Winner Kirill Kotsegarov, bottom, 3rd place finisher Stefan Schmid, center, and 2nd place finisher Matt Chrabot lay on the ground after a photo finish to the Ironman Triathlon in the closest Ironman finish in history on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. This marks the second year the triathlon has been held in Chattanooga.Erlanger hospital treated nine athletes in the emergency room for injuries suffered in Sunday's Ironman competition, medical center officials said Monday.
Three participants were hospitalized - two for problems breathing and another for a shoulder injury, hospital officials said.
Four others were treated for injuries suffered in bicycle crashes, according to Erlanger.
The hospital was contracted by Ironman organizers to provide medical care for the event, in which participants swam 2.4 miles in the Tennessee River, bicycled for 116 miles, and then ran a marathon - 26.2 miles.
Doctors and volunteers working in the event's medical tent treated many others, including minor ankle injuries, weakness, nausea, and dehydration.
Erlanger officials said those injured ranged in age from their early 30s to mid-60s.
But they said overall, the number of injuries and hospitalizations was low. "In an event of this magnitude, with more than 2,000 competitors, it is a real credit to the organizers of this year's Ironman event there were so few serious injuries," said Dr. Rob Hamilton, with Erlanger Emergency Services.