Deer swims with triathletes at Kansas City Triathlon

On Sunday, the Kansas City Triathlon had an unlikely participant join the swim leg of the race.

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Triathletes were completing either 500-metre or 1.5K, point-to-point swims in Longview Lake in Kansas City, Missouri when a deer got in the water and started swimming towards them. The deer kept its head up and seemed unbothered by the hoards of triathletes just a few feet away.

I've officially seen it all now @UltramaxSports , a deer in the swim…are you kidding me! That…was awesome #tommyboy! #KCTRI

— Kevin Nickel, MS, CSCS (@KevinNickel) May 15, 2016

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Next year we will make sure to include "Watch out for random deer during the swim" in the pre race swim briefing! I never knew deer could swim that good! Thanks to @montana_mark and @ultramaxsports for the video! #kctriathlon #KCTri2016 #DeerFish #SwimmingDeer

A post shared by Kansas City Triathlon™ (@kansascitytriathlon) on May 15, 2016 at 5:34pm PDT

Few people know that deer are exceptional swimmers, capable of achieving speeds of up to 24 km/hour in the water. They keep their heads up and use their acute hearing to stay alert for predators.

This is the first time in its 8 years of running that the Kansas City Triathlon has encountered a wild animal out on the course, least likely of all in the swim.

The independent race offers sprint, Olympic distance, duathlon and relay options over a fast and flat course in Jackson County, Missouri.