representative for a Texas company that produces temporary replacement hearts, his mother said.

"He didn't compete in sports at high school. That's the thing, he just went nuts later in life and got in shape. He loved the Ironman," said his mother who was at a quilt show in Mukwonago Saturday when her daughter called with the terrible news.

"It was during the 2.4-mile swim, not too far from the end. They saw him leaning to the side, he was unresponsive. They did CPR for about 45 minutes," Mary Bruemmer said.

Local media reported spectators jumped in to help when they noticed Bruemmer in distress.

A funeral is scheduled on Thursday in Texas.