When one journalist was assigned to cover an Ironman competition, she probably didn’t expect it would include a hurling event, too.
KTLA reporter Wendy Burch was covering the annual Hermosa Beach Ironman on Tuesday in Los Angeles County when a competitor vomited on her.
“Oh, no, no,” she said as anchors in the studio watched in horror.
In a blog for HuffPost, Burch said she had been interviewing one participant who had a bull’s-eye and the words “puke here” written on his back― a detail she didn’t realize until it was too late. Midway through the interview, a fellow competitor took the bait.
The live telecast froze at the moment of impact, which Burch said was a technical glitch, not a director’s act of mercy. Unaware that she was no longer on the air, she said she continued to interview revelers on the scene, “while sudsy substances flew in the air and landed in my hair.”
“After that, it was a wrap,” she said. “I drove home, took a hot shower and a long nap.”
The heaving finish shouldn’t come as too great a surprise. This so-called “Ironman” involves running a mile, paddling a mile in the ocean and chugging a six-pack of beer as fast as you can. “First to finish without puking wins!” chirps the event website.