Name released of Madison man who died after competing in Ironman

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Dane Co. Medical Examiner’s Office has officially released the name of the Ironman athlete who died over the weekend after competing in the triathlon.

Its statement identified him as Dax Bakken. A preliminary autopsy has been conducted to determine how the Madison man died, but the results are still pending.

Bakken, 51, needed medical attention during the bike portion of the race, which was held Sunday in Madison, organizers explained. A member of its staff and an off-duty law enforcement officer helped him until medical crews arrived to take Bakken to the hospital, where he later died.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support his family, noting that Bakken had served in Desert Storm and was the primary breadwinner for his family. As of Wednesday morning, donors have already pledged more than $50,000.

According to the page, Bakken had dreamed of competing in the Ironman and had completed the swim before moving to the biking portion. It said he is survived by his life partner Kristin, their 8-year-old daughter Maeve, and two sons Finn and Liam.

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