Elderly kayak racer from Yakima dies after accident in river

The Yakima Gap to Gap multi-event competition has been running for 40 years. On Saturday, the event was in progress when one of the competitors died.

84-year-old man found in river

The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office reports that an 84-year-old man died after being pulled from the river. He was participating in the kayaking portion of the Gap to Gap event, which consists of a 1-mile field run, a 4-mile kayaking event, two cycling events (road and mountain), and another 2.8-mile road run. The competition is held between teams whose members compete in the various events.

At around 9:35 a.m., a race participant was seen attempting to pull the elderly man from the river. The rescuer, who was participating in the Gap 2 Gap event, said he saw the man in the water.

He was brought to shore with the assistance of the YCSO, who was stopped, and the Marine Patrol. The elderly man was determined to be one of the gap participants. He was taken to a nearby hospital after EMS performed several life-saving measures. Measures continued at the hospital, but he could not be resuscitated. The YCSO did not disclose whether the man was wearing a life jacket.

His name will not be disclosed until his relatives are notified.