The city is bolstering security for this year's Ironman Louisville triathlon.
Louisville Metro Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said recent events urged police to review and change security measures for the triathlon. One of those events, Mitchell said, was the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
“Obviously with the events that have happened, we look at those things and always try to look at our plan to make sure that it is as secure as it can be," said Mitchell. "And we feel like we’ve made some of those changes to enhance that. LMPD will have adequate coverage and make the venue as safe as it always has been when it’s occurred in Louisville.”
Although Mitchell said changes have been made to beef up security for the event, he declined to comment on the specifics of those changes, only saying security measures differ from last year.
Thousands of athletes from more than 30 countries will swim, bike, and run through Louisville during the annual 140.6-mile race. And for the first time in two years, professional athlete's will compete.
The Las Vegas massacre was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, killing 58 and injuring nearly 500. Louisville-native Chrisanna Roberts was there. She told WFPL the scene was “sheer terror” as she ran and watched bullets hit people around her.
The Ironman Louisville event begins with a swim across the Ohio River Sunday at 7 a.m.
